Kitchen of the Week: A Small Cook Space in a Period House is Reinvented
When the owners of this Georgian country manor moved in, their tiny kitchen was the living history of their home’s grand past
Kate Burt
12 July 2015
Houzz UK. I'm a journalist and editor, previously for the Independent, Guardian and various magazines. I'm now excited to part of the editorial team at Houzz UK & Ireland, bringing the best of British and Irish design, interiors and architecture to Houzz.com.
Houzz UK. I'm a journalist and editor, previously for the Independent, Guardian and... More
When Richard Davonport first took the brief to fit a new kitchen in this large country manor, the rooms in the house were still configured for the days when it had servants. The kitchen was, says Davonport, ‘quite poky’, while the former scullery downstairs – now the laundry room – was twice its size. To get to the large, airy family kitchen now in place, there was, he says, ‘a lot of knocking through’.
‘Our main brief was to open it all up to make a space into which the owners could bring their children. So we created a kitchen [from what had been one of the living rooms in the house] and breakfast room with an adjacent family room in which to watch TV,’ he explains.
Working closely with the builders, Davonport and his team discovered various areas that had been boxed in. ‘We unearthed all these spaces and little niches that we could use for storage,’ he says. He chose his company’s traditional-style Fallowfield kitchen to give the space a hit of classical style and a touch of rustic charm.
‘Our main brief was to open it all up to make a space into which the owners could bring their children. So we created a kitchen [from what had been one of the living rooms in the house] and breakfast room with an adjacent family room in which to watch TV,’ he explains.
Working closely with the builders, Davonport and his team discovered various areas that had been boxed in. ‘We unearthed all these spaces and little niches that we could use for storage,’ he says. He chose his company’s traditional-style Fallowfield kitchen to give the space a hit of classical style and a touch of rustic charm.
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here A professional couple with two children, plus the family cat
Location East Anglia
Designer Richard Davonport of Davonport
Size Kitchen, breakfast room and family room together, around 70 sq m; kitchen alone, around 30 sq m; part of a Grade II listed, 18th century country manor with 7 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms
‘We specialise in curves,’ says Davonport, referring to the large, interestingly shaped island that dominates the kitchen. ‘It improves the feel of the space and makes it perform better, and it feels nicer to walk around,’ he says. ‘Curves look great, too.’
The adjoining walnut table at the far end was designed to be an informal perch for the children. ‘The design was very much about the family,’ adds Davonport.
Cream range cooker, Everhot.
Who lives here A professional couple with two children, plus the family cat
Location East Anglia
Designer Richard Davonport of Davonport
Size Kitchen, breakfast room and family room together, around 70 sq m; kitchen alone, around 30 sq m; part of a Grade II listed, 18th century country manor with 7 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms
‘We specialise in curves,’ says Davonport, referring to the large, interestingly shaped island that dominates the kitchen. ‘It improves the feel of the space and makes it perform better, and it feels nicer to walk around,’ he says. ‘Curves look great, too.’
The adjoining walnut table at the far end was designed to be an informal perch for the children. ‘The design was very much about the family,’ adds Davonport.
Cream range cooker, Everhot.
The worktop is made from Juparana Torrone granite. ‘It’s a nice granite with big crystals of quartz and many colours on a white background,’ explains Davonport. The luxurious-looking floor is an engineered American black walnut.
At the far end of the worktop, by the island breakfast table, a slim, glass-fronted cupboard holds tableware, napkins and glasses.
Browse 10 style rules for the ultimate country kitchen
At the far end of the worktop, by the island breakfast table, a slim, glass-fronted cupboard holds tableware, napkins and glasses.
Browse 10 style rules for the ultimate country kitchen
The soffit ceiling echoes the shape of the island and houses spots to light it beautifully, but it also has another practical function. ‘It conceals a lot of dirty great pipes,’ laughs Davonport. ‘But it also creates a feature – it uplights as well as downlighting.’
In the background, you get a glimpse of the adjoining family room, where there’s a TV and sofa.
In the background, you get a glimpse of the adjoining family room, where there’s a TV and sofa.
Interestingly, the cosy family room was the original upstairs kitchen, and the room the owners were still using before the renovation. It even has the original servants’ bells still connected.
The colour scheme continues from the kitchen, but is given an injection of brighter hues in the form of books and cushions.
The cupboards on the right above the window look as if they’ve always been there, despite their odd position, but were in fact built by Davonport to conceal the old fuse boards and electricity meter, which it was not possible to move.
The colour scheme continues from the kitchen, but is given an injection of brighter hues in the form of books and cushions.
The cupboards on the right above the window look as if they’ve always been there, despite their odd position, but were in fact built by Davonport to conceal the old fuse boards and electricity meter, which it was not possible to move.
The rustic Everhot oven was a favourite item from the clients’ previous kitchen, so Davonport worked with it. The striking, solid-looking mantel over the range cooker is made by Davonport’s company and adds extra period character. Cream handmade tiles boost the country flavour, while pretty painted cabinetry hides practical details.
Cabinetry painted in Pigeon, Farrow & Ball. Cream splashback, Marlborough Tiles.
Cabinetry painted in Pigeon, Farrow & Ball. Cream splashback, Marlborough Tiles.
‘Specially for this kitchen, we put a secret door on the side of the cupboard next to the range for spices, so they are within easy reach,’ explains Davonport.
‘It’s so user-friendly,’ he continues. ‘We tried to give the kitchen a modern touch without doing anything that would look out of keeping.’
‘It’s so user-friendly,’ he continues. ‘We tried to give the kitchen a modern touch without doing anything that would look out of keeping.’
The cleverly designed bespoke cupboard also has a door at the front, which reveals walnut drawers for storing sauces, vinegars and oils.
Just visible on the left in this image is the built-in fridge; a matching cabinet for the freezer is on the other side of the range. Both doors have handles rather than the knobs that feature on the drawers and smaller cupboards. ‘The handles are substantial, as the doors on fridges and freezers suck in a little as you pull, so they need to be sturdy,’ explains Davonport.
Just visible on the left in this image is the built-in fridge; a matching cabinet for the freezer is on the other side of the range. Both doors have handles rather than the knobs that feature on the drawers and smaller cupboards. ‘The handles are substantial, as the doors on fridges and freezers suck in a little as you pull, so they need to be sturdy,’ explains Davonport.
A neat ‘appliance garage’ houses small kitchen appliances, such as the toaster and KitchenAid. ‘The client can slide out the tray with the appliances on it, still plugged in,’ explains Davonport.
‘We often do this with not-very-attractive microwaves that clients want to hide; the tray underneath simply pulls out so you don’t have to reach over or lift to access often heavy items.’ Underneath, there’s a large cutlery tray.
Explore more ways to declutter your kitchen
‘We often do this with not-very-attractive microwaves that clients want to hide; the tray underneath simply pulls out so you don’t have to reach over or lift to access often heavy items.’ Underneath, there’s a large cutlery tray.
Explore more ways to declutter your kitchen
A double butler’s sink continues the country theme, and a boiling-water tap means there’s no need to have a kettle out on show, which could clutter up the gorgeous worktops and take the edge off the kitchen’s traditional aesthetic.
Mixer tap, Perrin & Rowe. Boiling water tap, Quooker.
Mixer tap, Perrin & Rowe. Boiling water tap, Quooker.
It was pure coincidence that the doors in one of Davonport’s ready-made lines perfectly matched the original breakfast room door; the period piece is on the left of this image, while the new, uncannily similar versions front the pretty wooden dresser. Both are painted in the same shade as the other kitchen cabinetry. ‘We always try to keep the design in keeping with the rest of the architecture,’ says Davonport.
The pretty kitchen table and chairs are antique, but Davonport remade the tabletop – in solid walnut – to complement the rest of the space.
The pretty kitchen table and chairs are antique, but Davonport remade the tabletop – in solid walnut – to complement the rest of the space.
The shallow larder, in which the owners keep cereals and dry foods, has more than one clever design detail. Drawers at the bottom swing open on hinges for easy access, plus, perhaps cleverer still, there’s a mirror behind the shelves. ‘It helps to fill the inside of the cupboard with natural light, so you can see what’s at the back,’ explains Davonport.
‘It helps, too, that it’s such a beautifully organised pantry: everything is labelled and in matching storage containers.’ Davonport won’t take credit for that, though. ‘It’s all the clients’ own work,’ he laughs.
The white, original, door on the right leads down to the cellar, which the owners use to store wine.
TELL US…
What do you think of this traditional-style country kitchen? Let us know in the Comments below.
‘It helps, too, that it’s such a beautifully organised pantry: everything is labelled and in matching storage containers.’ Davonport won’t take credit for that, though. ‘It’s all the clients’ own work,’ he laughs.
The white, original, door on the right leads down to the cellar, which the owners use to store wine.
TELL US…
What do you think of this traditional-style country kitchen? Let us know in the Comments below.
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I own a 1920s house which has a kitchen which my parents had to modernise by knocking kitchen, scullery and pantry together - and it is still only a fifth of the size of this one