Signature Bespoke Shaker Kitchen with a Walk-in Pantry
Country Kitchen, Hampshire
As part of an expansive extension to a Victorian property in a picturesque village just outside Winchester, Searle & Taylor was appointed to design and make a capacious bespoke in-frame Shaker kitchen with a separate walk-in pantry.
The clients were seeking a traditional handpainted kitchen with a statement island as the central focus of the room. At the end of the extension are double doors leading to the garden so the design was created to ensure that the island and pendant lights were completely symmetrical with this feature. With storage a key component, there are 26 pull-out drawers in the kitchen and pantry, all featuring solid oak dovetail drawer boxes, plus four open vegetable wicker basket drawers. All cabinetry is painted in Inkwell by Colour Trend Paints.
Darren Taylor designed breakfront cabinetry using a 30mm chamfer frame with oak carcases for the cooking and wet runs and all feature tongue and grooved end panels. For the cooking area, opposite the island, he designed symmetrical cupboards and drawers on both sides of the Rangemaster range cooker, with a silver antique glass splashback above it within a bow fronted Adam-style canopy.
The large canopy features a central ceiling-height cornice with a lacquered oak overmantel shelf complete with corbel supports with a horizontal dowel that runs through them used for hanging cooking utensils. Slim cabinets on either side of the canopy include oak internal shelving, with one that houses a knife rack mounted on the interior door. Each features single spice drawers beneath, while additional floating cabinets extending from the canopy feature further small spice drawers to the right and left. A pair of integrated fridge freezers are concealed by floor to ceiling cabinetry décor fronts.
The wet run is situated beneath a large window, extending at a right angle, and includes storage and utility cupboards, an integrated dishwasher and a cupboard for pull-out bins. Centrally located beneath the window is a double farmhouse sink by Villeroy & Boch, which incorporates a waste disposal unit by InSinkerator, and a satin brass tap by Perrin & Rowe. Specified throughout the kitchen, on the island, and in the walk-in pantry, is a 20mm thick quartz worktop with pencil edging in Blanco Zeus by Silestone. This surface is also used as an upstand and as a stone sill situated beneath the sink to help protect the cabinetry from water damage.
To both sides of the double doors leading to the garden are symmetrical wall-mounted dresser cabinets with open shelving and tongue and groove back panels. These are used to store cookery books and decorative items and they connect with one another via a flyover shelf above the doorway. Beneath each are further storage cupboards.
On the working side of the 4.7 metre x 1.4 metre island feature are 10 symmetrical 900mm wide drawers to accommodate pans, plates and crockery. On the side facing the walk-in pantry the worksurface overhangs at the centre to accommodate four counter stools beneath for informal dining. At each end, are 900mm cutlery drawers above vegetable baskets on hardwood runners. At each corner of the island are square chamfered legs with lamb’s tongue edging that surround tongue and grooved end panels. Above the island are three pendant lights by Jim Lawrence Lighting.
The walk-in pantry is situated in an original part of the house and during the design process it was agreed to showcase the original brickwork. This room features a combination of enclosed cabinetry for storing dry foodstuffs with plenty of open shelving to house bowls, baskets and vases.
Throughout the kitchen and the walk-in pantry, a mix of Armac Martin antique brass ball knob and pull-cup handles, together with brass butt hinges all add to the contemporary Shaker aesthetic.