How DeVOL Kitchens balanced character and contemporary living in a Georgian property

 

A: The project was for Poppie and Will Clements who were renovating a building in Bath and moving the kitchen into what was previously a reception room. They wanted the design to be sympathetic to and make use of the beautiful period features the room already had.

A: The room the kitchen has moved into is very characterful with traditional Georgian detailing typical of Bath properties. Because of this, the design wanted to be lighter on cabinets to complement and work with these details. Particular details that influenced the design were the curved arches at the back of the room which had bespoke cabinets built to fit, and the gorgeous ceiling rose and pendant light. The island needed to be sized and positioned correctly to align with these.

A: To work with the property's historic character, it was important to make sure the appliances and fixtures are appropriate, while also being up to the demands of modern living. Using an integrated fridge and dishwasher means they will have the appearance of traditional cabinets but modern performance and functions.

A traditionally styled range cooker is perfect for a period property; in this case – we opted for an Everhot. The taps are also an important finishing detail; we opted for the DeVOL Aged Brass taps. These keep to the period styling, but allow us to add modern conveniences such as filtered water on tap.

 

A: We used the deVOL Real Shaker cabinets for the kitchen. The Shaker styling is completely timeless and suits period properties perfectly. What made our Real Shaker range so perfect for this design is its traditional in-frame build and understated style to work with the details the room already has.

A: The cabinet doors and fascias are all made from prime ‘rock maple’. This wood is extremely hard and durable and is perfect for making traditional painted furniture. The worktops are Calacatta Viola marble picked out by Poppie; marble is simply beautiful and its detailed veining complements the simple cabinets really well. The use of a natural material is also very in keeping with a period property. Brass hardware is also very timeless; the DeVOL Aged Brass handles and taps used are unlacquered, so they will quickly age and patina for a very authentic look.

A: The biggest design challenge was making sure that the kitchen was sympathetic to the character and detail of the room, but also making sure it would function as a kitchen. As you can see, there is not a lot of wall space available to fit kitchen cabinets, but we wanted to avoid overpowering the areas where cabinets could be fitted.

Using shelving over the cooker offers much lighter and more decorative storage than wall cabinets. The room has a lot of central floor space, and can take a generously sized island, so we fitted the back of the island with large storage cabinets. The two arched alcoves have also been utilised for storage. So, while the design retains a light and open feel, it still has everything required to work practically as a kitchen.