Big country: a hardworking country kitchen for a busy family
Designing a 'dream kitchen' for a young family of city transplants meant valuing practicality as much as style
Following a big move from London to a country village, there is a ‘dream kitchen’ feel about both the scale and the aesthetics of this project by Martin Moore. At its heart is also a desire for perfect order. The owners and their young family lead a very busy life, so their time at home together revolves around this multi-tasking kitchen, with plenty of space for family and friends of all ages.
Clever zoning and a place for everything is the secret behind making large kitchens efficient. Martin Moore Senior Designer Andrew Wartnaby was involved from the beginning of the project to ensure that no compromises need be made in creating a kitchen which is as purposeful as it is beautiful.
Achieving this space was part of the total renovation of a period house left untouched for decades. Opened out at the rear, a new extension was built across the back of the house, with sliding glass doors leading from the kitchen onto the garden. The adjacent boot room provides a second route in from the garden, stopping children running through with muddy boots.
A warm and practical limestone floor runs throughout both rooms, forming part of a palette of natural colours, at the heart of which is the rich blue of the large working island. Topped with a magnificent slab of granite, it gives the kitchen both a central design feature and the “wow factor” which formed part of the clients’ must-have list.
Overall, the look is simple, uncluttered and has a sense of being composed of real pieces of furniture. Every Martin Moore kitchen is designed to order and hand built in their Yorkshire workshops. This also allows clients to specify everything right down to the custom-fitted drawer and cupboard interiors built around their lifestyle and possessions.
The large breakfast cupboard holds not only electrical appliances including a coffee machine and toaster, but also the kitchen china, glassware and cutlery. On the other side of the island (which contains the sink and dishwasher) is the beautifully organised cooking zone. The large range cooker is flanked by dedicated storage for pots and pans, with the fridge, freezer and tall pantry cupboard perfectly to hand.
The boot room was also designed very specifically around its purpose. Not only is it a barrier between house and garden, where boots and coats can be left, but it’s also both the utility and laundry room and houses another large fridge.
The cupboards, shelves and pigeon-holes were designed as a space-efficient storage system that packs a great deal of purpose into a relatively compact space. Here too, everything has its place and order can be kept, or restored, with minimal effort. A profound sense of calm runs throughout this whole project, the perfect antidote to the hustle and bustle of family life
Project profile
Q&A with Andrew Wartnaby, senior designer, Martin Moore
What was the brief from the homeowners? Having just moved from London to a small village, the owners really wanted to create their ‘dream kitchen’ – a space large enough to fit family and friends of all ages. It was important that the kitchen be multi-functional, but also super organised and efficient.
Were there any particular challenges with this project? The kitchen was part of a much larger renovation of an old period house, left untouched for decades. The older architectural features of the house delayed the building of the extension and meant that clever planning was necessary when opening up the space. This at times proved challenging.
What is your favourite element? My favourite element is the laundry/boot room: it’s a small but super-organised space where everything has a place. It’s the perfect storage solution for this busy family.
