We are pleased to announce that bespoke kitchen designers, Artichoke, recently undertook a period renovation project on a traditional Georgian Townhouse in the South West. The previous owner had already moved the kitchen from the basement into the heart of the home on the ground floor but the sleek modern style they had chosen was not in keeping with the Georgian splendour of the rest of the house. The client commissioned Artichoke to put this right.
The brief
The property, a classic Georgian Townhouse, required a full kitchen redesign to restore the room to its former glory and to suit the lifestyle of a young and growing family. The brief to Artichoke was to create a kitchen and dining space that better reflected the atmosphere and elegance of the Georgian reception rooms – practical and hardwearing to suit modern family life while being beautiful enough to entertain guests.
Architectural challenges
The existing kitchen did not function well and did not suit the desired Georgian aesthetic. Fitted with white, flat-fronted cabinets, a supersized island and plain, square edge skirting, the decorative architecture looked misplaced in the context of the distinguished Georgian reception rooms. The Artichoke design team proposed new ideas responding to the client’s requirements, creating a room that retained the spirit of grandeur and symmetry of the house.
The chimney breasts in the original space presented a difficult challenge for the team at Artichoke. According to the lead Project Director at Artichoke:
“One of the key challenges was to plan around the awkward, offset chimney breasts that interrupted the main elevations of both rooms. Our solution was to design furniture around these obstacles creating a sense of order and symmetry whilst providing depth to house appliances such as a fridge, a deep pantry cupboard and lots of storage”.
The outcome
Overall, Artichoke has achieved its goal of designing a beautiful kitchen that works well for a young family without compromising the integrity of Georgian architecture.
The large Georgian sash windows flood the space with light and accentuate the dark green of the painted Appalachian tulipwood, the honeyed tones of the French oak cook’s table and the neutral colours of the marble backsplash.
The kitchen cabinets with their stained oak interiors and brass handles are evocative of Georgian kitchen design found in traditional townhouses.
A hallmark of Artichoke’s work is the attention paid to even the smallest details. The work surface around the sink is slightly narrow because of the chimney breast behind so the designers specified a wall-mounted tap and a marble niche for hand soaps and washing up liquids to provide extra space Contemporary cooking appliances are concealed in the banks of storage cupboards providing easy access for everyday use but without compromising the look of the room. A complex system of sliding doors ensures that even when open, the doors do not protrude into the room.
Finally, the bespoke cook’s table is a testament to Artichoke’s expertise in kitchen joinery. The design of the cook’s table was inspired by the classic Bristol landmark, Brunel’s suspension bridge, with its bespoke brass legs, rivets and decorative tie bars. While it is elegant in design, the cook’s table is also practical – it can be extended to provide additional workspace for cooking, as well as being an ideal height for a child’s high chair.