Sevenoaks Bespoke Kitchen & Walk In Pantry

The Design

We recently completed this stunning kitchen in Sevenoaks and we’re smitten! Our clients chose their bespoke cabinetry in our Westgate style, a contemporary take on the traditional Shaker style kitchen, with a T- bar panel separating each unit and much thinner shaker panel. The Westgate is designed after Westgate Towers in Canterbury, and built to stand the test of time. Often used with brass and ripple glass, this kitchen range can look very art deco with specific styling. Our lovely clients chose their main run of cabinetry to be painted in Mylands’ Threadneedle, and Bond Street for their island again by Mylands. Painting their walls in the same pinky hue as their cabinetry, enhances the already tall ceilings and creates a very easy streamlined look.

We asked our clients why they wanted their kitchen to be bespoke, they said:

“When we moved into our house 3 and half years ago, the main compromise was the kitchen space, which was dark, small and cramped, there was no space to sit comfortably round a table.  The storage space was minimal, with half depth cupboards, no pan drawers and a lack of counter space. After deciding to knock through to the integral garage in order to get the space and having opened up the roof space to flood the new space with light we wanted the kitchen to really suit us. The new space has a 5m high ceiling and we really wanted our kitchen to f it perfectly into the new space. For example, along one wall we wanted higher than standard cupboards.  It was also really important to be able to have the colours which suited the space, and for us that was Mylands Threadneedle and Bond Street.”

When asked what their vision for their new kitchen was upon starting the design process, our clients said:

“We love where we live, but in order to be able to buy in our chosen area, we had to compromise on period features and our modern house has typical standard low ceiling heights and we wanted a kitchen that added character to the house and expressed a bit more of our taste and style. We wanted it to be spacious, inviting and calm. We knew we wanted to put the hob on the island, so that when cooking your back wasn’t to the kitchen and that you could look over the garden and chat more easily with family and friends in the kitchen.  We also knew that we wanted to avoid an overhead extractor, due to the 5m ceiling, and we were delighted when David showed us the bora hob with the integrated extractor. It works so well and keeps the kitchen clear of the clutter of an extractor.”

The Details: Colours, Hardware Etc

When asked about the process of choosing a colour palette and hardware, they said:

“I wanted a colour palette that was calming and which would play well with the sun which streams in from the rooflights and the garden doors every morning. In my dreams I wanted to come down to  a rosy glow in the kitchen in the morning.  I spent months testing pale plaster like colours and found that Mylands Threadneedle is perfect for that in our kitchen as depending on the light it is a pale pink/plaster colour. My husband Paul was slightly sceptical about how pink the kitchen would be – especially when I told him I wanted Threadneedle on the walls, ceilings and the units  lining the walls.  However, I was determined to have the units and the walls the same colour in order to make the most of the space. Given the previously cramped kitchen we had lived with, I was very keen to ensure that the space felt as big as possible. Keeping the colour the same on the units as on the walls and the ceilings also helps with feeling of calmness in the room. In terms of the hardware we loved the Sparsbrook handles on our trip down to the studio. They are beautiful individual pieces and the brass with the Threadneedle colour is stunning. We also loved the slight 30s feel to the Sparsbrook handles, it’s one of our favourite design eras, and the nod to the thirties in the Sparsbrook hardware together with the Westgate range and in particular the reeded glass in our countertop units makes us very happy.

The Walk-In Pantry

Walk in pantry of dreams! Our clients and their designer David, were able to make excellent use of the existing space, including this deep alcove. By adding shelves, doors and spice racks, all painted in the same Threadneedle, we were able to create a walk in pantry large enough for all the clients food storage as well as an excellent hiding spot for their microwave. Extending the stone flooring into this pantry, creates a harmonic continuity in the space.

“Because of where there is a pillar for a retaining wall our architect suggested a walk in larder unit which fits beautifully along the run of units at the back. We absolutely love the storage it gives us and that it can hide the microwave and the fuse box. The exquisite doors and architrave that David designed and Joe built really make it a thing of beauty.”

Making The Kitchen

All of our kitchens, utilities and wardrobes are made in our Canterbury workshop, completely bespoke to you and your space. One of the most exciting parts of this process, is seeing your tailor made, unique units come to life.

If you would like to come see your project being made, you can ask your designer to arrange a workshop visit, only a ten minute drive from our Canterbury studio!

One very striking aspect of this kitchen, is the deliberate absence of wall units above the sink. By doing this and adding clean and streamlined quartz decorative shelving, makes the space feel larger and draws the eye up to the tall ceiling and skylight.

“Because our previous kitchen was so dark and cramped we knew we wanted to keep the space open and clear. I also really wanted to show off the tall back wall of the kitchen and I felt that putting cupboards on that wall would have broken the height and interfered with the feeling of space as it would stop the eye being drawn upwards. I wanted to use decorative shelves to make sure I had my coffee essentials close to hand!”

On Using Herringbone

We always feel so grateful for the wonderful feedback our clients leave us, this time they had this to say:

“We had the most fantastic experience with Herringbone. From our initial trip down to Canterbury, we knew that David completely understood the style of kitchen we wanted and his attention to detail was exceptional, for example the countertop doors open 360 degrees so it is extremely easy to get items from the corner unit. The craftsmanship of the units is fantastic and Joe was amazing at installing the kitchen, his perfectionism and attention to detail was so impressive! At the end of quite a long building project to get the space right so that we could have a bigger family kitchen it was a joy to have Herringbone on site, it was obvious from the moment they arrived that they wanted us to have our perfect kitchen and would do their upmost to make sure we got it. We saved on other areas in order to have a Herringbone kitchen and we are so glad we did.”

-Paul & Fiona, Sevenoaks

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