Tudor Manor House Project

If it’s true that “people buy houses in London with their heads and houses in the country with their hearts” then the restoration of this historic Grade II listed Tudor manor house is nothing short of heart-warming.

We worked with the clients on this project to create a huge open plan kitchen and dining area as well as a second apartment kitchen in a separate wing. and designed, manufactured and installed cabinetry for other rooms including the study, master bathroom and dressing rooms. For us, this project is the epitome of classic English design.

Originally four smaller rooms, we worked with the clients and the architectural team to re-configure the space to comprise this large open plan kitchen with space for a large 10 seater dining table and soft seating area.

The focal point is the large false chimney with a Lacanche belmont range cooker positioned centrally to ensure the space retains a true sense of symmetry and balance. The island, enormous by anyone’s standard, is proportional to the space and gives the family of five their perfect space: “for us, designing this kitchen was all about making the space work for us as a family and it really does. We love the island and life in the kitchen really revolves around this space”.

The island and cabinetry interiors are finished in our bespoke Portobello dark oak – a beautiful finish that really suits the heritage of this home. The island acts as the food prep area with the main sink located centrally – this makes cooking really intuitive and easy with the range cooker located behind. On the front of the island at either end are two integrated Fisher & Paykel cool drawers which can be set to refrigerate or freezer depending on what’s needed.

To the left of the Lacanche range cooker is a large countertop appliance cupboard with an integrated Miele microwave and plenty of space below for storing servingware and pans. With doors opening on a bi-fold, it means this countertop cupboard can be easily left open while cooking for ease of access. To the right of the Lacanche are two Sub-Zero integrated fridges with fridge / freezer drawers below.

Between the kitchen and the living area, are two peninsulas – one is used as a desk area for catching up on emails and this one also houses the Miele coffee machine with Zip tap located below. On the other side is a small scullery area with two dishwashers with a crockery cupboard concealed in the pillar – really handy for putting things away after emptying the dishwasher.

But one of the really special things about this kitchen is what you can’t see – a walk in pantry that runs the length of the main cooking run and is accessed via either end through glazed doors. The pantry has a sink area and plenty of countertop space so it can also be used for baking or preparing cake mixtures etc. With artisan shelves running the full of the pantry, this is the main storage area for dry goods and really easily accessible from the main cooking area.

The Longford cabinetry doors in this kitchen really suit the traditional English look and feel of the property while the Portobello dark oak finish on the island and cabinetry interiors quietly reflects the heritage of this historic home and works perfectly with the neutral colour palette from the bespoke H|M paint atelier.

The Babington limestone flooring is from our H|M Stone Library and is available to order.