CLASSIC SHAKER
The Rutland Kitchen
Some kitchens are functional. Some are beautiful. This installation in Rutland, manages to be both without making a fuss about it.
The brief called for a kitchen that could work hard without showing it. What Sherwin Hall delivered is a considered, full-height scheme in the Charterhouse door, painted in Rolling Fog across the main run with the island finished in a contrasting Kigali. Both are ash, both are painted, but the shift in tone between the two is what gives the room its depth.
Throughout, the hardware is Barrington in dark brushed brass, and the worktops are Ashby and Dover quartz with a chamfered edge. The appliances are Miele throughout, with a Quooker tap in patinated brass above a Silgranit sink. Nothing here was an afterthought.
Banquette Seating
The island does more than divide the space. Built into its structure is a full banquette, wrapping around a solid oak dining table and curved open-back chairs to create a proper dining destination at the heart of the kitchen. It turns what could have been dead space into somewhere you actually want to sit.
Hidden Larder and Pantry
Hidden within the full-height cabinetry run is a corner larder that gives nothing away from the outside. Pull the door and it opens into a generous, fully fitted storage space complete with internal wine rack, bottle storage and shelved organisation that keeps everything close to hand but completely out of sight. Step further and a second door leads through to a walk-in pantry beyond. Closed up, the run looks like a wall of cabinetry. Open, it reveals exactly where all the thinking went.
A Seamless Solution
"The ceiling height on this project was nearly three metres, but even our tallest single door tops out at 2,300mm. The customer also didn't want the usual top boxes to fill the gap, so we had to think differently. The solution was to conceal a push-to-open top box behind what appears to be one seamless, full-height unit. A fun challenge, but the result was exactly what the customer wanted." Emma Gavin, Designer.
The Coffee Station
Tucked within the cabinetry run is a dedicated coffee station, concealed behind full-height pocket doors that fold back flush when in use. Inside, the oak-lined interior is a deliberate contrast to the painted finish surrounding it, with lit shelving above for cups and glassware, a quartz worktop for the coffee machines, and a stack of solid oak drawers below for everything else. Close the doors and it disappears completely into the run.
