A green oak kitchen extension

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Sharon and Robin Horsman needed more space in their 13th-century home so added a green oak extension to give them an attractive and versatile new kitchen.

When Sharon and Robin Horsman moved into their 13th-century Warwickshire home they relished the chance to live in the company of so much history, but they knew substantial work would be needed to make it comfortable for themselves and Robin’s mother who had also moved to live with them. The most pressing concern was creating a new kitchen as the existing one was far too small for the large U-shaped property. They decided to build a green oak extension to house it, which gave the Horsmans the freedom to design using an almost blank canvas, and with the help of their Smallbone designer they created an impressive new kitchen.

Prepared to work closely with their chosen kitchen designer on the project, Sharon was delighted to meet Ben Cleary on a chance visit to a Smallbone showroom when she was walking her dog. While other companies had promised to bring her ideas to life exactly as she’d conceived them, Ben also appreciated the unusual age and history of the property. Through plenty of discussion he found a way the new kitchen could be designed to complement the historical structure.

Sharon says that from that initial meeting she was made to feel welcome. ‘Ben listened to what Robin and I wanted from the kitchen and helped us to rationalise it and translate it into function,’ she says.

‘The aim for us all’, says Ben, ‘was to have a beautiful kitchen, with exactly the right blend of materials to work harmoniously with the existing, old part of the house, as well as the new extension.’

The first challenge was to establish where the real heart, or focal point should be. It became clear to him at an early stage that the main part of the kitchen (or kitchen ‘proper’ as he termed it) needed to be in the new extended area. Robin and Sharon also wanted their large, round table to sit under the new glazed section, with the doors opening out on to the garden. They have made great use of this as the setting for long and relaxed weekend meals, in particular Sunday lunches with their family. And it proved a good spot to finish a newspaper crossword.

While there was a chance the original part of the kitchen would now feel ‘void’, the solution agreed upon was for it to introduce the existing house to the new, extended part. They call this the ‘butler-pantry area’ and Ben says it meant he could then treat the main kitchen area with a more elegant approach, with fluted pilasters and cornices, recess-moulded panelling, light pewter finish doorknobs, and even textured stainless steel and faux ostrich skin lined shelving in the island for a fun, luxurious finish.

Though they’re not self-sufficient, the Horsmans certainly aspire to the television series The Good Life, and Sharon is proud that most of their fruit and vegetables come from the garden, which surrounds the house. She was also adamant that the extension would feel part of the garden, as well as the original house. The colours of the hand-painted kitchen units were chosen to echo the views seen through the windows in each part of the room, with the pale powder blue of the island reflecting the expanse of sky that Sharon says ‘goes on as far as the eye can see’.

The preparation station in the butler’s pantry is where Sharon conducts her regular ‘cookathons’. It is a warm burgundy red shade inspired by views of the adjoining snug with its old leather furniture, while the antique cream of the wall units and the Antiqued Bourgogne Clair floor create a spacious, open feel. The butler’s pantry is predominantly based on Smallbone’s Original Hand Painted Collection, with added bespoke raised and fielded doors and turned pilasters. The worktops use Giallo Imperial polished granite and Sharon chose a 50mm end grain butcher’s block with cantilever for easy food preparation.

The kitchen ‘proper’ is based on the same collection, but with subtle changes to suggest its different function, such as lighter coloured doorknobs. This is the area where Robin and Sharon entertain friends and hold large parties. It epitomises the easy, stylish, versatile space they had always wanted. The worktops are polished antique brown granite with full-height polished Botticino Classico marble splashbacks from Smallbone, combining look and function. Throughout the duration of the project, the Horsmans and the Smallbone team worked together to ensure the new room would complement the age and beauty of the existing period house. It was essential it gave them what they needed functionally, while respecting the property they were committed to cherish in all of its aged idiosyncrasy.

From the green oak beams and useful island, to the pretty cast-iron door handles and mood lighting settings, every detail has been considered with respect to this ancient home and its new inhabitants. Its present owners and kitchen designer are proud of what they have achieved with their sympathetic approach to this lovely kitchen that is enjoyed by everyone who visits.

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FEATURE KATHARINE CLEMOW PHOTOGRAPHS DARREN CHUNG
Featured in the February 2011 issue of Period Living