Randy Litzinger

We added a new Shaker kitchen and island with unlacquered brass handles, new lighting, furniture and tiled floor to the kitchen diner of our Dulwich Village Family Home project. Interior Design by Imperfect Interiors, photo Dean Hearne

Set within the former Royal British Legion Club in Bishop’s Stortford, this 18th-century Grade II listed building has been restored to its former glory and transformed into a luxury, modern home, beautifully designed, where heritage charm is blended with contemporary living. Dedicated local experts preserved the character of the original structure while introducing contemporary comfort at every design decision. Peter, the developer, and interior designer Helen Tigue worked together to create the wonderful layout. With Helen’s artistic flair, she finalised the finishing touches for this colourful space. Handcrafted in our Classic In-Frame Shaker style with a refined beaded front frame for sculpted decorative detail, the kitchen is now part of the newly built extension, where high ceilings, Crittall-style windows, and floods of natural light create the perfect backdrop. The cabinetry needs to feel authentically connected to the building’s history, so the Classic In-Frame was the natural choice. The additional beading adds a subtle decorative flourish without overwhelming the cabinetry, becoming a meaningful part of the kitchen’s next chapter. The ceiling was recommended to be opened up to expose the full height of the room. Designed in this spacious layout, the long sink run offers generous storage without wall cabinetry, allowing the timeless craftsmanship to sit proudly in the natural daylight. The central island anchors the room as a multifunction hub, while a dedicated range cooker area and nearby pantry dresser complete the space with both elegance and practicality. The result is a bespoke handmade kitchen that perfectly balances the building’s historic charm with modern design excellence, creating a space that is deeply personal to the family who now calls it home. Colour plays a defining role in this handmade kitchen, bringing plenty of character and individuality to the space. The main cabinetry and dressers are hand-painted in Pink Ground by Farrow & Ball, a soft, dusty blush chosen by the client to reflect their personality. This beautifully warm shade offers a soothing presence, pretty without being sugary, elegant without feeling formal, and perfectly balanced for a modern classic home. Bathed in plenty of natural light, the Pink Ground cabinetry feels calm, inviting, and effortlessly timeless. In striking contrast, the island becomes a bold centrepiece, hand-painted in Farrow & Ball’s Down Pipe. With its dramatic lead-grey base and subtle blue undertones, this rich colour adds depth and sophistication to the room. Down Pipe brings a fanatical zeal, grounding the space with a confident, contemporary edge. This daringly dark hue is ideal for a statement island, allowing the kitchen’s craftsmanship to shine while creating a beautiful visual balance against the softer blush tones. At the heart of this kitchen sits a beautifully unique appliance choice, the Everhot 150+ cooker in dusky pink. This was a personal request from our client, who wanted to introduce a touch of femininity into the space while celebrating their love for cooking. Positioned thoughtfully in its own dedicated section of the room, the Everhot becomes both a visual highlight and a hardworking centrepiece. The kettle is always ready to make a fresh pot of tea, cakes bake evenly in the radiant heat, and the family naturally gathers around to warm their hands while the meal cooks. Living with an Everhot is an experience in itself, designed to be the comforting hub of daily life, offering background warmth and a constant sense of homeliness. Yet behind its charming appearance lies impressive capability, perfectly equipped for hosting friends, preparing generous family meals, or quietly simmering something delicious throughout the day. To complement this iconic cooker, the kitchen features a refined selection of high-performance appliances seamlessly integrated with our handmade cabinetry. These include the Liebherr integrated food centre fridge and freezer, offering ample storage while remaining discreet. A Caple integrated wine cabinet for the perfect pour, a Siemens built-in microwave for convenience, and a Siemens integrated dishwasher for effortless clean-up. Together, these carefully chosen appliances create a kitchen that functions flawlessly for modern family life and looks beautiful at the same time. The sink area in this iconic historic Bishop’s Stortford property is a perfect example of how traditional craftsmanship, modern convenience and personal style can work in harmony. Positioned along the main run beneath the large windows, this zone is bathed in natural light throughout the day, an intentional design choice that allows both the handcrafted cabinetry and the high-quality fixtures to truly shine. At its centre sits the Shaws of Darwen double bowl sink, chosen in a generously wide size to support everything from daily family prep to hosting and entertaining. Its timeless fireclay design brings an unmistakable heritage feel, adding charm and authenticity to the space. To complement this, we paired two taps for ultimate functionality. The Perrin & Rowe Ionian mixer with rinse, finished in luxurious Aged Brass, introduced a warm, characterful tone and a beautifully traditional silhouette. Alongside it, the Quooker PRO3 Classic Nordic Round in Stainless Steel offers instant boiling water, an essential for modern luxury setups. Together, the workstation is made to be efficient and elegant. Filling the kitchen with thoughtful and functional design elements is our handcrafted cabinetry concealing a variety of bespoke storage solutions that make day-to-day life beautifully organised. Inside the drawers, tailored inserts such as spice trays, utensil trays, and cutlery dividers ensure every item has a place. All details are maximised for efficiency to bring a sense of calm and order to the kitchen’s workflow. One of the standout features is amongst the dresser: a cleverly designed pull-out dog bowl drawer at the bottom, seamlessly integrated to maintain a clean aesthetic while catering to the family’s furry friend. Above, bi-fold doors open to reveal a stunning breakfast pantry and coffee bar, making morning routines effortless and luxurious. Complementing our British handcrafted furniture is the Birmingham-made Armac Martin’s Sparkbrook collection in Aged Brass, featuring a combination of t-bars and cabinet pulls. These handles introduce an elegant detail that pairs beautifully with each of the beautiful cabinetry colours. The Carrara Misterio quartz finishes the worktops, a timeless choice known for its subtle, classic veining. This surface brings sophistication and durability to the space while allowing the blush tones and deep island hue to remain the stars of the palette. Adding a unique layer to the design is the green-grey splashback tile, which introduces soft contrast and a gentle hint of character against the pink cabinetry. The overall styling of the home further enhances its charm with selected wall art, sculptural vases, and statement light pendants with pops of colour. This kitchen is full of playful personality, where each of the pieces reflects the client’s vibrant spirit and brings an uplifting, contemporary energy to this restored historic property.

Andy Marshall

When refurbishing, the goal was clearly defined: plenty of room for the whole family with children, in a beautiful kitchen designed and manufactured locally in Denmark. The owners like to simply contemplate their kitchen from their office space in the corner of the room, or from the couch in the next room. “We love to admire the kitchen and consider it a piece of furniture in and of itself as well as a tool for daily cooking."

Blocco cucina con top in Stone e legno vecchio Open-concept space with kitchen and living room Custom-built kitchen in a modern country style for a family home Modern country interior design for a farmhouse unit Mobili su misura per appartamento familiare in colonica Materiali e colori per interior design country contemporaneo Casa familiare su tre livelli con stile country e dettagli moderni

Built in kitchen sink with marble counter and splashback. Dove grey units below and above. Pantry to the left. Quooker tap in antique brass, matching the cabinet door handles Large island with curved marble counter and integrated Bora induction hob with built in extractor. Seating around the edge. Built in ovens against wall with integrated freezer one side and fridge the other. Three pendant lights over island.

The kitchen in this new build oak framed cottage was conceived to be light and informal - with a modern 'country' feel to reflect the village location. Craftsmanship and artisan detailing was important - to echo the handmade green oak frame structure of the house. Materials include oak worktops, quartz, limestone and rough Belgian linen. Lights were handmade in Herefordshire, Everhot supplied the oven and the kitchen units were made by DeVol Kitchens. Border Oak were responsible for the design and construction as well as the interior finishing and sourcing.

Shaker style oak kitchen painted in Farrow & Ball Pavilion Gray with Bianco Venato engineered quartz worktop. The island has a built in exposed oak breakfast bar with beech stools. It also features under mounted Shaws double farmhouse style sink. The three Lightyears Caravaggio steel hanging pendant lights add a subtle touch of colour. Cole and Son Woods wallpaper beautifully compliments the kitchen with floating oak shelves, oak mantelpiece and colourful ceramics adding the finishing touches this stunning kitchen.

This bespoke professional cook's kitchen features a custom copper and stainless steel La Cornue range cooker and extraction canopy, built to match the client's copper pans. Italian Black Basalt stone shelving lines the walls resting on Acero stone brackets, a detail repeated on bench seats in front of the windows between glazed crockery cabinets. The table was made in solid English oak with turned legs. The project’s special details include inset LED strip lighting rebated into the underside of the stone shelves, wired invisibly through the stone brackets. Read our article about The Regency Cook's Kitchen. Primary materials: Hand painted Sapele; Italian Black Basalt; Acero limestone; English oak; Lefroy Brooks white brick tiles; antique brass, nickel and pewter ironmongery.

©beppe giardino

This Regency waterfront apartment is a dramatic foil for this project. The kitchen space is centrally located in the core of the building with a small window looking out onto a lightwell. Organising the workflow with the client during the design process really answered any questions - the clients less is more approach produced an interesting kitchen. The vintage oak doors were recycled from the previous kitchen to lend some balance to the modern handleless furniture. The reworking of this display unit with the addition of integrated lighting illuminates the space. Photography by Philip Adam Bacon

Chris Snook