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Perfect design is personal

Perfect design is personal

How do you bring 21st century, state-of-the-art design into an exquisite, 16th century, timber-framed house without disrupting the charm and integrity of such an iconic, local building? How do you subtly weave precision engineered elegance and technically brilliant form and function into such beautifully imprecise spaces? My Fathers Heart owner Jonathan Coulthard explains.

With its grand presence and rich history, Prestbury’s Priest House is a unique treasure. So we were delighted when we were approached to design and build the Priest House’s new kitchen.

Stepping into this remarkable old house is quite an experience. It gave us a fantastically exciting canvas.

Having worked for more than 22 years in some of the finest properties in the North of England, as well as for a royal family or two and supplying Harrods, we’re used to prestigious and unusual commissions. But this one was different.

Walking through the ancient rooms filled with magnificent old English oak, one couldn’t help but admire the craftsmanship of those skilled workers all those centuries ago. Yet, as the refurbishment of the shell of the more recent rear extension took shape, it was clear that a sleek, contemporary kitchen would be the right thing for the building.

Our bespoke design includes precisely engineered cabinetry with Gaggenau ovens and a magnificent Wolf gas-sealed burner cooktop surmounted with a bespoke steel canopy. This combination has created a striking minimalist look in a way few would have predicted could work aesthetically. Yet it does so with stunning effect, cleverly creating the perfect foil to celebrate its historic surroundings.

To the eyes of our experienced designers and cabinet makers, these challenges are like uncut diamonds waiting to be polished and transformed into something uniquely spectacular.

And that’s what we do here at My Fathers Heart. We know how to reveal beauty in the most unlikely spaces and embed functional perfection within.

These days, most of us expect technological brilliance from products that are intuitive to use and which know what we need before we do. Quite simply, we want things to function superbly in ways which serve, amuse and amaze us.

But what’s so special about bespoke design? What makes it so personal, which of course what it must be for properties as unique as the Priest House?

That's where a higher level of talent emerges. It demands a rare level of care, curiosity and insight into each customer’s individual lifestyle, aspirations and character, sometimes even being able to see within a person desires or dreams they may not have realised were there. And then, to weave those insights into creating something exquisite and highly personal yet which exudes universal attraction.

If this is sounding like art, or even poetry, then that's OK. Because that's all part of what we do at My Fathers Heart. Art, technology, science, poetry, psychology, relationship - they're all subliminally and unashamedly in the mix.

Of course the final say on design brilliance has to be with the customer. And although we're thrilled every time our customers are, we continue to push the boundaries and raise the bar for design perfection, because it’s personal.

By Jonathan Coulthard10/12/2018
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