“From the minute it started to go in, I just knew it was right. It was everything I wanted it to be, and more.”

For Andrea, the kitchen was always going to be the most important room in the renovation of her Edwardian home. The property had been divided into two houses during the 1960s, and after living in one half for 18 years, Andrea had the opportunity to acquire the adjoining side and bring the building back together.

The plans included a generous living kitchen at the centre of the restored home. It needed to respect the character of the property, make good use of an unusual layout and provide a practical setting for everyday life.

A standard kitchen would not have offered the freedom the room required. Andrea chose to work with us so that every element could be designed around the space.

A bespoke kitchen for an individual property

Older homes often contain architectural details that give them their character, yet make standard cabinetry difficult to accommodate. Walls may not be completely straight, chimney breasts need careful integration and proportions can differ significantly from those found in newer properties.

Our bespoke kitchens are designed and handcrafted for the room in which they will sit. Rather than asking the property to conform to predetermined unit sizes, we shape the cabinetry around its architecture.

Andrea described the room as “quite a quirky space” and recognised that it was not suited to standard kitchen units. Bespoke design allowed us to work with its proportions rather than against them, creating a kitchen that feels settled within the original house.

Designed around the way the room would be used

A handmade kitchen needs to do more than suit the dimensions of a room. It should support the way its owners uses and moves through the space.

Andrea wanted a large living kitchen that would work comfortably for family life and entertaining. The design needed to provide generous working areas without making the room feel dominated by cabinetry.

The completed kitchen includes a handmade dining table, substantial cooking appliances and carefully planned storage. Each detail was considered in relation to the room as a whole.

As Andrea explains:

“It is an incredible space to cook in, and I just think every single detail has been thought about.”

The result is a kitchen that looks appropriate within the home and performs exactly as the family hoped it would.

Natural materials and a light interior

The restored Edwardian house called for a kitchen with warmth and a strong connection to natural materials.

We developed a hand-painted scheme with marble-effect Dekton worksurfaces. The handmade table was finished in a bleached and limed tone, giving the timber a light, weathered appearance that sits comfortably within the room.

Custom steel table legs were powder coated in white to maintain the lightness of the design.

The material choices were not treated as individual decorative decisions. Each finish was selected in relation to the architecture and the natural light, allowing the kitchen to feel part of the building rather than an addition to it.

Practical details made for the household

The kitchen was designed for regular family gatherings, so the cooking area needed the capacity to match. Oversized Gaggenau 400 Series ovens were incorporated into the cabinetry, alongside a BORA Professional cooktop with integrated downdraft extraction.

Bespoke work continued beyond the main kitchen. A concealed office was created within the living area using pocket doors, allowing the workspace to be closed away when it was not needed.

In the utility room, careful planning helped make better use of a smaller footprint. A pull-out shelf beneath the tumble dryer provides a convenient place for a laundry basket, reducing the need to bend when loading and sorting clothes.

These details may appear modest when viewed separately, yet they have a meaningful effect on how comfortably the rooms work each day.

A carefully managed installation

Commissioning a handmade kitchen involves a close working relationship between the homeowner and the people responsible for designing, making and installing it.

Andrea worked with Julia during the design stage and was supported by our wider team throughout the project. She found the process straightforward and valued the care shown during installation.

“I didn’t feel at all that they were invading my space. They did the job very quietly, very efficiently and very quickly.”

Our own installation team understands the cabinetry and the decisions behind it. This continuity helps us maintain the standard of the work and gives clients one experienced team from the first design discussions through to completion.

Beautiful to look at and practical to live with

Andrea’s response to the completed kitchen reflects what thoughtful bespoke design should achieve.

“It is, in my opinion, absolutely beautiful. Beautiful to look at, but it works just as beautifully. It functions exactly how we hoped it would.”

A handmade kitchen should feel right for the property and for the people who use it. It should work comfortably from day to day and continue to feel appropriate long after it has been installed.

For this Edwardian home, bespoke design allowed us to respect the building’s character and make full use of an individual space. The finished kitchen belongs to the house, not simply in it.

Watch the full video here.

Explore our handmade bespoke kitchens or book a kitchen design consultation with our Sheffield team.