A classic kitchen in a house that wanted one. Hand-painted, properly detailed, and planned so the island can seat four people without the cook losing their worktop.
The decisions
Shaker kitchens go wrong when the detail is thin. The frame width, the depth of the bevel, the way the cornice meets the ceiling and whether the plinth is scribed to the floor are the things that decide whether it looks joinery-made or flat-pack in a nice colour.
The island is long rather than wide. A wide island looks generous in a drawing and means you cannot reach the middle of it. A long one gives you seating at one end and a genuine run of preparation space at the other.
Glazed dressers at either end break up what would otherwise be an unbroken wall of doors, and they give the room somewhere for the things you actually want to see.
Details that matter
- Herringbone-laid splashback tile, carried to the underside of the wall units
- A rooflight over the dining end, so the table is not the darkest part of the room
- Aged brass tap and knobs, one metal used throughout
- Range cooker set into a chimney recess rather than standing proud of the run
