Country_Homes_and_Interiors_-_November_2019

F

reestanding kitchens designed to come with

you when you sell up are a brilliant idea,

unless you are the ones moving into the

kitchen-less house! This was the situation

Charlotte and Matthew Lilley-Jesson faced when they

upsized to gain more space. ‘Of course it was noted on

the sale agreement so it wasn’t a surprise, but it did feel

odd to move into a house with no kitchen at all,’ says

Charlotte. Fortunately, the pretty stone cottage, with its

lovely gardens, rustic outbuildings and fields beyond,

more than compensated. The couple had been living

in a two-bed property that they had renovated, but

when Brodie came along it felt too small. ‘The cottage

is big enough for mum to live with us, too, which is

really lovely, not to mention handy on the childcare

front. Plus, Brodie gets to grow up in the countryside

with all the space and fresh air,’ says Charlotte.

Once they’d all moved in, getting a kitchen fitted

was their priority. Charlotte knew exactly which one

she wanted, having seen the Masterclass Marlborough

range in a magazine. ‘I love how its classic design fits

well in a cottage setting but the colours are young and

fresh,’ she says. Settling on a layout wasn’t quite as

straightforward as there were a few architectural details,

such as the original chimney breast and three doorways,

that impeded matters. Charlotte really wanted an island

unit and considered every possible way she could

squeeze one in, but eventually her practical head won

and the layout was arranged to fit where the previous

owners had plumbed and vented their freestanding

kitchen. ‘We could have moved the extractor and drains,

but it would have added significant time and expense

to the project,’ says Charlotte. ‘And although I didn’t get

my island, I did manage to fulfill my dream of a large

pantry cupboard, which is built into the chimney breast.’

Charlotte’s second love-at-first-sight moment came

when she found the perfect flooring at Fired Earth. The

tiles swallowed a significant wedge of the budget, but

for Charlotte they were worth every penny. ‘I love our

kitchen, but the flooring really is the icing on the cake.’

They chose

to have glazed

doors on some of

the cupboards to

stop the kitchen

feeling top heavy

KITCHEN PROJECT

130 COUNTRY HOMES & INTERIORS