Georgian Hunting Lodge | Before & After

It’s always a wonderful feeling to see a space transformed and the kitchen at the Georgian Hunting Lodge project is no different. When it came to the interior design of this project, it was immediately obvious that the homeowners of this beautiful historic house had an incredible eye for balance and harmony and they were keen to restore some of the former glory to this Georgian family home. The initial design meetings highlighted a shared love of the English country-house aesthetic so we focused on creating a series of spaces that would give this home a kitchen it deserved.

This is the before photograph above. The oil-fuelled AGA was housed in a chimney with doorways on either side leading to a larger utility / scullery room. The corner under the stairs had more cabinetry with a gas hob and a small sink area. The white doorway on the left opens into a larder comprising floor to ceiling shelving while the white doorway on the right leads onto the hallway.

And this is the after photograph. Structurally speaking, the alterations to this space were minimal but the doorways either side of the chimney were opened up in order to connect both sides of the room and create a cohesive design that performed from a functionality point of view. Purely from an aesthetics point of view, incorporating furniture that reflected the scale and proportion of the room had the greatest impact. This photograph above captures the view as you enter the kitchen from the back door so you can see the focal point of the space is still the original chimney but the eye is then drawn across to the walk in pantry.

Painted in our bespoke Top Hat colour, the height of the ceilings is emphasised with the Georgian style glazed screens and door that partition the walk in pantry off the main kitchen. The Nickeby prep table meanwhile sits quietly in the foreground – perfectly proportional to the room and providing a wealth of prep space – something the previous kitchen really lacked.

The original oil AGA was replaced with a dual control electric AGA with a gas module positioned to the left and cupboard doors either side in the chimney itself. A shelf at the back of the AGA provides a convenient place to store cooking oils and condiments.

Looking across from the AGA towards the walk in pantry, you can see in the photograph above that the artisan shelves on the back wall make maximum use of this under-the-stairs space.

As with any self-respecting walk in pantry, there is a plethora of storage options and countertop space and this particular example also boasts a prep sink making it a really great space for baking prep.

What’s interesting about this space is that aside from opening up the doorways either side of the chimney, the design of the space uses what is already there and simply maximises it at every turn. Positioning this sink under the window was a fairly straightforward design choice but when you look closer at the detail of this walk in pantry the choice of colours (Farthing on the shelves and cabinetry) and hardware (aged brass for the tap and cabinetry handles), even the finish on the worktop (ogee edge) – all blend together to create a space that celebrates the relaxed and welcoming English country house style that we love at HM.

If you were to step into a kitchen in the Georgian era, one of the most striking differences to our modern ways is that there would be no sink or washing up area. The washing of pots and pans and tableware was all done in the scullery which was almost always housed nearby in a completely separate room. The kitchen was reserved for cooking and cooking alone. Given the heritage of this home, it made sense therefore to create a proper scullery run the other side of the chimney which you can just see in the image above.

One of the main characteristics of the scullery is a big butler sink with space either side for drying tableware and plenty of cupboards for storing it when not in use. This scullery runs balances old and new perfectly: the overall aesthetic reflects the symmetry, simplicity and proportion of the historic Georgian design values, but with the modern convenience of incorporating an integrated Miele dishwasher and pull out Eurocargo bin behind the Nickleby cabinetry.

Countertop cupboards at either end offer masses of storage for tableware and crockery that can be easily put away and stored once they are clean.

It’s incredible to look at the space now – especially if you scroll up for a reminder of what it used to be…