Kitchen Confidential | Tudor Manor House

The Tudor Manor house project was a dramatic and at times incredibly difficult project for its new owners. The incredible grade II listed property in Kent has worn many hats in it’s impressive 500 years including offices and a wedding venue.

The kitchen was originally four smaller less useable rooms. The clients and architectural team worked to re-arrange the space with the result being a large open plan kitchen with space for a 10 seater dining table, soft seating area and a hidden walk-in pantry behind the main kitchen. In all, a space that would have been otherwise difficult to negotiate has been transformed into the perfect family home.

The focal point to this space is the large false chimney and Lacanche Belmont Range cooker in Anthracite which is positioned centrally to ensure the space retains symmetry and balance. The Lacanche has an amazing array of hob options including gas burners, a simmer plate, electric plancha and indoor grill plate. Directly opposite is the behemoth island which quite simply enormous by anyones standard but is completely at home and in proportion to the space in which it resides here. Finished in the classic HM Portobello dark oak it suits the aesthetic and heritage of the family home and hides a wealth of storage including and appliances.

The Island is designed to be the main prep area of the kitchen with the main sink located centrally across from the Lacanche making this a useable and easy space by zoning all important areas there is no need to walk across the kitchen with pans when the sink is nearby. Hidden in the longford cabinetry in the island are two eurocargo pull out bins and two Fisher & Paykel fridge freezer drawers at either end on the opposite side.

To the right of the Lacanche are two Sub-Zero integrated fridges with fridge/ freezer drawers below, chosen by the clients for their reliability and precision the Sub-Zero’s with a busy family of 5 and entertaining is essential.

To the left of the Lacanche is a large countertop appliance cupboard with an integrated Miele microwave and plenty of useable space below for storing pans, servingware and other large kitchen items like a KitchenAid.

Sitting proudly between the kitchen and the dining/ living area are two peninsulas. The family have found these additional spaces incredibly useful for everyday living for example, one is used as a desk area which is perfect for children to catch up on homework and also conveniently houses a Miele coffee machine in a cupboard built into the pillar along with additional space for cups, coffee etc.

The other peninsula is used as a scullery area with two dishwashers, a sink and a crockery cupboard all in one tidy space to aid with clearing up after dinner. The perimeter cabinetry of the kitchen has been finished in Lapel to contract perfectly with the dark portobello oak. The light quartz worktop is not only a strong logical choice for a family kitchen but offers a clean and fresh feel to the space.

Hidden behind the main kitchen is the all important walk-in pantry which was originally a lean-to addition to the property which was altered to create the walk through pantry with a glazed door at each end. A sink space was incorporated into the worktop along with plenty of countertop space so it can also be used for baking or preparing cake mixtures etc. With artisan shelves running the full of the pantry, a Portobello oak ladder has been made for aiding in reaching the hard to reach higher shelves. As the main storage area for dry goods it had to be accessible and easy to maintain.