Introducing the Cotswolds Kitchen, a rich blend of textures and materials

Over the course of four years, the owners of this charming Cotswold home have completely refurbished every room of the period property. And when they wanted a kitchen to blend with the home’s richly layered scheme? They turned to Charlie Smallbone of Ledbury Studio. 

“Our design philosophy is always to craft furniture that is beautiful and functional enough to last a lifetime, which is fitting when you’re creating something for a house that has already stood the test of time,” says Charlie Smallbone, founder of Ledbury Studio. “Here, we wanted to acknowledge that history, but with a kitchen that will suit the next generation and beyond. We all felt very inspired by this project.”

The brief was to create an open-plan kitchen, dining and living room that retains a rustic vibe, while using contrasting textures, shapes and materials to create an inviting space. Here’s how it was done.

A world of contrasts

To fulfil the request for contrasting materials and textures, Charlie selected planks of crown oak to sit alongside the industrial stainless steel of the Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances. This is not only a visual contrast of timber against metal, but also a tactile one with the warm, textured oak butted up against the smooth, cold steel.

This is a country kitchen with relatively low ceilings, so there are no wall cupboards to clutter the space – instead there is ample storage in the base cupboards. However, in an unexpectedly contemporary touch, these doors are handleless, so there is nothing to distract from the natural beauty of the wood grain. In addition, Diamond Quartzite, a cool and smooth white stone with golden veining, provides another contrasting material. It was used for the worktops, splashback and the large sink, through which the sunlight shines creating a focal point.

An inviting space

As per the brief, this kitchen-dining room was intended to be an inviting space, no matter what the occasion. Whether that’s somewhere to enjoy a quiet supper or as the focus of a weekend’s entertaining of shared breakfasts, lunches and drinks. With this in mind, Charlie designed a combined breakfast and drinks cupboard, handily adjacent to the dining table and sitting areas.

This striking piece is clad in solid sheets of Ledbury Studio’s signature patinated Verdigris copper and houses wine storage, a fridge, useful drawers and open shelves above, and it is as practical as it is beautiful. Complete with a small sink and Belgian Blue marble worktop to hold the coffee machine, it also features a stunning back panel made from figured gold leaf eglomise mirror.

Practically perfect

As a finishing touch, Charlie also designed a walk-in pantry, which is a practical addition to all the other useful storage in the kitchen. Open shelves sit under the slope of the stairs and, by way of a final contrast, the base cupboards have aged brass handles and are painted in Gui D’Octobre, a rich yellow shade.

“Overall, the curated and eclectic mix of textures and colours harmonise beautifully together in this kitchen-living-dining room, adding depth and vibrancy to the scheme,” concludes Charlie. “It is truly a one-off space, which reflects our client’s personality and lifestyle beautifully. I’m delighted with the finished result.”