KITCHEN PROJECT
There’s truth to the old adage, good things come to those who wait
Our dream was to live in the countryside with the children, a dog and chickens running safely around the garden,’ says Claire Brooks. ‘It took a long time to make it happen, but our beautiful Georgian farmhouse in Hampshire ticks every box for us.’ Former Londoners, Claire and her husband Andrew had spent four years looking for the perfect place to settle, so they wasted no time putting their stamp on their new home. Admittedly, Claire’s vision of a light-filled family kitchen required a little extra patience. ‘The kitchen was originally on the other side of the house. It was north-facing, old and extremely cold,’ says Claire. ‘We decided to move it into the drawing room, which had large floor-to-ceiling Georgian windows and opened straight out onto a beautiful walled garden.’ The ground works alone took two months, as the floor had to be dug up to lay new plumbing and electrics. The task wasn’t made any speedier by the need to protect and retain the many original Georgian features that the Brooks had fallen in love with. ‘It turned out to be a huge job but, again, it was worth the wait, not least
because we took the opportunity to install underfloor heating,’ says Claire. They obtained seven quotes from various kitchen companies, without finding ‘the one’. ‘Nobody seemed to get what we wanted and always said we’d have to compromise because of all the windows,’ says Claire. Then a friend suggested they try bespoke cabinetmakers Searle & Taylor, who immediately understood the couple’s ideas. Claire’s brief was to create an elegant and calm but functional room that naturally incorporates the existing architecture. ‘I wanted a layout that would let me cook, socialise and spend time with my family all in one room,’ she says. The island plays a pivotal role in this, positioning Claire at the heart of the kitchen. Searle & Taylor also understood Claire’s wish for a kitchen that would look attractive when entertaining. The built-in appliances and TV can be hidden away to achieve a relaxing, living-room feel when friends visit. Moving to the country may have turned out to be a bit of a drawn-out mission for the Brooks but they have no regrets. ‘It has transformed our lives and having this beautiful kitchen is the icing on the cake,’ says Claire.
❝I love everything about our new kitchen. It took a long time to plan but I wouldn’t change a thing❞