KITCHEN PROJECT
THE SEARCH FOR A BETTER-SIZE HOME GAVE THE NICOL FAMILY A CHANCE TO DESIGN A CUSTOMMADE KITCHEN THAT MAXIMISES EVERY INCH
A custom-design kitchen makes the most of every bit of space >
PROJECT PROFILE
Owners Julian and Julie Nicol live here with daughters Jess, 17, and Liv, 15, and their two dogs, Margo and Teddy. House A five-bedroom, stone barn conversion near Somerton in Somerset. Project Part of a major conversion project, the openplan kitchen includes dining, soft seating and a home office. Kitchen size 10.8x9.1m Designer Rowena Sim Cabinetry The Hartford collection painted in Thistle and Lithodora (island), by Tom Howley.
Most people don’t downsize until their children leave home. But, after rattling around in a nine-bedroom farmhouse for far too long, Julian and Julie Nicol decided it was time to find something more practical for a family of four. ‘We stayed for my father who was living with us, but when he passed away we found it far too big for four – not to mention terribly draughty,’ says Julian. As the main chef in the family, Julian was also keen to find somewhere with a kitchen that was less remote from the main entertaining spaces. ‘When friends came over I could hear the laughter while
I was cooking, but I was too far away to join in,’ he says.
As luck would have it, the couple found their new home just 350 yards away. ‘I’d called a local brickie about doing some repairs on the farmhouse and he asked me to visit him on his current site – a very tumbledown barn practically next door. I didn’t even know it was there!’ says Julian. ‘It was a dream scenario. The planning permission was already approved and we got to choose everything, including the large openplan kitchen-living space we’d always wanted.’ Julian was set on bespoke cabinetry that would be longlasting. After trying several companies, all of which ‘lacked vision’, Julian and Julie came across
Tom Howley’s Bristol showroom, where designer Rowena Sim quickly translated their ideas. The brief was a modern-classic look that wasn’t too fussy, but would still be a comfortable fit with the ancient stone barn. ‘Rowena started answering questions we didn’t even know we had,’ says Julian. ‘And when she sent us a video mock-up of the space, we knew she’d nailed it.’
The layout was mainly dictated by the available wall space – there are incredible full-height windows on two sides overlooking the surrounding farmland. However, for Julian, it’s the large island that really makes this space special. ‘When friends come to dinner I’m part of the conversation now, but the island keeps everyone out of the way when I’m in full flow,’ he says. ‘It’s also brought us together more as a family, quite literally
– we all naturally congregate in this one room. And of course, draughts are now a distant memory.’