A beautiful estate owned by a client with a passion for classic cars. The challenge was to restore the soul of the original stately home, while making the sharp new extension feel like a natural evolution.
The back wall looks like a seamless run of dark cabinetry housing the serious Gaggenau appliances. But it’s an illusion. One panel is a secret entrance leading to a hidden Prep Kitchen. This is where the toaster and the mess live, leaving the main room looking like a gallery.
We went dark for this one. The cabinetry is crafted from slatted, stained ash. The thousands of tiny slats catch the light and stop the black finish from looking flat. We paired it with Clay Caesarstone, a thick, tactile surface that feels as substantial as it looks.
Rooms with high ceilings can be tricky to furnish. The brief was to stop this cavernous room from feeling empty by connecting it with the architectural style of the rest of the house. A substantial, double-height media wall–clad in the same slatted ash as the kitchen–ties these two spaces together. The wall works hard to hide the wires and tech, but look down at the cool terrazzo floor and you’ll see a structural glass panel looking straight down into a spiral wine cellar. It’s a proper piece of theatre.
In the original wing, we slowed the pace down with a space rooted in tradition. High-capacity, floor-to-ceiling bespoke cabinetry creates a storage solution that feels like a permanent part of the room’s architecture. By pairing a dark herringbone timber floor with a log burner and soft seating, we transformed a functional transition zone into a proper destination. It’s the perfect place to collapse after walking the grounds – a sanctuary where you’d happily sit with a drink while the dog dries off.
On paper, a black kitchen in a country estate sounds like a risk. In reality, the texture of the slatted ash stops it from feeling cold. It is a design that strikes the perfect balance between a modern showpiece and a warm family home, proving that a bold contemporary extension can sit in total harmony with the original sanctuary of the estate.
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