Project

This green Shaker kitchen was designed for a Victorian terrace in Cambridge. Three confident paint colours, mixed brass and black hardware, and a standalone red breakfront cupboard give the room a character that feels collected rather than coordinated.

Pippa visited our showroom during the total refurbishment of her home, looking for a bespoke kitchen that could keep up with how she actually lives. As someone who starts the day with coffee and the paper at the table, works from the island through the afternoon, and regularly cooks for a full house of friends and family, the space needed to be as comfortable as it was practical.

Our Shaker kitchen cabinetry was the natural choice for a Victorian home. Clean, unfussy lines that sit well against the period architecture without fighting it, and straightforward to keep clean in a kitchen that never really stops. The wall run, shelving, and corner larder are painted in Little Greene Boringdon Green, a soft, muted green that works quietly with the natural light from the skylights above. The island is in Farrow & Ball Calke Green, a shade deeper and cooler, which gives it enough weight to anchor the room without the two greens competing. Dark granite worktops run throughout, grounding the palette and giving the brass hardware something solid to sit against.

The standalone red breakfront cupboard is the piece that pulls your eye first. Painted in a bespoke red, colour matched to a shade Pippa brought to us, something we can do for any client using our in-house colour matching, it houses the coffee maker, toaster, cups, glasses, and drinks. Everything needed for the morning routine or an evening with friends, all behind closed doors. It was designed to read as a piece of furniture in its own right, and the colour gives it exactly that presence against the green Shaker kitchen behind it.

The hardware was chosen to complement that layered palette. Black beehive knobs sit alongside brass cup handles and knobs, with brass butt hinges and shelf brackets running throughout. The mix of finishes gives the kitchen a collected, furnished quality rather than everything being drawn from a single range.

The layout was planned around movement. The hob, sink, and ovens sit on one side of the kitchen, well clear of the route through from the hallway to the sitting and dining area. When Pippa is cooking and guests are laying the table or getting drinks, nobody crosses anyone’s path. The crockery and cutlery live on the opposite side of the island to the dishwasher, a deliberate compromise that keeps the working kitchen uninterrupted during the moments that matter most.

A Bora hob with recirculating extraction keeps the island clear of overhead clutter, while a Fisher & Paykel French fridge freezer is housed within a full-height bank of cabinetry alongside the Miele ovens. A Quooker boiling water tap, corner pantry, integrated wine cooler, and pull-out waste bin all sit within the design, along with open shelving on brass brackets that keeps everyday pieces close to hand. Behind the sink run, hand-painted Delft-style tiles add a layer of texture and tradition that ties back to the character of the house.