Gaye Collis’ bespoke painted kitchen was featured in Period House magazine in 2006. The design perfectly complimented the 17th Century cottage in which it is housed:
“The Collis family love to spend much of their time outside in the garden, so when it came to planning their kitchen, they wanted to bring in a sense of the space beyond. As a keen gardener and her husband Peter being a landscape contractor Gaye Collis admits she is delighted to have plenty of views onto their pretty garden from the kitchen. “I can see the original well from here and I love the fact that I have created my herb garden around it so the space is practical too.”
The couple chose to extend their 17th century cottage to accommodate their new kitchen. Where the original kitchen ended, their Spanish chestnut dining table now takes pride of place in the new light and airy bay which overlooks the garden on three sides.
The distinctive colour of the units, crafted by cabinet makers D.G. Clifton & Son, came about more by chance than design. “I saw it in a magazine,” laughs Gaye. “Rather bizarrely, it’s called ‘Softness’.” This, like the wall colour, County Cream, is a Dulux Trade colour. Gaye loved the bright glazed tiles from Fired Earth, but it wasn’t until a somewhat last minute decision was made to install the re-conditioned Aga, that she found the perfect excuse to use them.
Gaye wanted alternative cooking facilities, so that she did not have to use the Aga in the summer, but did not want to lose valuable work space. So, as well as the DeDietrich cooker, there is also a hob, covered when not in use by an ingeniously designed sliding panel in the same wood as the island.
“Working with Martin Johnson, the architect, and Graham Clifton made the process of designing the kitchen relatively painless and, as it was such a major job, we were lucky to be able to create a temporary kitchen elsewhere whilst this was being done,” explains Gaye. Random-width oak from the Oak Flooring Company in Devon was chosen for the floor as this looks appropriately rustic and ties in with the beams, which originate from an old boat.
Gaye had the help of an interior designer friend to do the curtains and she used the Guildford Lighting Centre for her lighting requirements. She feels that lighting is one of the hardest things to get right and would advise anyone to ensure they have enough. “Put them on several switches and use dimmers so that you have plenty of options.”
The couple have deliberately not placed a television in the kitchen. “It would be too easy just to live in here if we had a television. As it is, we spend much of our time here!” And, with a sofa in one corner, Gaye feels that friends can come and have coffee and her daughter can either sit and read a book or use the table to do her homework, whilst she cooks. “The whole space works really well for us as a family and for entertaining friends,” concludes Gaye.”
To download a PDF of the full article, please click here.
To visit the website of Period House Magazine, please click here.
Supplier List
- All cabinetry – D.G. Clifton & Son
- Aga – Argand
- Cooker, Hob and Microwave – DeDietrich
- Tiles – Fired Earth
- Taps and Sink – Franke
- Spanish Chestnut Table and Chairs – Furniture Village
- Architect – Martin Johnson
- Lighting – The Lighting Centre
- Flooring – The Oak Flooring Centre
Tags: Aga, Chestnut, Island Unit, Kitchen, Oak, Painted, Period House
