Page 106 - Country Homes & Interiors (August 2019)
P. 106
The interior of the glassware
cabinet is painted in a pretty
vintage pink and features
low-level lighting that helps
create a relaxed mood
Formerly the grand drawing
room, the kitchen has
beautiful original features
ur dream was to live in the countryside because we took the opportunity to install underfloor
with the children, a dog and chickens heating,’ says Claire. They obtained seven quotes from
running safely around the garden,’ says various kitchen companies, without finding ‘the one’.
OClaire Brooks. ‘It took a long time to make ‘Nobody seemed to get what we wanted and always
it happen, but our beautiful Georgian farmhouse in said we’d have to compromise because of all the
Hampshire ticks every box for us.’ Former Londoners, windows,’ says Claire. Then a friend suggested they
Claire and her husband Andrew had spent four years try bespoke cabinetmakers Searle & Taylor, who
looking for the perfect place to settle, so they wasted immediately understood the couple’s ideas.
no time putting their stamp on their new home. Claire’s brief was to create an elegant and calm
Admittedly, Claire’s vision of a light-filled family but functional room that naturally incorporates the
kitchen required a little extra patience. ‘The kitchen existing architecture. ‘I wanted a layout that would let
was originally on the other side of the house. It was me cook, socialise and spend time with my family all
north-facing, old and extremely cold,’ says Claire. ‘We in one room,’ she says. The island plays a pivotal role
decided to move it into the drawing room, which had in this, positioning Claire at the heart of the kitchen.
large floor-to-ceiling Georgian windows and opened Searle & Taylor also understood Claire’s wish for a
straight out onto a beautiful walled garden.’ The kitchen that would look attractive when entertaining.
ground works alone took two months, as the floor had The built-in appliances and TV can be hidden away to
to be dug up to lay new plumbing and electrics. The achieve a relaxing, living-room feel when friends visit.
task wasn’t made any speedier by the need to protect Moving to the country may have turned out to be a
and retain the many original Georgian features that bit of a drawn-out mission for the Brooks but they have
the Brooks had fallen in love with. ‘It turned out to be no regrets. ‘It has transformed our lives and having this
a huge job but, again, it was worth the wait, not least beautiful kitchen is the icing on the cake,’ says Claire.
106 CouNTry HoMeS & INTerIorS
