Kitchen of the Week: An Old Forge Gets a Contemporary Kitchen Extension

Kitchen of the Week: An Old Forge Gets a Contemporary Kitchen Extension- When the owner purchased this old forge in Oxfordshire, it needed a considerable amount of work doing to it. ‘The whole place was completely gutted and redone by the clients,’ explains kitchen designer Marcus Watkins, ‘and we were involved with designing the concept for the kitchen area.’

When it came to their kitchen, the owners were interested in doing something a little different from the rest of the house. ‘They were excited by the idea of a contemporary piece of architectural furniture that was in contrast to some of the period details in the old building,’ says Watkins.

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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here A couple with visiting grown-up children
Location Oxfordshire
Size 21 sq m
Kitchen designer Marcus Watkins of bulthaup by Kitchen Architecture

Designer Marcus Watkins wanted to create a juxtaposition and play with the contrast between the old and the new. ‘We wanted to keep it contemporary in terms of furniture design, while highlighting the period architectural details,’ he says.

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The kitchen sits in an extension that was newly built during the renovation. The property on the left is the original coach house, with a period thatched cottage to its right. On the far right is the new extension, perpendicular to the original property. Works were undertaken throughout by the owners.

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Watkins’ concept was to create a design that felt more like a piece of architectural furniture than a traditional kitchen.

There are two simple blocks of furniture – the wall run and the island. ‘This meant we could treat them slightly differently,’ says Watkins. The owners chose a soft, warm grey for the wall run, which sits comfortably with the timber elements.

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A roller shutter disguises a cupboard containing a secondary work surface, plug sockets and shelving for tea, coffee, mugs and small appliances, keeping them neatly tucked out of sight.

CH56 bar stools by Hans J Wegner, available from Benchmark.

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The tall run is the technical block, home to the fridge-freezer on the far left, the shuttered cupboard, and a stack of ovens – a steam combination, a full-size oven and a warming drawer. ‘This relatively small area works very hard,’ Watkins says.

At the end of the wall unit is an opening that leads through to a utility space, designed by the owners.

Ovens and warming drawer, Gaggenau.

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The island is in Alpine White, which suits the contemporary space, with a breakfast bar in olive wood to break up the white expanse. There are cupboards below the bar that open on a touch latch to keep the lines clean.

b3 system cabinets and worktops in 10mm laminate, bulthaup.

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‘The olive wood has a lot of movement and floweriness to it,’ says Watkins. ‘It’s a contrast to the purity of the white island.’ The worktop is cut around the wooden bar, which is fitted onto the carcasses.

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The working side of the island is packed with appliances and storage. A dishwasher sits to the left of a flush integrated sink, which is laser welded to the laminate surface. Underneath the sink is storage for bins and other cleaning equipment. Next come two units of 900mm-wide drawers for knife blocks, utensils, pots and pans, and dry food. There’s an induction hob at the far end, and underneath it is a unit for oils and spices.

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Sociability formed a large part of the design. ‘You tend to spend most time at the hob and the sink, and it’s nice that when you’re stood cooking, you can look out at people, while having everything quickly and easily to hand,’ says Watkins.

Bifold doors open right back to give an uninterrupted view of the Oxfordshire countryside beyond.

Sink, bulthaup.

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There is a structural column at the end of the wall cabinets. Watkins used the same laminate as the cabinets to cover and disguise the support. There is a difference in depth beyond the vertical column, so rather than install shallow cabinets, Watkins opted for something more decorative – open shelves – to soften the look of the space.

Wall panel system, bulthaup.

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Where the kitchen stands now would previously have been part of the garden. The new structure had to be sympathetic to the original building, as it required planning permission. The stone wall seen at the end of the room is the old cottage wall.

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