Kitchen of the Week: Country Meets Shaker in a Converted Barn

Kitchen of the Week: Country Meets Shaker in a Converted Barn- Some barns sit in open country, surrounded by fields, but others were built next to the farmhouse, so that valuable livestock or goods were close to hand. Built in the 17th century, this beautiful barn adjoins the home of Arran and Anna Stevens, and once the couple had renovated the house, they turned their attentions to the unconverted barn.

Protected by Grade II listed status, the barn had to be sympathetically brought into the 21st century using traditional materials and painstaking like-for-like work. Then Sam Shaw, of Sustainable Kitchens, was commissioned to create a beautiful cooking space in this large, open and impressive structure. ‘It was just a shell when I first saw it in autumn 2013,’ explains Sam, ‘with gnarly, thick stone walls and a ceiling stretching up to just over 5m at its apex.’

Sam’s brief was to create a kitchen that perfectly suited this space. ‘It had to look as though it really belonged in this ancient building,’ says Sam. The owners liked Sam’s Shaker designs, but wanted a slightly more country cottage look. ‘So we added lots of details, mouldings and beautiful chamfered edges,’ says Sam, ‘while keeping the palette neutral and the walls clear.’

Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here Arran and Anna Stevens
Location Upton Cheyney, south Gloucestershire
Property A converted barn attached to a four-bedroom house
Size Part of a space measuring 6.5m x 4.5m
Designer Sam Shaw, managing director of Sustainable Kitchens

Sustainable Kitchens

‘It was important to keep this space feeling like a barn,’ says Sam Shaw. ‘There was no question of plastering the walls.’ Original oak lintels above the doors were repaired like for like and the owners had bespoke oak window and door frames made for the space.

Sustainable Kitchens

The kitchen sits on the house side of the barn, with space for dining and a lounging area at the other end, and access to the garden. ‘There is a separate living room, behind the larder wall, so the barn operates as a kitchen and relaxed family space,’ says Sam.

The far wall is home to a huge larder. ‘We often fit larders with double doors, but here we installed the fridge-freezer at the centre, with larder storage space on either side,’ says Sam.

Ovens, Neff. Fridge-freezer, Whirlpool.

Sustainable Kitchens

The 300-year-old stone walls are 70cm thick and extremely uneven, so fitting units and upstands against them was a challenge. ‘The solution was to create upstands that are actually boxes, that can be scribed back to the stone on the sides and at the top while fitting snugly to the worktop,’ says Sam.

An additional benefit to this design was that electrical sockets could be fitted here with cables hidden within, so that the lovely stone walls remain clear and unspoiled.

Browse ways to incorporate stone into your space

Sustainable Kitchens

Sam only works with sustainable timber and all the carcasses here are built from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) birch plywood, while the frames and doors are made from PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) oak.

‘We never use tropical hardwoods,’ says Sam, ‘and we also use nice organic products to finish our designs, including oils and lacquers that are ecofriendly. Our aim is to make as small an impact on the environment as possible with our work.’

Sustainable Kitchens

The owners wanted to tweak classic Shaker design and take it in a more country cottage direction. ‘We added lots of embellishments and details, such as chamfers on cupboard frames and thicker worktops than we would typically use in a traditional Shaker kitchen,’ explains Sam. You can see these details here. The drawer fronts are slightly recessed, with the mouldings level with the frame.

Sustainable Kitchens

As well as fitting both physically and aesthetically into this barn, the kitchen was designed to reference freestanding style. ‘We gave the island and units the sense of being on legs, like a freestanding kitchen, by recessing the timber at the base,’ says Sam.

The limestone flooring, which runs throughout the house, has underfloor heating installed beneath. ‘It helps to preserve the authentic feel of the barn,’ says Sam, ‘with few modern additions tacked on.’

Sustainable Kitchens

Before it was converted, the barn was open to the roof, with the tiles visible. ‘The owners had to repair the roof joists,’ says Sam, ‘and plaster that area in to create a ceiling, using traditional lime render that is sympathetic to the age of the building.’

The tall larder and almost all the appliances fill the far wall, which marks the boundary between the barn and the house.

Sustainable Kitchens

The units are painted in Tallow by Farrow & Ball. ‘We use the exterior eggshell because it’s tough and gives a more durable finish than the interior version,’ says Sam. ‘It also has no oil content, so it’s quick drying.’

Sustainable Kitchens

The island wasn’t designed to work as a breakfast bar originally, but when it was being installed, the owners asked if the worktop could be extended a little. ‘It’s not a full breakfast bar,’ says Sam, ‘as there are drawers on that side, so it wouldn’t work, but it functions nicely as somewhere to perch and is more comfortable than sitting at a true island unit.’

Discover clever ways to expand your kitchen worktop

Sustainable Kitchens

To create a warm, country cottage feel, Sam built worktops that are pleasingly chunky. They are constructed from wide boards of oak that measure 40mm thick and have softly curved corners.

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