The Modern Georgian House, Cuckfield
The Brief
To design and craft kitchen, laundry and hall cabinetry for a grand country house built in the 1980s, set within the former walled garden of an Elizabethan estate. Created for a young family returning to the UK, the cabinetry needed to respect the historic context and architectural gravitas of its setting, while feeling fresh, organic and beautifully contemporary in execution.
Elements
The kitchen is a composed balance of practicality and calm organisation. Its design is anchored around three core principles: food storage, food preparation and food presentation.
Tall cabinetry forms a confident architectural backdrop, housing a generous pantry with internal drawers alongside twin Liebherr fridge-freezers. By consolidating chilled and dry goods into a single location, the elevation achieves both exceptional functionality and the scale required to sit comfortably within a grand room.
Along the window wall, balance and proportion take centre stage. A large sink is positioned beneath the right-hand sash window, while a suitably scaled range cooker sits centrally between the two windows, flanked by focused storage for utensils, oils and chopping boards. Below the left window, a bespoke double pan cupboard with swan-neck drawers provides elegant, highly practical storage. The elevation is bookended by counter-mounted cabinets with reeded glazed bi-fold doors — a subtle feature that comes alive in the evening when softly illuminated, and folds neatly away when the coffee machine or crockery is in use.
The island is dedicated to preparation and presentation, oriented to enjoy garden views and encourage interaction between cook and guests. On the working side it incorporates twin dishwashers, prep sink, refrigeration and waste, while the social side offers additional drinks refrigeration, drawers and discreet storage for children’s homework and laptops.
To avoid pastiche, the cabinetry is traditionally crafted but restrained in expression. A clean palette, square-frame shallow shaker doors, subtle drawer detailing, robust yet unfussy handles, flush ceiling extractor and calm stonework allow craftsmanship to speak quietly and confidently.
The same considered approach to materials, proportion and execution carries through into the hall and laundry cabinetry, ensuring a cohesive language across the house; timeless, understated and designed to serve modern family life with effortless elegance.
Finishes
Cabinetry: Middleton Modern Cabinetry with Birch Ply interiors
Counter tops: Honed Carrara Marble
Colour Palette: Kitchen- Apple Smiles II, Laundry- Ashes of Roses, Hall- Stone II
Ironmongery: Burnished Brass
