Designing For Your Period Property
You Are A Custodian
We all know the saying ‘a man’s home is his castle’ (or of course a womans), but in real life, it’s somewhat unusual to have your own personal fortress, handed down through the years in an unbroken line through the family tree.
Most people will own a property for perhaps a few years, perhaps a few decades, but in the end, houses change hands and each new owner puts their unique stamp on their new home. Remember the gorgeous coving in the living room that you fell in love with on your first visit to your new house? Or perhaps that ‘interesting’ red velvet wall paper that you ripped down on your first day? Every building is a smorgasbord of layers and stories.
When you own a period property, you're never more aware of being just a temporary custodian of a building. The stories of its past owners are in every wall and under every floorboard, turning up in boxes tucked into cavities, initials etched on beams and tokens hidden in the thatch. Each of these previous owners have built upon the remnants of the last, to create a home that is as unique as themselves.
The Kitchen Lady understands that renovating these homes can be a daunting task and it is about finding skilled, knowledgeable people, who respect these buildings. We undertake our work with greatest respect and understanding, to ensure you pass down a legacy to the future inhabitants of your home.
Bringing Quality, Authenticity and Understanding to your home
We protect the walls from damage by using as few fixings as possible, whilst ensuring there is plenty of ventilation to help the walls breathe. We use traditional methods where appropriate, to ensure the original version of the house shines through, and you aren’t choking an Edwardian dehumidifying system with 21st century product.
We expect our bespoke kitchen cabinetry to last many years and they can easily be repainted to keep them looking fresh and beautiful. By taking the design language of your original building, we create a kitchen that belongs to the house meaning that it can never look out of place or out of fashion. You can read about a project The Kitchen Lady did in a Georgian Vicarage here
From there we design around you and your family, making each kitchen unique. Perhaps you need a special cubby hole for your vast tea selection or a space for the dog to enjoy the heat of the Aga without being under your feet. Imagine finally having a dedicated space to keep your recipe books, hang your aprons or store your novelty mug collection – everything is possible!
Your kitchen will be hand built by people with names and stories. Emily will send you images of it in the workshop as it is crafted, bringing the story of your furniture into the rich history of your home.