The Nature Inspired Kitchen in Hither Green

Set in a Victorian family home in Lee Manor conservation area, cabinetry of pinks and green, sits in a gorgeous timber-framed single-storey extension. Designed by Benjamin Wilkes architects, ‘Pergola House’ was shortlisted for the Don’t Move Improve Awards 2022.

The homeowners, a creative couple with an eye for design, needed to adapt their house to accommodate their growing family. Having lived there for several years, they were familiar with the layout, the natural light and how the bones of the building worked. They knew the changes they wanted to make to suit their lives and turned to Benjamin Wilkes to increase their ground floor space, creating a large kitchen dining room, which would flow from the living room, whilst having a closer relationship to their much-loved garden.

Benjamin Wilkes created the palette ‘to be a muted interpretation of the rich contrasting tones of the original Victorian house interior, with warm and tactile materials including clay render, exposed oak and terrazzo’.

The cabinetry includes a wall of Brockwell Moss, the soft green contrasting with the pink clay of the walls. This plentiful storage is designed to keep the kitchen free of clutter, so all children’s toys can be easily accessed and packed away. The run goes along the length of the room, joining the exposed oak of the window seat, so the green also feels like a continuum of the garden greens.

In order to break up the wall cabinetry, a set of Ruskin Blossom Spoke shelves sits above the sink area buttressed by shallower cabinets, meaning this worktop area does not feel overhung by deep wall storage.

The Ritzy island is a focal point of the room and includes seating along one side, with a Bora hob and worktop space for food prep on the other, ‘one of us can be cooking while the other can sit and have a glass of wine’ said homeowner Kate speaking to Dwell magazine about why Pergola House has created the perfect kitchen for them.