Here’s a kitchen that thoughtfully references the period and place the home was built (sometime in the 19th century, in London), yet feels thoroughly modern. It belongs to ceramic tile designer Sophie Caulfeild and her husband, James, a fund manager.
Photography by Agnese Sanvito, courtesy of Brisco Loran.
“Ours is a project of many small tweaks and measures producing a new comfortable whole, without resort to wholesale replacement.”
The faulty porcelain floor that we took up was moved to the garden, where it became the base material for the new garden patio,” he shares.
The wall and windows on the right were once the exterior of the Edwardian-era home; an extension done by prior owners turned them into an interior partition.
The ash wood cabinetry, designed by Brisco Loran and built by Constructive and Co., is “lightly finished with a whitening oil produced by Osmo,” he says.
The kitchen has two distinct spaces: a room that holds the sink, refrigerator, and much of the storage space; and a cooking and dining area just beyond that looks out onto the patio.
One of the most arresting features is the single row of hand-painted tiles above the counters (the sink and stove areas get the backsplash treatment).
“They are hand-painted by a wonderful team I work with in Stoke-On-Trent using a traditional Victorian glazing technique called tubelining. It’s a modern interpretation of a ceramic style that was popular when the house was built.”
Open shelving lends the space a lightness and airiness.
I told Thom I thought the cabinetry had a Japanese look to it.
Sophie with her daughters.
Thom also overhauled the exterior, replacing an old wood deck with a terra-cotta patio and widening the window that looks out from the kitchen.
“The designers suggested building in a permanent table on the patio. It was an inspired idea, and they placed it perfectly so it catches the last of the evening sun in the summer,” says Sophie.