Holkham | Essex full house renovation
Mr and Mrs Hunter instantly fell in love with the unique 4-bedroom detached property the moment they viewed it. Having lived in a Victorian property for several years, they were accustomed to original features and the character of a period property.
“The house was built in the 1960’s, but on the survey, we found that timbers in the property date back to 1700’s and we have been told that the original dwelling could have been a barn.” Declares Mrs Hunter.
Boasting a generous-sized well-established and maintained garden, the tired, yet beautiful building had the bones of a perfect family home. “We purchased the house with a view to completely updating it throughout” says Mr Hunter.
Davonport had worked with Mrs Hunter’s parents to create their kitchen a few years back, and they had recommended the couple visit the Davonport showroom in Colchester for inspiration.
At the time of visiting Davonport, the ground floor layout in the property consisted of 2 large reception rooms with a conservatory overlooking the garden, and a smaller kitchen with a separate utility area. Mr and Mrs Hunter had plans to replace the conservatory with a new orangery and they also wanted to refurbish the existing kitchen and utility rooms.
After surveying the property, Richard Davonport could see that by remodelling the current floorplan the couple would benefit from a larger kitchen space, which would also be better positioned in the home – flowing into the new orangery and overlooking the garden.
The Hunters were impressed with the proposal and commissioned Davonport to work on designs for a family kitchen, separate utility, and boot room on this basis.
The new layout would require the removal of 2 internal walls, expanding the central living area to flow seamlessly into the new orangery, making way for a larger kitchen area at the heart. Either side of the new kitchen there would also be a separate snug and utility area, making it the perfect home for a growing family.
When it came to choosing the style of their kitchen, the Hunters wanted a classic country aesthetic to complement the rustic timber beams that feature throughout the room, and to incorporate an iconic Aga range oven that they had inherited with the house in the original kitchen.
The timeless design comprises a traditional style mantel housing the racing-green Aga, a large island with plenty of built-in storage in addition to breakfast bar seating for two, and an accessible breakfast cupboard that sits alongside a charming window seat benefitting from views out to the front of the property and back across the open plan kitchen-diner.
A luxury Davonport pantry, carved with the name of the property, also sits proudly in immediate eyesight when you enter the room.
Also included in the project is a generous-sized utility and boot room, designed in Davonport Holkham shaker-style furniture.
The bold colour scheme wows with the furniture hand painted in Farrow & Ball Green Smoke dressed in brushed brass cup handles, and topped with a crisp white quartz, set against Card Room Green painted walls, also from Farrow & Ball.
The practical area includes plenty of storage in the way of floor to ceiling cabinets and shelving, a traditional-style butler sink, and a generous amount of worksurface.
Leading towards the back door is a smaller boot room area with a bench seat and coat hook arrangement, hand painted in the same bold green paint colour.
The transformation is incredible. What was previously a series of smaller dark and dated rooms is now a spacious and light-filled kitchen dining room, designed perfectly for family living.
“We absolutely love our new kitchen, it’s exactly what we wanted.” says Mrs Hunter.
The utility room is like an extension of our kitchen too. I always leave the door open so I can admire it from the island when I’m preparing meals.”
