How to add a timeless look to a new house designed in a vernacular style.
The project: To design a 21st-century take on a farmhouse kitchen for a new-build house in a development in South Wales.
The designer: Ben Pentreath (020–7430 2424; www.benpentreath.com) studied History of Art at the University of Edinburgh before attending The Prince of Wales’s Institute of Architecture and later working for The Prince’s Foundation, an educational charity that focuses on sustainable development. He launched his own architectural practice in 2004. In 2008, he opened a design store, Pentreath & Hall, in London, selling furniture, lighting and accessories.
His new book, English Houses, will be published on September 8 (£30, Ryland Peters & Small).
Oscar Norton says: This is the kitchen of a house that Ben Pentreath’s architectural practice designed at Coed Darcy in South Wales. It’s one of a small cluster of houses in a vernacular style, in a development that will eventually comprise 4,000 properties. The brief was to conceive the house and explore the possibilities for sustainable technologies to create a warm, lived-in feel. With this in mind, several period-style elements were combined in a 21st-century take on a farmhouse kitchen.
A striking colour scheme creates mood and beaded boarding adds a distinctive texture. Simple joinery, including a large larder cupboard and open shelves, combines with a butler’s sink, Delft tiles, period-style lighting and antique fur- niture to create a timeless feel, in keeping with house’s architectural style.
How to get the look
Lighting
Original BTC sells a wide range of lighting that’s perfect for classic schemes. It has a showroom at the Design Centre, London SW10 (020– 7351 2130; uk.originalbtc.com)
Kitchen sink
Neptune (www.neptune.com; 01793 427300) sells a traditional Belfast- style sink that costs £299
Paint
Farrow & Ball (01202 876141; www.farrow-ball.com) sells paint that’s ideal for period interiors—the colour in this scheme is Castle Gray. £55 for 2.5 litres, available to buy online at www.designerpaint.com
Fabric
The fabric used for the blinds is Liffey in Saffron by Sanderson (01895 830000; www.sanderson-uk.com)
Cooker
The Smeg A4 dual-fuel cooker costs £2,419 through John Lewis (0345 604 9049; www.johnlewis.com)
** See more interiors ideas from Country Life
