Having started out as a gilder and restorer, Rupert Bevan moved into interiors, employing his deep understanding of materials, surfaces and finishes to create a wide range of highly distinctive projects. Working alongside a team of craftsmen based in London and Shropshire, he designs, makes and finishes pieces for a broad spectrum of projects and clients.
This kitchen forms part of a project being overseen by designer Susie Atkinson that involved the internal reorganisation and decoration of a cottage on the river in Chiswick, west London.
‘The client wanted a country kitchen that was practical and functional, but aesthetically attractive, too,’ explains Rupert. ‘He was keen for a design that had a bit of patination and character; something that would be perfectly imperfect.’
An island takes centre stage. Rupert used solid oak that was washed and coloured to open up the grain of the oak and bashed to soften the edges, thus imitating the look of a well-used kitchen.
Classical elements, such as the turned columns and pilasters, belie the fact that it features ventilated cabinetry for fitted appliances. It’s topped in Carrara marble, with an extractor fan sitting within the upstand.
A trio of vintage-oak bar stools from Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson (each feature a carved mouse) stand at the breakfast bar and echo Arts-and-Crafts touches throughout the house.
The rear walls are covered in the client’s collection of Dutch 17th-century Delft-ware and timber shelves were added to display a further collection of English plates. Stonework arches either side of the chimneybreast were added for interest. ‘The design of the kitchen is deliberately loose and open—in the manner of an old Italian farmhouse kitchen.’
Find out more about Rupert Bevan’s work at www.rupertbevan.com
Credit: deVOL kitchen
The brand new kitchen perfectly in sync with a house full of antiques
Arabella Youens takes a look at a beautiful new kitchen in London.
Credit: Ray Main / Todhunter Earle Interiors
Creating a graceful, beautiful and above all cosy bathroom in a period house in Wiltshire
Emily Todhunter took a restrained approach to the decoration of her Wiltshire bathroom. She explained more to Arabella Youens.
The new kitchen design mantra: Don’t be afraid of the dark
Dark colours and rich materials are creating moody new looks in kitchens, says Amelia Thorpe.
-
The real name of a 'ghost' rainbow, the first ever omnishambles, and golf on the moon: Country Life Quiz of the Day 20 February 2025Some real brainteasers for you in our Quiz of the Day. Good luck!
-
Tom Parker Bowles's favourite recipe: French onion soupThis dish is no mere Gallic broth, rather pure bonhomie in a bowl — a boozy, beefy, allium-scented masterpiece that cries out for the chill depths of winter
-
How to create a serene, yet hard-working kitchenPlain English worked with antique dealer Robert Young to make this traditional kitchen with an effortlessly relaxing colour scheme that marries perfectly with the views over beautiful gardens.
-
Why kitchens are going green — literallyGreen is the perfect colour for a kitchen, says Amelia Thorpe.
-
A modern kitchen perfectly framed by the exquisite ancient beamsArtichoke designed a discreet and timeless kitchen to complement a converted granary. Amelia Thorpe takes a look.
-
Yes, you can put a new kitchen in a Grade I-listed house — and this beautiful example shows howTraditional cabinetry was a key ingredient in the sympathetic restoration of a Grade I-listed Tudor house in Shropshire.
-
A London townhouse kitchen transformed to be sociable, practical and charmingThe new owners of this London townhouse have reconfigured it to create a sociable space for cooking and entertaining.
-
A beautiful new kitchen sympathetically created for a 16th century manor houseLimewash walls, a large island and plenty of open shelving combine to create a kitchen that’s sympathetic to this 16th-century manor house in Somerset.
-
10 things I wish I'd known about doing up old houses before I started, by Country Life's interiors guru Giles KimeCountry Life’s executive editor and resident interiors expert Giles Kime shares the lessons he’s learnt from the experience of dragging a succession of houses into the 21st-century.
-
Seven beautiful new looks in kitchens, from classic cabinetry to 80s revivalThe latest looks in the kitchen, selected by Amelia Thorpe.
