Does a Bespoke Kitchen stand the test of time?
Ten years ago, we were asked to make some handmade oak kitchen furniture for a beautiful old French manoir in the Mayenne countryside. Knowing that the current owners were soon to be moving on from this historic house, I couldn’t resist the invitation to take some “10 years on pictures”.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the manoir kitchen since we made it, however. We are lucky to have become good friends with the owners over the years and we have seen the kitchen slowly become part of their everyday life. What was different about this last visit is that the house is now eerily empty and between owners. The kitchen is bereft of kitchenalia and brocante finds that once filled it with personality. Our friends have left to return to a new life in the UK and the new French owners will be arriving shortly. A new chapter will begin in this rather beautiful old house.
For us, there is something rather poignant about seeing the kitchen at this moment in time. We remember the day of installation, when the furniture was freshly made and the many hands it took to lift the kitchen units and island into place. We’ve seen it being used, enjoyed and lived with over the years. And now, after all this time, we can reflect on how naturally the furniture has settled into the house. The oak has mellowed beautifully. The furniture has acquired the subtle signs of everyday life, while the craftsmanship and construction remain as solid as they ever were.
A Handmade Oak Kitchen for a French Manoir
When we first met the owners, they had a very clear idea of what they wanted. They had spent a long time searching for this particular house and were determined that any new furniture should feel as though it belonged there. You can see the story of the making of the kitchen in our original Blog : A Bespoke Oak Kitchen for a French Manoir. Rather than buying a conventional fitted kitchen, they wanted to work with a local craftsman, using local timber, to create something individual. Oak furniture that would sit comfortably alongside the old stone, timber beams, traditional floor tiles. They wanted pieces of furniture that would part of the many layers of history already present in the manoir.
This is exactly the sort of project we love. The aim was never to make a kitchen that looked brand new. It was to make timeless, solid oak furniture that would become part of the house.
Bespoke Oak Kitchen Island & Cabinets
The kitchen was designed around the architecture of the room rather than trying to make the architecture conform to a standard kitchen. As we discovered when we first measured the room, none of the walls or floors in this old house were straight!
The two main oak kitchen cabinets were designed to fit either side of the large fireplace and Lacanche range cooker. They incorporated cupboards, wide soft-close drawers, practical storage and large oak trays. Everything was made specifically for the space. We also made the central oak kitchen island, providing both useful storage, additional work surface and a natural gathering space for guests. A substantial piece of freestanding furniture in the heart of the the kitchen.
This is one of the advantages of a handmade oak kitchen. Instead of starting with a collection of standard-sized units and trying to make them fit, the furniture can be designed around the room, the way the owners use it and the character of the building. Particularly important for this old French property.
The left hand kitchen unit comprises of a cupboard, drawer section and hidden tray. We made the oak window above with traditional shutter to complement the kitchen
Ten years of everyday life
The real test of a kitchen isn’t how it looks on the day it is installed. It is how it looks after ten years of cooking, entertaining, guests, spills, knocks, cleaning and all the other everyday life that happens in a kitchen.
This kitchen is no different. And the oak has responded exactly as we hoped it would. The French oak has developed a mellowed warmth that simply isn’t there when the timber is freshly milled. And the natural grain and character of the wood have become even more apparent. There are inevitably a few marks here and there — but that is part of the beauty of natural timber.
Oak doesn’t need to remain pristine to remain beautiful. In fact, one of the reasons we love making furniture from solid oak is that it can acquire a history of its own. A handmade oak kitchen like this isn’t intended to look the same ten years later. It is intended to look better.
A kitchen that belongs here
Looking at the kitchen today, what struck us most was how naturally it has settled into the room. The oak works with the old terracotta floor tiles. It sits beneath the exposed beams. It complements the stone fireplace and the old timber doors. And the arched oak window and shutter that we also made for the house still feel completely at home. Nothing looks as though it has been dropped into the room from a kitchen showroom. It looks as though it belongs there.
That is always our aim when we make bespoke oak furniture for old houses. To create something new that feels as though it has always been part of the building.
Handmade Oak Kitchen Furniture built to last
At Makers, we have always believed that good furniture should be made to last. We make our bespoke oak kitchens, kitchen islands and freestanding kitchen cabinets by hand in our workshop in rural France, using traditional woodworking techniques and natural materials. Every piece is made to order, so it can be designed around the individual requirements of the client and the character of their home.
We don’t want our furniture to be fashionable for five years. We want it to be useful for twenty, thirty or fifty years. It should become more beautiful as it acquires the marks and memories of everyday life. Coming back to this kitchen after ten years has given us a rather lovely reminder of why we do what we do. We want our furniture to become part of the story of a place.
Kitchen Commissions & Enquiries
Do you have the beginnings of an idea for your very own handmade kitchen? Not sure where to start? Call us on WhatsApp +33 (0)7 52 92 77 52 , or send us an email, or use our contact form . We will be delighted to chat over your ideas and see if we can arrive at a solution for your needs. Quotations and advice are free!
