Upgrading but keeping an unfitted kitchen in Georgian cottage.

[RosyFlora]

For the first time in almost 40 years marriage we are considering ‘remodelling’ a kitchen. After several tough years, we have been lucky enough to buy and have just moved into, a small Georgian listed cottage near Malton - hopefully our forever home until death or infirmity. It has what could safely be described as a totally unfitted kitchen. Meaning, an old butlers sink with a really annoying cup cupboard at face level above it, minimal worktop space, half of which is the draining area next to sink. Dishwasher and cramped electric hob and oven squashed in dark corner between sink and ancient Aga. Red quarry tiles which I love, and we have placed a longish table centrally.

I have always aspired to an unfitted kitchen and really like this aesthetic which suits the cottage. We do not have the budget to have a kitchen company like Devol, come in and take over. I wish.. Nor do we want Ikea units. I understand we could use Ikea carcasses with doors from other companies, however our preference would be for solid wood pieces made for specific places to our specifications, depending on cost. There will be a middle ground, but I’ve no idea where to find it. My main difficulty is in knowing how to begin with finding people to help with figuring out the most practical and pleasing use of space without pressuring us into something we don’t want..

Should it be an interior decorator, joiner or kitchen company? If the latter, would they be willing to take on a fairly small job and would they just push their own template kitchens? I want something individual to us. We are complete dinosaurs in the area of house design, but I know what I like when I see it, just not sure how to start.

Because we have never done any real renovations before we don’t know where to begin. Our budget is very limited so using reclaimed pieces is fine too. Also we want to redecorate the whole cottage and fit another bathroom into a room which has already been plumbed for the purpose.

I’d be grateful for any advice or suggestions. I imagine this would be so easy for many people but I am struggling to know what to do.

I stayed in an air bnb in a very old house that had just normal antique furniture in the kitchen - what you might call a couple of dressers, one of which had the sink fitted in it. It looked great.

Watching with interest. I would love an unfitted kitchen in my little Edwardian terrace.
So far all I've come up with is replacing under sink cupboard door with a little curtain!

if you don't have the confidenc to design yourself I suggest spending a lot of time looking online and in magazines like country life (find the ones with the right type of kitchens) and decide what you like and what you don't.

You may find a joiner who would be happy to design based on what you like, but you may need someone to properly work out what goes where before you find the joiner. But you may also have a friend who can envisage things enough to help you with that. I think a general fitted kitchen company will probably try and push you down the 'what they know' route. If you can work your layout out yourself then a joiner will almost certainly be able to help you make the best of it.

In our previous house we got a local joiner to make some cupboards and added our own butchers block, console table and shelves, but we were quite sure what we wanted and we had an understairs larder which did a lot of the storage functionality.

Here we have just given in and done a temporary job because what we had was literally falling apart. We already had butchers block and console which we moved with (and have just reshuffled) and some 'larder cupboards' (not the same as a larder, look at places like cotswold co) so we moved them around, replaced some base units with another larder cupboard and had a kitchen fitter do us a run of three units including sink and plumbing the dishwasher.

non kitchen units are a really nice idea (old wardrobes are good roomy storage cupboards) but you have to be confident enough to know what it will end up like

We have a Georgian place and have gone semi fitted. We have put a small run of fitted cupboards along one wall, shaker style from DIY kitchens, so wooden carcasses, with a granite worktop. No top cupboards. The rest of the kitchen is a big kitchen table and a sofa and some random cupboards. Ebay might be worth a try for old shop cupboards? It is pretty easy to get granite or similar cut to size if you want stone tops.

Could you try an independent kitchen designer? They might have the skills, contacts and knowledge you are looking for.

(I have seen a number recommended)

I dont like fitted kitchens, I have in the past had a freestanding ikea one in a 1990s house but in my current old terrace I went for absolute minimum of ikea cottage style kitchen with oak worktop. Just enough to house white butler style sink and essentials. Small L shape run under the window and alcove. Then I have logburner, and butchers trolley in the other alcove, quarry tiles, open shelves, freestanding retro fridge and an old glass doored wall cupboard picked up second hand many years ago. I mainly use a farmhouse style table as work surface. It's all done on the cheap but everybody comments on how nice it looks.

There'll be a local joiner/kitchen company near you. Take some time, live in it for a bit, have a chat with them.

We also recently moved into a Georgian cottage (on the coast in West Sussex) and whilst we've are veterans when it comes to restoring/renovating - this being our 9th move/7th renovation - we are in a similar position with regards to the kitchen.

We actually inherited some 1960s cabinetry (from when the cottage last had major work) which was fairly well built, just an awful dirty white and our plan was to salvage these, changing the colour, adding new hardware (devol style!). Then to supplement with freestanding pieces - like @AuntieDen we already had a lovely vintage (Smallbone of Devizes) butchers block and a wall-mounted plate rack.

Our plans changed along the way and we've now moved the kitchen from the back (where we're putting a snug/living room as it's more cosy/private) to the front of the cottage where it's also open to the dining space.

In doing this we realised we'd need more cupboards but my preference is for deep, soft-close drawers (we fitted lovely Handmade Kitchens of Christchurch cabinets with loads of drawers at our last house, so I've been fairly spoilt!), so I scoured eBay till I found some preloved painted oak in-frame drawer units with soft close fittings. These were just a couple of hundred pounds plus hiring a van to collect them.

We've now got a mix of old and new base cabinets with a vast butler sink on a base OH constructed from left over units, which will have a fabric skirt when I've finished. OH is going to make a matching door for the integrated dishwasher we can't live without and we sourced a reconditioned French range cooker online.

Wall cupboard-wise, in addition to the plate rack I found a large in-frame wall cupboard also on eBay and OH is building a cupboard in a recess for larder stuff. I'll probably put another fabric skirt on the base. I was hoping to buy an old housekeepers cupboard (or wardrobe) for this purpose as we did at our previous house but prices for these have rocketed since the pandemic - the last one was 7' wide and cost about £400, now they're silly money! At the dining end we've got a Georgian glazed top bookcase (auction find £350) for china storage as well as our antique table and chairs.

In a different previous house we had two dressers as kitchen storage/prep space plus a vintage carpenter's workbench as an 'island', but found these very impractical to use on a daily basis, due to heights and depths.

We have something similar to what you’re describing. It’s a handmade wooden kitchen with hardwood worktops and was added by the previous owners.
All I will say is make sure whoever fits it future-proofs it! We recently needed to replace a tap on the butlers sink and DH ended up having to saw through one of the units to access the sink. Basically it’s all been built beautifully but with no real thought about ‘what if…!’

The Old Creamery - look it up. Sells stand alone kitchen pieces that match and will paint in a colour of your choice. We’ve had ours 15 years and I still love it. We had a butler’s sink in it with an integrated dishwasher unit. A large larder cupboard and two stand alone cupboard units. The oak worktops are really solid and it’s very reasonable. You also save on fitting costs as it’s all solid and fully assembled.

One thing I would say, as a PP did, you might find that a different room works best as a kitchen. Live in it for a while, try not to be limited by what's there now, and consider other rooms for the kitchen.

My main difficulty is in knowing how to begin with finding people to help with figuring out the most practical and pleasing use of space without pressuring us into something we don’t want.
I think you need to trawl magazines, their websites and YouTube video for design help. Once you understand the process and know what you want, then you will be able to boss instruct suppliers. Example
Look at the local glossies, too, as they will name-check local designers and suppliers. Get books from the library or cheap off the internet. Snoop on RightMove to see what others have done.

Are you looking for unfitted-but-matching or unfitted-and-serendipitous? If the latter then you need to have the overall design in the back of your mind but I don't see that you have to implement it all in one go. Important, fixed items (e.g. the sink) are probably "do it once and do it right" things but other stuff (e.g. storage) not so much. I heard somebody use the phrase 'holding piece' the other day, which I thought was great. It is the idea of buying something cheapish which will do for the moment, until the right thing comes along. It's a very freeing concept.

My main difficulty is in knowing how to begin with finding people to help with figuring out the most practical and pleasing use of space without pressuring us into something we don’t want.
I understand your concern. From watching programmes like Your House Made Perfect on TV, it does seem that a lot of designers have their 'thing' that they do regardless. They don't always listen to the customer and come up with something bespoke. Try looking at designers' websites and find somebody who is already on the same page as you; it's better than trying to get a leopard to change its spots.

Thankyou everyone! There is obviously so much talent and skill out there.. all suggestions and encouragement much appreciated.

Ooh, I bet there's a lot of envy out here as well..it sounds absolutely gorgeous. Often you see lovely dressers online, auctions. A decent carpenter to make them fit.

I like this kitchen- it is fitted but designed to look like a dresser.

Yes, that's a great idea/look @JamDisaster!

@RosyFlora Hope you come back and update the thread with what you decide to do as I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd love to see your finished kitchen 😊