We’ve put together some kitchen design advice on what to look out for when designing for your historic home.
Period properties have a timeless appeal and are very popular among families looking to secure their forever home. As well as authentic features and unique character, they also come with varying restrictions when it comes to making improvements to your home. These caveats don’t have to stand in the way of creating your dream kitchen, following our listed building kitchen advice.
What is a listed building?
A building is listed when it is of special architectural or historic interest considered to be of national importance. The list itself is the National Heritage List for England, and it features all of the listed buildings and their classification. There are three levels of listing:
- Grade I for buildings of the highest significance
- Grade II* and
- Grade II
Grade II listings account for 92% of the total listed buildings in England, and they are the ones most likely to be used as personal homes. Owners will need to apply for Listed Building Consent for most types of work that affect the ‘special architectural or historic interest’ of their home. It’s important to establish beforehand if your kitchen has any important historic features, particularly if you are planning to remove them, such as original bread ovens, fireplaces, fitted dressers, plaster cornices, old floor tiles or stone flags.
Can I put a new kitchen in a listed building? A listed building isn’t a time capsule, and there’s no obligation to design everything to reflect the period the house was built. However, it’s important to consider how the changes you make may alter the building overall.
Choosing the style of kitchen for your home
When designing a kitchen for a historic home, you may choose to create a space in keeping with the property’s legacy, or instead go for a completely new modern room. The way that we use our kitchens has changed over the years, and modern kitchens are now a space for cooking, working, socialising and entertaining. To create a new modern kitchen, you may be looking at extending your existing property, which may require written approval before the work can begin.
Period kitchens are traditionally free-standing, whereas fitted kitchens are more common today. Freestanding kitchens have a more original and relaxed feel, allowing you to mix and match different pieces for an authentic finish. It also helps with uneven walls, where fitted units may look out of place.
Fitted kitchens are easier to clean, and allow you to squeeze more storage into a smaller space. It’s possible to combine the two ideas successfully for a stylish but useable kitchen. Fitted cooking and washing up areas are far more practical, but you can add some period pieces for storage.
Choosing appliances for your historic kitchen
Modern appliances might look a bit out of place in a period design, but most people don’t want to go back to historic ones! There are several solutions to this. Clients with a separate utility room often choose to relocate larger appliances there. Integrated appliances can be hidden behind traditional-looking cupboard doors, and manufacturers are becoming savvier to those looking for discrete rather than flashy options.
