When Charles Wainwright was renovating an impressive period property bordering Clapham Common, he knew that the best people to turn to in order to create exactly the look he wanted for its spacious kitchen were award-winning bespoke specialists Mowlem & Co. “We wanted a very grand looking kitchen to suit the high ceilings, but we wanted a classical look without it being too ‘Shaker’ or old-fashioned. A modern, high gloss or minimalist style would have been wrong for the overall feel we were trying to create with this property. However we did not want anything fussy or too traditional. It was important to work with a company that could take into account a room that was a slightly challenging shape. And while we went for the ‘hand-made look,’ we knew we would also be getting expert quality. We are thrilled with the result!” Designer Jane Stewart says, “It is an incredibly imposing and spacious property with a wealth of its own character and elegance. The brief was for a functional yet subtle kitchen that would work equally well for both family use and as the perfect place to host dinner parties and occasions. What I had in mind immediately was something pure - something that did not interrupt the amazing architecture of the room, the windows and the ceiling height. The room really demanded something proportionate to its grandeur but not overpowering in either colour or design.” Jane realised this vision with a hand-painted, solid-framed kitchen with steel square grip handles, crowned with sleek composite quartz tops. The beauty is not only skin deep, however, solid walnut drawer boxes and cabinet interiors create a chic contrast to the fashionably ‘pale and interesting’ colour choice for the overall room and furniture. As classic as this design appears, it is not short on the very best of contemporary functionality. A Gaggenau induction hob is flush fitted into the countertop of the island unit, along with a pop-up Elica Adagio down draft extractor, while a Miele oven and combi micro are wall mounted within easy reach of a large stainless steel Sterling sink with a Franke Olympus tap. The Gaggenau fridge and freezer, plus a Miele dishwasher are subtly built-in behind the vanilla cream units. There is also a pop-up socket on the island unit for easy use of extra electrical equipment. Jane is justifiably very proud of this design, “the serenity of this room is overwhelming. Pale wood wide-board flooring and carefully selected lighting add to the effect. We spent a long time with Charles deciding in which room and, in fact on, which floor the kitchen should be - the final consensus was, we wholeheartedly believe, the right one. The room opens up in to the most elegant dining area, with light flooding between the space, but this also meant that every millimetre of workspace and cabinet storage within the kitchen area needed to be maximised.”