“It’s safe to say that this kitchen is my favorite room in this home,” Shea says of the sprawling space in our latest project, Water’s Edge. The clients requested a Cotswolds-inspired feel throughout the home, a challenge given that the Cotswolds are all about cozy and this property is our largest to date with more than 20,000 square feet of living space. Bringing the Cotswolds to this kitchen meant introducing plenty of textures and natural materials like wood, stone, plaster, and brass.

The first thing Shea and the design team did to warm up this kitchen was to bring the same elements seen outside of the house into the kitchen. For the focal point, “we wanted to incorporate the stone from the exterior house all the way across and then do an integrated hood,” Shea notes, adding a beam of reclaimed timber the length of the cooktop to tie into the timbers used throughout the expanse of the great room. In the cooktop’s backsplash and integrated niches on each side is the same plaster you’ll find in the entryway’s barrel ceiling. “It’s a nice break from the stone but still feels warm and in the same color palette,” Shea explains. This highly textured look adds depth and movement to a space with its natural variations in tone. The raw state and perfect patina are reminiscent of a well-loved kitchen in the Cotswolds. Shea and the design team added depth to the space with mix-and-match white oak cabinetry, antiqued brass hardware, and a honed black granite countertop. Styling accessories finish the look with a brass pot rail, aged copper pots, and vintage wood cutting boards.

Moving into the double kitchen islands, Shea and the design team used a velvety grey-green shade (Fawn Brindle by Sherwin-Williams) on the lower cabinetry. Even though it isn’t a neutral, “it still reads soft and timeless and it adds so much to this kitchen,” notes Shea. On top of the cabinetry is a countertop that Shea says is one of the show-stopping elements of the space. “It’s actually porcelain not [marble],” she adds, and a bolder veining makes a statement on the two long island tops.

“In a kitchen that’s new, you have to look for places to add some charm,” Shea explains. In this oversized space, Shea and the design team did that by breaking up the symmetry in the island’s lower storage. One side is all enclosed with inset doors and the same antiqued brass knobs and pulls from the stovetop, the other side is left open on one end to display cookware. “It adds visual interest and keeps everything from looking so perfect,” she adds.

Explore the photo tour of the Cotswolds-inspired kitchen, go inside the kitchen’s pantry, and watch as Shea guides us through the entirety of the home in the webisode below.

Read Water’s Edge | The Webisode.

The Kitchen's Pantry

“We love a hidden door and that one is one of our best yet,” jokes Shea of the white oak door that’s concealed as if it is one of the kitchen’s cabinets flanking the stovetop range. Walking into the kitchen’s pantry you’ll first notice a darker shade (Inspiration by Portola Paints) on the walls. “I love to pick a few spots in a home to go dark and moody with the paint color,” Shea explains. “I love that this is a surprise when you walk in from the light walls and wood tones of the main spaces.”

A massive amount of storage and an additional sink and stoves complete the dark and moody kitchen pantry.