The Georgian Townhouse
Kitchen in Bath
Redesigning an already established kitchen on the lower ground floor of a Grade I listed Georgian townhouse in Bath
The stunning property was under complete renovation, so our design team embarked on reinventing the space. The brief from our client was to create a sophisticated Georgian Townhouse kitchen with contemporary elements, highlight the original Georgian features, and incorporate a much-needed dining space and a functional pantry. This room area led straight to the courtyard garden, so the pantry had a dual purpose to look incredible and function as an entertaining space.
The Kitchen Design
Papilio’s design team worked on a bespoke kitchen design with a layout that made the most of the natural light, keeping cabinetry to the base level along the main wall allowing light to flow unobstructed to the room. We selected cool Neolith ‘Sintered Stone’ worktops that gently refract light into the room and seamlessly interact with the original stonework, perfectly framing the LaConche range cooker. A bespoke Westin extraction was encased in a custom-made patinaed brass canape to omit a warm golden glow, which repeats around the room in the brass detailing on the hardware, handles, pulls, and shelf brackets by Armac Martin.
The island drawers are crafted from a single plank of oak, selected for its character. Cracks and voids filled with resin highlight the beauty of natural timber and its imperfections, making the island feel organic and echoing the landscape outside.
Each drawer is meticulously finger-jointed by our master cabinetmakers. This detail speaks quietly yet confidently of craftsmanship. These joints are not hidden. Instead, they become part of the story, giving the island a unique presence and a sense of permanence.
Cabinetry and Functionality
Our design team created tall cabinetry to separate but not obstruct the two natural light sources. It reveals a coffee station with book-matched oak veneer inner, task lighting and Zip boiling water tap—hiding away these much-used areas to keep the surfaces clutter-free. By incorporating a bespoke external door, painted in ‘Dead Salmon’ by Farrow and Ball, complete with on-trend reeded glass, we designed a seamless flow and carefully considered the relationship with all the furniture along the main two elevations that makes the most of the natural light in the bespoke kitchen design.
Colours and Textures
We wanted to create an uplifted feeling in the space with a contemporary twist. Hence, the back of the kitchen island and architectural ‘room dividing’ cabinetry separated the kitchen from the pantry. We painted it in a ‘Tanners Brown’ by Farrow and Ball to intentionally juxtapose light and dark to elevate the luxury kitchen design. Our design incorporated bespoke reeded glass double pocket doors, with padded glazing, to ensure effortless opening to reveal the most elegant pantry space with original Georgian architectural features. The addition of a row of dark-toned low-level cabinets and shelving adorned with one seamless piece of French oak planked, honed and seasoned by Papilio’s expert cabinet makers. The bespoke kitchen island benefits from standing on wheels, so it can be moved around the space when entertaining.
The overall earthy yet modern palette of walnut and earthy pink, matched with patinaed brass, polished brass, custom-made cabinetry, and clever use of space, make for a wonderfully sophisticated yet contemporary kitchen in Bath.
Banquette seating
The showstopper within this kitchen design must be the curved lines of the bespoke banquette seating. When incorporated into the kitchen island, this seating offers much-needed dining space, flow, and softness to the whole design. The refined bespoke walnut dining table sits elegantly in the fore, the soft rippled base a nod to the plump fluting of the leather banquette – a perfect example of the capabilities of a bespoke kitchen design and how you can maximise the space and flow of a room.
