Nathalie’s Henley kitchen is a testament to our kitchen collections’ deep respect for nature. Nestled amongst the trees of a Parisian park, its sage green cabinetry echoes the garden’s verdant green hues while the oak-topped island mirrors the towering trees beyond. A true extension of the natural world outside.
As an interior architect with a keen eye for detail, Nathalie of De Masure à Demeure had a distinct vision for her kitchen long before the family moved into their half-timbered, twentieth-century French cottage. She sought to restore the home’s exuberant Anglo-Norman roots while bringing in natural elements that would complement the garden’s beauty.
The original kitchen, with its enclosed layout and bold red and yellow palette, was a stark contrast to the open, welcoming space Nathalie envisioned. Isolated from the rest of the home by partition walls, it lacked the connectivity she longed for. Nathalie’s first step in transforming the space was to create a large open archway and add beams that matched those throughout the house, establishing a sense of openness and a smooth, seamless flow from the kitchen to the dining room.
Having long admired English-style kitchens, Nathalie discovered Neptune’s solid timber collections after extensive research. ‘No one else in France offered an English kitchen, but it was the quality that won me over,’ she explains. ‘Our house has stood for over 100 years, and I wanted that same built-to-last quality for our kitchen cabinetry.’ After browsing the collections online, Nathalie fell for Henley’s timeless grandeur, and the soft, pale green of our Sage paint. A visit to our Paris store further solidified her choice. And armed with her own basic 2D plan of the space, which included wall-to-wall cabinetry and a central island with bar stools on both sides, Nathalie sat down with Pierre, the owner of our Paris store, to bring her vision to life. ‘Pierre was instrumental in creating storage solutions throughout the kitchen,’ Nathalie says. ‘He found space for a larder cabinet where I couldn’t have imagined it and designed the island with invaluable storage drawers at either end. It’s really interesting to see how people naturally gather around the island – it’s become a real focus point within the home.’
When it came to selecting materials, Nathalie was discerning in choosing elements that would reflect both the history of the house and the beauty of the garden outside. She selected natural oak for the island worktop, contrasting it with the clean white worktop on the wall cabinets. ‘I wanted the island to have the feel of an antique table,’ Nathalie explains. To enhance the warm, tactile ambience, she also decided midway through the design process to extend the tongue-and-groove panelling from the cabinetry across the kitchen walls. The standout feature of the space, however, is the floor: a cream-and-green checkerboard design that Nathalie describes as a nature-inspired interpretation of traditional flooring found in homes of this architecture.
A custom-made rustic timber shelf and iron hanging bar, adorned with cascading evergreen foliage, completes the kitchen’s seamless connection to the outdoors. And the light-filled, nature-inspired space has now become a central point of the home, whether the family is cooking a meal, hosting a BBQ, or simply enjoying a quiet moment together. ‘When you build something that has a lasting quality to it, you envision future memories in the space,’ Nathalie reflects. ‘For me, it’s about looking forward to cooking with grandchildren.’ To begin your kitchen journey, book your free design consultation today or visit your nearest store.