When Jess and Ash made the momentous decision to sell their rambling Cornish family home to The Pig hotel group, it meant they could build their dream home near Padstow and focus their creative attention on two Victorian coastal properties, reconfiguring them into the luxurious holiday rentals at Atlanta Trevone.
The two houses were divided into five holiday lets, each with a different style and character, requiring individual design approaches. Keen to use the tried-and-tested Henley cabinetry that they’d installed in their own home and loved for its robustness, solidity and the natural finish of the oak interiors, the project became an exercise in exploring just how adaptable – and characterful – one kitchen collection could be.
The Smoke Penthouse kitchen
The four bedroomed Penthouse, perched on the cliffs above Trevone beach, was designed around the incredible sea views, so Jess was keen that the open plan kitchen-diner-living room had clear sight lines through the bi-fold balcony doors. ‘I wanted the room to feel like it was giving you a big hug as you walked in,’ says Jess, ‘so we wrapped the kitchen along the back wall and into the corners to make two L-shapes, positioning the breakfast prep area on one side near the Henley oak larder cabinet with the coffee machine and toaster and leaving the opposite side for other food prep.’
Mindful of that alluring view, Jess felt an island would be too high and block the window, so instead she opted for a long farmhouse style kitchen table to fill the central space, noting ‘it’s how a Victorian kitchen would have been set up’.
To draw in the coastal palette of greys and blues and inject a contemporary note, Jess opted to paint the Henley cabinets a deep, chalky grey with a subtle hint of blue. "I wanted to bring some colour from the outside in, this property overlooks the Rocky beach, so the grey stone colour is mirrored by the Smoke paint - giving it a little nautical nod, without being too twee."
She was also keen to introduce texture as well as colour into the room, so the couple installed Cranbrook shiplap on the ceiling to create a sense of warmth in the space. Ash then built an extended splashback of tongue and groove panelling with open shelving, carrying the same Smoke shade upwards and even onto the window frame. ‘It feels a little nautical without looking twee,’ observes Jess.
The Dove Grey Atlanta View kitchen
Atlanta View is the smallest of the couple’s holiday rentals but boasts uninterrupted views across the bay towards Trevose Head. It was these facts that acted as starting points when Jess and Ash began configuring the Henley cabinetry for this kitchen.
Tucked into the corner, in front of a picturesque window, is a space-saving Buckland fitted bench seat and dining table that comfortably seats six, while the kitchen area forms a neat U-shape against the back wall.
The room’s footprint was tight but with the help of kitchen designer Becky from Neptune Bristol, who worked with Jess and Ash on all the kitchens, the compact space still packs a punch, as Jess says: ‘The layout plan was extremely challenging, but by using both sides and the end of the U-turn, we managed to fit in everything we needed including a concealed bin, washing machine and dishwasher, without compromising the flow of the room.’ They even managed to include a slim Henley larder cabinet and Jess’s favourite narrow breadboard cupboard.
The room’s traditional Victorian details led Jess to choose a classic colour palette using layers of soft green-greys. The oak cabinetry is painted in Dove Grey, a warm, downy grey-green and complemented by walls in Cobble by Fired Earth, Neptune’s Orla printed linen roller blinds and a Long Island sofa upholstered in Hugo Sage linen. This relaxing, watery-green colour scheme is completed by seascape sketches painted by Jess’s great-grandfather JHC Millar, a renowned Cornish artist, which decorate the kitchen area, lending that personal finishing touch to this very stylish space.