The Conversation.
Most projects begin with a long, unhurried visit to our showroom in Moreton-in-Marsh. We put the kettle on, spread some drawings out, and ask a lot of questions about the way you actually live. How many people sit down to breakfast? Do you bake? Do you have dogs? Which drawer always ends up with the string in it?
We then visit you at home — ideally more than once, ideally at different times of day, ideally before any planning drawings exist. We take photographs, we measure, we notice things. We never quote on a first visit. Nobody should.
The Design.
Design begins in a sketchbook, in pencil, at the studio bench. You'll see sketches before you see any technical drawings. We'll want your reaction. We'll iterate until we're all smiling at the same drawing.
Only then do we move to the technical stage — full cabinet drawings, cutting lists, stone specifications, appliance integration, lighting plans, and a material schedule that goes down to every hinge, handle and tap. You sign off on every single line before we buy a plank of oak.
The Making.
The kitchen is built in our workshop over twelve to sixteen weeks. Each cabinet is made individually, by hand, by one of our four cabinet makers. Drawers are dovetailed. Doors are hand-painted with four coats, sanded between each one. The stone is cut next door in our stonemason's workshop.
We assemble the entire kitchen in the workshop first, as a dry-run. You're welcome to come and see it, as many clients do. It's usually the moment the thing stops being an idea and starts being yours.
The Installation.
Two of our own cabinet makers install the kitchen. Not sub-contractors, not a separate fitting team. The same people who made it put it in. It usually takes two to four weeks depending on the scope.
When we leave, we leave behind a care book — how to look after the finishes, how to oil the oak, which cloths to use, when to tighten handles — plus our direct numbers. If anything ever needs us, we come back. That's the end of the kitchen, and the beginning of the rest of its life.