{"id":2443,"date":"2024-01-24T17:14:42","date_gmt":"2024-01-24T09:14:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homeofmaterials.com\/2024\/01\/24\/kitchen-of-the-week-charlie-smallbone-and-devol-team-up-to-create-a-conservatory-kitchen-copper-doors-included\/"},"modified":"2024-01-24T17:14:42","modified_gmt":"2024-01-24T09:14:42","slug":"kitchen-of-the-week-charlie-smallbone-and-devol-team-up-to-create-a-conservatory-kitchen-copper-doors-included","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homeofmaterials.com\/it\/kitchen-of-the-week-charlie-smallbone-and-devol-team-up-to-create-a-conservatory-kitchen-copper-doors-included\/","title":{"rendered":"La cucina della settimana: Charlie Smallbone e deVol collaborano per creare una cucina a veranda, con ante in rame incluse"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A surprise star at the recent Chelsea Flower Show in London: a kitchen oriented to the garden. Set in an energy-efficient Passive House conservatory, the design intrigued us thanks not only to its cabinet doors of patinated copper but also its exotic pedigree: It was created by UK kitchen titans Charlie Smallbone (formerly of Smallbone of Devizes) and Paul O\u2019Leary (of deVol) working for the first time in collaboration. Come see.<\/p>\n

Photography courtesy of deVol.<\/p>\n


Above: Dubbed the Elemental Kitchen, thanks to its materials palette of wood, metal, and stone, the design was commissioned by the Caulfield Co., makers of state-of-the-art glass structures (read here about the company\u2019s Passive House options). <\/p>\n

Owner Mark Caulfield had turned to his former employer Charlie Smallbone to come up with a culinary space for his company\u2019s Chelsea Flower Show exhibit. Smallbone himself had nearly a decade earlier left the kitchen company that bears his name\u2014of late, he\u2019s been running bespoke design firm Rock & Bone. Devol founder, Paul O\u2019Leary, had recently reached out to Smallbone to trade business notes, and the two had been struck by their similar paths: \u201cWe both started out in antique furniture restoration and transferred that affection for traditional furniture details and proportion to kitchens,\u201d says O\u2019Leary. So in March, when Smallbone proposed a quick collaboration and sent sketches, O\u2019Leary enlisted his crew to join the process. Many meetings ensued, all samples and parts were hand fabricated at deVol\u2019s newly enlarged Cotes Mill showroom\/workshop in Leicestershire\u2014and construction was completed a mere six weeks later, on May 21.<\/p>\n


Above: The idea for introducing verdigrised copper as the key finish came about during Smallbone\u2019s first behind-the-scenes tour at deVol: \u201cPaul was already working on developing methods for antiquing metals. His niece, Stephanie O\u2019Leary, who is a jewelry designer by trade, showed me what she\u2019d been creating for him in the company\u2019s new metal studio and I was blown away,\u201d says Smallbone.,<\/p>\n

Initially, the whole kitchen was to be antiqued copper; it was Smallbone\u2019s wife, Sue Smallbone, who persuaded the team to go with \u201ca more practical alternative finish for the main body.\u201d They settled on black-stained ash, but O\u2019Leary notes, \u201cwe\u2019ve already started to experiment with other options, including limed oak, distressed painted oak, Carrara marble, and a crackled white enamel panel.\u201d<\/p>\n


Above: The sink is Arabescato marble and the counters and backsplash are Carrara marble. <\/p>\n

The brass faucet is the Evo180 Kitchen Mixer from Tapwell. Under the plant shelf, the aged brass hanging rail is one of the few elements available \u00e0 la carte from deVol; they coming in different length starting at \u00a3100, and companion S hooks are available too (none are on the website yet; inquire directly).<\/p>\n


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Above L: \u201cSince opening our metal studio last year at Cotes Mill, we\u2019ve been able to greatly expand our vocabulary of materials,\u201d says O\u2019Leary. The copper panels are individually treated with an antiquing fluid to create their patterning. They\u2019re then oiled to preserve the finish\u2014slowly, over time, the copper will evolve or require re-oiling. Above R: The cabinets are paired with ash drawers that are detailed by thin, dark brass cockbeading, a decorative and protective molding updated from traditional woodworking. \u201cThis framework allows us to introduce an infinite variety and number of facia panels for our kitchen fronts,\u201d says O\u2019Leary.,

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Above L: The Tuscan Farmhouse Sink, the newest offering in deVol\u2019s lineup of marble farmhouse sinks, was sculpted from a single block of Arabescato marble. Above R: The cabinets have cast-brass pivot hinges that were inspired by Crittal windows. <\/p>\n


Above: Ash cabinets at each end of the sink offer open (glass-faced) and closed storage. There is no dishwasher here, but one can be easily incorporated. The stone look-alike floor is Stucco Gray Porcelain matte tile from deVol\u2019s sister company Floors of Stone.
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Above: The refrigerator and freezer are tucked under the sink side of the island, which also has a Wolf induction cooktop. The simple wood stools are deVol\u2019s Helen\u2019s Stool The kitchen is available as a bespoke design from deVol, priced from \u00a350,000 to \u00a380,000. See more details at Charlie Smallbone\u2019s new website\u2014and stay tuned for more Smallbone-deVol collaborations. <\/p>\n

The Elemental Kitchen is a new direction for deVol. Take a look at the company\u2019s mainstay designs:<\/p>\n