Kitchens
We make kitchens the way we make all our furniture: by hand, in solid British timber, at Lime Tree Studio & Workshops in Wiltshire. Each kitchen is a bespoke commission: designed around the house, the client's way of working and the timber available at the time.
Chalke Valley Kitchen: rippled English ash and tiger oak
How we work
They are not cabinetry in the mass-market sense. There is no standard carcase, no catalogue door profile. We design from the room outwards: understanding how a kitchen functions before drawing anything, and making decisions in timber that most makers would make in board.
We have made kitchens in barns, Georgian farmhouses, Victorian townhouses and contemporary extensions. Each has required a different response.
Solid timber
A hardwood kitchen, properly finished and maintained, will outlast most of what is put around it. We use hard oil and wax finishes chosen to protect the timber from everyday moisture while allowing it to breathe and age. The result is a kitchen that improves over time rather than deteriorates.
How a kitchen works
Kitchens are the most complex rooms to design because they are the most used. We spend time understanding storage priorities, working heights and the relationship between cooking and eating before drawing anything. The result is a kitchen that works for the household, not a showroom version of one.
Fitting in
In period houses especially, a kitchen needs to belong to the building rather than interrupt it. We understand how to make something that is visibly new but clearly right, in terms of door profile, hardware, scale and the way it reads alongside existing architecture.
Selected project work
Common questions
Is a hardwood kitchen practical?
Yes, if it is made and finished properly. The key is the finish. We use hard oil or wax finishes that can be refreshed without stripping. The timber will develop a patina and may mark over time: this is part of what makes it beautiful. It will not peel, delaminate or chip in the way painted MDF will.
How do you handle the areas around the sink?
The areas around the sink require the most attention. We design the timber profile to minimise standing water, and finish these areas with additional coats. A hardwood kitchen is not maintenance-free, but it is repairable in a way that painted board is not. Surface damage can be sanded back and re-oiled rather than replaced.
Can you match existing joinery in a period house?
We don't match existing architraves, skirtings or panelling profile for profile. What we do is design a kitchen, in our own style, that is built and fitted to sit properly within the house: right in scale, proportion and material for the room it's going into. We work across period and contemporary houses alike, and understanding how a piece needs to relate to its setting is central to every commission.
Do you handle installation?
Yes. We install our own kitchens and work alongside other trades where required. We are experienced in coordinating with plumbers, electricians and builders, and understand the sequence in which a kitchen needs to be installed.
How long does a kitchen commission take?
Kitchen commissions vary significantly in scale. We will give you a realistic timeline at the outset based on the scope of the project and the current workshop schedule. It is worth beginning the conversation early in a building project: the best kitchens are designed before the builders have finished, not after.
From the archive
We have made kitchens in a range of settings and styles, from working farmhouse kitchens to architectural schemes where the kitchen is part of a larger interior commission.