A Plywood Kitchen in Porlock

Sometimes you walk up to a house for a site visit and can’t help but think - “This is going to be a great job”. An elegant modern house, perched on a hillside on Exmoor looking over the Bristol Channel to Wales. And an instant offer of coffee and biscuits - and knowing that these clients get it.

Obviously the main aim was to let the birch ply speak for itself - that natural oiled finish dominates, but as ever I’ve made sure to break up spaces with end grain and a few other finishes.

Fluted oak panelling on the kitchen island, with the birch ply cabinetry behind

The main design constraint on the project was incorporating the existing oak island worktop. Pretty easy to do - replaced the temporary ikea cupboards with lots of big drawers. For the back panelling, I veneered up some thick oak and CNC milled the flutes, giving a lovely textured continuity with the worktop. A fair bit of elbow grease to sand it all up, but well worth it.

Many birch ply drawers under the kitchen island in Somerset with bespoke cutlery inserts

bespoke kitchen plywood fitted fridge double doors cabinet somerset south west — Double door american fridge integrated neatly into the kitchen

The larder cupboard - well that’s just what anyone wants from a bespoke kitchen, isn’t it? Shelves on the doors, shelves and drawers inside, lights that come on when you open it up. It’s a much more practical and, yes, beautiful solution than having those big pull-out cupboards which never quite work because you put too much in them and rice falls down and gets stuck in the runners.

The main run of the kitchen is bookended with a lovely double door fridge and a giant larder cupboard. I really like double door fridges - the more room the better, as far as I’m concerned - but because of the design they can look a bit out of place in a bespoke cabinetry run. I’ve solved that by putting recessed infill panels in around the fridge, allowing room for the doors to open but preserving that fitted look. Quite a swish way to allow for your fridge ventilation too, I think.

bespoke larder cupboard plywood kitchen luxury somerset mendips — The inside of the larder cupboard, which also houses a microwave

larder cupboard and kitchen island plywood bespoke somerset bruton frome wells wedmore chew valley — The kitchen - larder cupboard on the right, with lovely big drawers below. You can see the fluted oak frontage to the island too

Bringing in some midcentury vibes, I’ve used fluted glass for the sliding cupboard doors above the worktop. Perfect for all the champagne coupes, darling.

fluted glass cupboard doors plywood kitchen birch ply somerset — Fluted glass doors bring a touch of mid-century class

There’s even a cupboard that’s all about the beloved family dog, Tank, with a sliding shelf to allow easier access to his food and treats.

bespoke sliding shelf in a dog treat cupboard — A sliding shelf for dog treats

The worktop and splashback is a gorgeous Himacs in Terazzo Classico, which really finishes the whole thing off seamlessly.

himacs worktop plywood kitchen bespoke somerset — The Himacs Terrazzo Classico worktop and splashback

bespoke plywood tray cupboard below himacs worktop — A tray cupboard fills the gap between the range and the larder

bespoke birch ply kitchen drawers kitchen island somerset — The island drawers with cutlery inserts

birch plywood kitchen in somerset with bespoke fluted oak kitchen island — Another angle on the kitchen, showing the fluted oak panelling

Sebastian Lloyd13 October 2024