Heart of the Home
How this wonderful kitchen project truly was made with family in mind by Kenton Jones.
Established in 1977 and drawing on skills passed down through three generations, Kenton Jones prides themselves on handcrafting timeless and sustainable kitchens of outstanding quality and beauty. Honing his craft from a young age, Kenton was born with an innate passion for woodwork. Combined with an architectural background, he has always strived to give every client something truly unique to them.
Kenton has since passed down his skills and knowledge to his son, also named Kenton, who is now in turn passing these on to the next generation. Their creations embody the artistry and values that run through their family as they uphold the legacy of quality craftsmanship and service that permeates every Kenton Jones kitchen – such as this unique project here.
Project Introduction
When existing customers Richard and Charlotte decided to build their new home, they returned to Kenton Jones to commission their dream kitchen. Although the house was a new build, they set out to achieve a timeless classic feel in a modern country house. Charlotte had a unique vision of how she wanted the space to look and feel. With their large family, it had to become the hub of the home, an inspirational place to bake and entertain.
During the build stages of the property, Richard wanted a unique table to be the primary focus when entering the dining room. With a passion for sustainably sourcing aged furniture to fit into the period-styled property, he began searching for tables locally that might fit the brief. It was then he discovered a 3m dark stained Quarter Sawn Oak Kenton Jones table, which was commissioned by a local family as one of the first pieces made by Kenton Senior in the early 80s.
With the final handshake in the kitchen, a deal was done with Kenton that he would work on the main scullery table with his team so that there would be two tables from both generations.
Design and Manufacture
During the early stages of the project, Richard and Charlotte worked closely with the Kenton Jones design team to get every detail correct. The minimalist, classic design that was being sought after is how all estate country kitchens were once built. This meant each section of the kitchen had to be meticulously planned and scaled around what it was being used for. The size of plate racks in the drying area above the large Belfast sink were sized from the plates in the couple’s collection. The drawers and dividers in the scullery table were sized for the backing utensils needed in this area. These design points are what made this kitchen so unique and personal to Richard and Charlotte.
Charlotte, a keen baker, had the granite end of the scullery table added to keep the pastry cool while working with it, even the detailed junction between stone and Oak was modeled various ways before being signed off.
With manufacture well underway with the cabinet makers and hand finishers in the workshop, Kenton set out to source the boards needed for the main scullery table. These boards were going to be the focal point of the whole kitchen. Not only were they going to be the main thing that everyone who sits and eats in the room is going to be sat around to admire, but to Richard and Charlotte this piece of furniture was one that had to be synonymous with their grand dining table Kenton Senior had made many years ago. The original table was locally sourced quarter-sawn oak boards from the family’s mill, therefore for Kenton it only felt right to get the same timber for the new table.
He had a good local source of mature aged, quarter-sawn English and Welsh Oak trees from local estates that, due to the three-year seasoning process of the sawn timber, is not the easiest to source for projects, as you can’t go with a cutting list to get exactly what you want (the way most modern joinery timber is sought after). With this product, you have to see what is available from a width, lengt,h and section size and work these pieces into your design. This was the age-old organic way timber used to be selected for furniture that unfortunately now, due to mass production and lead time, is generally forgotten.
During the processes of the boards going through the workshop, Kenton requested the help of his three sons, who are learning the family ways passed down from their father and grandfather before. This was a lovely surprise for Richard and Charlotte, who originally wanted furniture from two generations of the business, but in fact, got three.
Final Delivery
After the installation was complete, Richard and Charlotte moved into their new family home. Every little detail they had worked so hard with the design team had finally come to life.
With an incredibly stylish classic kitchen, designed for modern function and family living, Kenton Jones had delivered exactly what was promised with a space to be proud of.
