A Real Shaker Shoot
15th November 2012
Its been a while since we went on a photo shoot, so I have been very excited to show you the latest images.
A wet and windy day is not perfect for us when we do a shoot, lots of props and cameras being loaded in and out of the car in the pouring rain, not to mention the dull grey light that fades quickly in the afternoon. However, despite this or perhaps because of this! we had a very productive day with lots of very pretty pictures.
The barn where our Shaker kitchen has been fitted is in a small village outside Ashbourne, Derbyshire, the gateway to the Peak District. It is part of a renovation project which has been done very tastefully. Before I even stepped inside the dark grey front door I noticed how simply and subtly the planting had been done around the barn. As it is a listed building the brief was that it should continue to look like a shepherds home, where the plants have seeded themselves and been left to grow where ever they please. Tall, spiky verbenas and hollyhocks, amazingly still in bloom, looked sparse and natural against the brickwork and gravel pathways.
Inside, the room was light and open with beautiful views from every window of hills, trees and cows, a walled garden and an orchard, pretty idyllic even in the mist and fog. The high ceilings, trusses beams and walls of the barn had been painted in a’ Little Greene’ Paint (i cant remember but will find out the colour as it went perfectly with our Shaker Mushroom and Putty colours) it was a very opaque paint, like an old fashioned distemper, dull and chalky.
The kitchen had a very traditional Shaker feel to it, the muted colours and simple unfussy cabinets were very well chosen and created a calm, simple, functional space. The addition of a large dresser and one of our beautiful servers at the living end of the room brought the whole space together. I was very happy when I arrived to see a lovely old pitch pine table and odd chairs dividing the kitchen and living space to create a dining area. The beautifully aged wood of these dining pieces added a comfortable simple feel to all our shots and worked so well with our furniture.
The kitchen looked just right, it encompassed all the best things about our furniture and its Shaker roots, beautifully simple, functional and easy to live with.
