For The Love Of Kitchens – A Kitchen Fit For A Castle
3rd September 2021
We can’t believe it’s been almost a month since our TV show, For The Love Of Kitchens, came out on the Magnolia Network! It really has been a crazy few weeks, so today I thought I’d take a look back at the very first episode, go behind the scenes and relive a few of my favourite moments.
Perhaps the best place to start is to introduce Paul, our founder, and Helen, the Creative Director of deVOL. Paul started deVOL more than 30 years ago, with Helen joining him 15 years later. It has been their tenacity, vision and style that has made deVOL what it is today, and it has been amazing to see how their stories have already inspired so many of our followers and customers.
A little reminder from Helen and Paul that failure is not going to kill you!
This first episode is called ‘A Kitchen Fit For A Castle’ – a perfect title for the glorious home of Frieda and Javvy, the founders of the eclectic interiors company House of Hackney. If you have been following deVOL for a while, you might know that this is actually Frieda and Javvy’s second deVOL Kitchen. Their first was for an incredible house in London Fields, a cross between a French country home and a really posh English pub! We were so inspired working with them both on this project and so we jumped at the chance to dive back into their world of psychedelic floral wallpapers and quirky fabrics and homeware.
For their second deVOL kitchen, Frieda and Javvy decided to escape London for the quiet beauty of the Cornish estuary. Their home sits in the grounds of Castle Trematon, a keep that dates back to the 11th Century and is just oozing with history. In fact, this castle has seen several famous visitors, including Sir Francis Drake in 1580 (along with his looted gold, silver and emeralds), and more recently, Queen Elizabeth II in 1962.
Helen runs us through the importance of creating a sympathetic space when designing a kitchen for a period home.
For this regal home, Frieda and Javvy wanted something a little unusual, castellated cupboards! We were a little unsure of how this would look, but our talented team of carpenters got to work, and the finished result was incredible.
Another dreamy element of the Castle Trematon Kitchen was the traditional Dairy Table which our Managing Director, Robin, created in the workshop. And whilst you might be mistaken for calling this piece a kitchen island, as this clip will show, they are actually very different things and our founder, Paul, definitely has a favourite!
Helen and Paul discuss the differences between prep tables and kitchen islands.
We have long been inspired by old stately homes, and most especially their kitchens, so we couldn’t resist the opportunity to take a trip to Lanhydrock House. Originally built in the 1620s, it was almost destroyed in 1888 by a devastating fire, only one section could be saved which was separated using axes, saws and dynamite. Luckily, the house was rebuilt and the kitchen here, in particular the huge prep table, has become one of our biggest inspirations.
One of our favourite parts about our TV show has been taking everyone inside the studios of all our makers at Cotes Mill, because it really is their skill and passion that make deVOL so special. There’s also something so satisfying about watching a beautiful piece of furniture or hardware being created from scratch. We loved watching Robin turning the legs of the Dairy Table with traditional callipers and Steph expertly pouring molten metal to make the most beautiful handles.
Steph creating our Boho Handles in the metal studio.
This week we also got to visit one of Helen’s favourite ever deVOL kitchens and another grand home, Casewick Hall. Just like Castle Trematon, Casewick Hall has a storied history, and it’s believed that there has been a property here since the Doomsday Book in 1086. Since then the hall has been divided into three homes, and this deVOL kitchen sits in the very central section owned by the lovely Ina, with the most glorious views over the Lincolnshire countryside, plus the sweetest herd of fallow deer and even a medieval moat! In fact, in Pevsner’s Architectural Guide of Great Britain and Ireland it is said that “Few houses in the country fill one with such delight”, and now this incredible home includes a deVOL kitchen!
At the very end of the episode, we got to see the finished kitchen at Castle Trematon. We had to hold our breath as this kitchen was installed, especially when the bespoke Dairy Table was lowered in through the window, but boy did it blow us away! Grand tall cupboards, a perfectly authentic prep table and swathes of dramatic House of Hackney wallpaper, you can see all the pictures we took here. We’ve had so many questions about the lovely details in this kitchen so I thought I would make a kitchen directory so you can bring a little castle life to your own kitchen!
C A S T L E T R E M A T O N K I T C H E N D I R E C T O R Y
Kitchen Range – The Classic English Kitchen & Heirloom Kitchen
Worktops – Honed Carrara marble
Handles – deVOL’s Handcrafted Aged Verdigris Bronze Boho Handles, Bella Brass Small Knobs and Cabinet Handles
Taps – deVOL Aged Brass ‘Mayan’ Taps
Sink – deVOL Aged Copper Single Sink
Range Cooker – Officine Gullo
Tiles – Handmade Zellige tiles
Chairs – French bistro-style bar chairs
Blinds & Curtains – ‘Trematon Stripe Jacquard Curtain – Verdigris’ by House of Hackney
Wallpaper – ‘Plantasia – Sage’ by House of Hackney
Phew, we can’t believe how much we squeezed into 45 minutes! It’s been amazing to see so many of our followers watching and getting inspired by the show, so please do keep tagging us in your viewing parties and let us know which episode you have enjoyed the most. If you are having trouble finding the show, do check out our viewing guide, which should give you all the help you need. And if you live outside of the UK or the US, thank you so much for following along with us, and hopefully, these clips can give you a little taste of what we’ve been up to!
