Breaking new GROUND

AFTER A FLOOD RUINED THEIR OLD KITCHEN, AMANDA AND ANDREW CUMMING TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE A NEW ONE FILLED WITH COUNTRY CHARACTER

- AMELIA THORPE

Worktops are made of Verona quartz surface, which is scratch-, heat- and stain-resistant, but with the look of natural marble

PROJECT PROFILE

Owners Amanda and Andrew Cumming live here with their children, Jamie, 20, Alexander, 19, and Emilia, 17

House A Georgian farmhouse in Suffolk

Project A kitchen in a new extension

Kitchen size 7x6.5m Designer Louisa

Eggleston, creative director, Humphrey Munson

Cabinetry Nickleby in Mainsail and island in Yard Arm, Humphrey Munson

Returning from holiday to find water gushing across the kitchen floor was not the welcome home Amanda and Andrew Cumming expected. ‘The flood was a nightmare, making the floor start to sag and water seep into the cellar below,’ recalls Amanda. ‘But the silver lining was that it prompted us to get going on a new kitchen.’

After living in the listed Suffolk farmhouse, dating back to the early 19th century, for 14 years, the couple had long wanted to replace the 1980s extension that housed the kitchen with a structure more sympathetic to the age and style of the property. After the flood, decisions had to be made – so they set about obtaining planning permission to build a new single-storey extension on the existing footprint, using matching brickwork and slate for the roof. ‘Our aim was to create one large open-plan kitchen-dining family space, to replace the series of small rooms of before, which included a kitchen, breakfast room, study, playroom and laundry room,’ explains Amanda.