It doesn’t happen very often, but occasionally you go into someone’s home and feel completely bowled over by what you see. The Sebastian Cox Kitchen has a habit of doing this to us and the Hampshire Barn was one of those special moments. It’s not just the kitchen that creates this loveliness; it’s the light and the view, it’s the building and its character and often just the way that someone puts their personality into a room. This is the first Lavender kitchen that we have photographed and it was such a great opportunity for all our customers to see how soft and unique it looks. A Lavender kitchen may on initial consideration seem a little too daring, but this colour is a tint not a paint which makes it much more subtle; a wash of colour that changes with the light and still shows all the beauty and texture of the wood beneath.

The long run under the window had everything; two sinks, a hob, cupboards and dishwashers and two big open storage cupboards with woven backs - yet it all stayed simple and uncluttered. The understated wooden worktop was a change from stone and it gave a softness that worked surprisingly well with the rough sawn cupboards below. The very pretty island and glazed pantry cupboards were light and elegant and they gave an ethereal quality to the room, nothing chunky or heavy. Both of these pieces have tall slim legs which gives a much more airy look to the room, yet they still offer plenty of really great storage space and this can be kept to a minimum in the glazed cupboard - so you can see the beauty of the wrinkled heritage glass and woven back.

With a view of the South Downs National Park from every window this was a magical place - the kitchen was pretty good too.