Crafting character in a Kew-inspired garden room drawn from the Royal Botanic Gardens
Tucked behind an iron staircase salvaged from a Georgian terrace, and past Victorian balustrades once bound to a seaside pier, lies our quietly assured kitchen. Designed with an eye to Kew Gardens, and a mind for repurposed beauty, this garden guesthouse, which has come to be known as Little Kew, is a study in story, substance, and sensitive design.
It’s one of our most characterful commissions to date – proof that the kitchen doesn’t need to shout to be at the heart of the home.
Collaborating with interior designer Lyn Goddard of HSI Designs was a real pleasure. Very rarely do we encounter a client so deeply committed to both the aesthetic and functional layers of a space. Lyn’s creative vision was clear from the outset, which made our role all the more focused: to craft precisely what she needed, with accuracy and appropriation to the wider scheme. This is a space shaped by true partnership – where creative direction and bespoke craftsmanship align.
As featured in Living Etc’s 10 Creative Staircase Ideas, the staircase is a defining presence – an arresting iron structure adapted from a Georgian terraced house in Suffolk. “It included a balcony, which gave us enough material to make the mezzanine landing,” explains Lyn. Originally taller, it was sensitively adapted by Chamber Furniture’s trusted building contractors, Knight & Edwards, who carefully adapted it to fit the space without compromising on its patina. Just beyond it, set with purpose and restraint, sits our hand-finished kitchen.
While modest in footprint, the kitchen is no compromise on function – fully equipped for entertaining, and finished to the same refinement as its larger counterpart in the main home. Hand-painted Shaker cabinetry is topped with a warm Fior di Bosco marble worktop, and all appliances are discreetly concealed, allowing the Shaws butler sink to make a statement, while the Liebherr fridge and Bosch dishwasher are fully integrated. Tactile Beardmore handles add a subtle richness to each cabinet, reinforcing the sense of craftsmanship and permanence.
The guesthouse was imagined as a contemporary hothouse: a space that feels as though it has grown organically from the garden. To reflect this narrative, our cabinetry is softened with gentle lines, and is painted in Farrow and Ball’s Pink Ground – a warm, earthy rose that complements the botanical prints and wallpapers by Paolo Moschino.
“I love the softness and warmth of this colour,” Lyn shares, “and it goes so well with nature.”
The entire scheme is designed to recede – allowing the staircase, wraparound bench seating, and verdant garden views to pervade. Each material has been chosen with both longevity and tactility in mind, echoing the weathered charm of the guesthouse’s repurposed elements.
True to its inspiration, Little Kew is rich with history. A dozen Victorian balustrades, once part of a seaside pier, now support curved seating. “The wraparound benches were again, an idea from Kew,” says Lyn. “I wanted the building to have an old hothouse feeling, and to reflect the garden as much as possible.”
In this sense, the kitchen becomes more than just a place to cook – but a calm, grounding counterpoint to its surrounding garden landscape. As always, our goal at Chamber Furniture is to create bespoke interiors to enhance their natural surroundings, without overwhelming the existing.
From the salvaged ironwork to the curated colour palette, Little Kew is layered with texture, story and soul. While the iron staircase may grab the headline (and quite rightly so), it’s the understated details – the stone’s soft veining, the tailored joinery, and the considered integration – that make the space sing in unity.
This is design that complements, not competes. Functionality without compromise. Craftsmanship with a quiet flourish.
Inspired by ‘Little Kew’? Get in touch to discuss how we can craft a space that captures your character – botanical or otherwise.
