NEW FARMHOUSE

When Maurice and Jasmine Dewhurst discovered some old farm buildings on the side of Pendle Hill they could see what great potential they had in this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

With views over wild and windy moorland, they envisaged a stunning family home. Fast forward two years later and at the heart of the 38-acre plot is a fabulous new-build stone farmhouse that can be found down a long and winding track, where sheep and horses graze in the surrounding fields.

The couple moved into the house in August last year, as Jasmine explains: “When we started looking for a kitchen we visited numerous companies – we travelled for miles, from Cheshire to Yorkshire, but we just couldn’t seem to agree on the style.

“I wanted something quite traditional in keeping with the farmhouse and my husband wanted something really modern.”

In a bid to resolve their dilemma, Jasmine recalled a much-loved kitchen in a little cottage they had previously shared: “It was a pine kitchen that was 25 years old. It was bespoke and we loved it as it was so well made. I had painted it numerous times to bring it up to date. We remembered that the kitchen had been made by Dovetail – so that was our answer!”

Maurice and Jasmine visited Dovetail’s beautiful new showroom, fittingly on the moors above the village of Cowling, just over the Lancashire Yorkshire border, where they met designer Chris Jardine.

Chris works alongside co-director Russell Ingham to provide a full turn-key service. As a family business that has been operating for more than four decades, Dovetail has forged a reputation for superb design and excellent customer service. Over the generations it has developed a skilled family team that designs and hand crafts wooden cabinetry for just about any room in the home – the ultimate in bespoke luxury.

Jasmine explains: “The Dovetail showroom was really lovely – so many fabulous kitchens! We met Chris and when we explained that I wanted a farmhouse kitchen and Maurice wanted to go down the contemporary route he said they could design something that would suit us both.

“He explained how their kitchens are hand crafted from tulip wood and oak and he had lots of ideas – he really understood what we wanted to achieve.”

Chris produced traditional visuals that were hand-drawn and invited the couple back to the showroom where they chatted over cake and coffee: “The drawings were stunning!” says Jasmine.

“Chris was brilliant, we got on really well with him. He explained that as everything is totally bespoke, we could change things around as we wanted. He was an expert when it came to visualising different aspects of the kitchen.

Chris recalls: “I first met Maurice and Jasmine at the back end of 2021 when we discussed their plans for their new farmhouse that was to be built. Following months of planning and consultation our proposals started to come to fruition. We installed the summer of last year with works following through into late autumn.

“We forged a really great relationship over this time and it was a real pleasure working with both of them.”

Soon after work began on their new kitchen, the couple knew they wanted the Dovetail team working on other rooms in the house.

Impressed with Dovetail’s design and craftsmanship, Maurice and Jasmine asked Chris to design a utility area and boot room where the family’s walking and horse-riding gear are stored, an illuminated gun cabinet with a prep and cleaning area and a general utility with inbuilt pen giving the family dog his own quiet space.

In the kitchen’s open plan dining area that leads off to an impressive entrance hallway, Jasmine was keen for Dovetail to install panelling to the lower half of the walls.

Dovetail also panelled the study where Jasmine runs her nursery business and a small TV room off the entrance hallway, which has a stunning chandelier and an illuminated glass-fronted understairs wine cellar, also designed by Chris.

Now complete, taking centre stage in the new kitchen is a huge granite topped island unit with beautiful pendant lighting and a gleaming black Everhot cooker. The porcelain farmhouse-style floor tiles were inspired by those seen in Dovetail’s showroom.

From the full height hallway walking into the open plan kitchen the overall effect is of an elegant, cleverly designed living space that works on every level. Practical yet beautiful, every room has Dovetail’s stamp making it a thing of beauty, as Jasmine concludes: “Dovetail’s attention to detail is excellent. Everything has to be done to perfection.”