Sage House Kitchen

The family cooks every day and entertains every weekend, so the kitchen had to work as a workshop and a meeting place at once. Tall units swallow the appliances and the pantry; the run along the back wall keeps sink, hob and worktop in one tight triangle.

The island is the social centre: fluted oak on the guest side, three stools, and a marble top that folds down both ends. Three glass globes light it evenly, while the dining table sits next to a full-height window that brings the garden into every meal.