Hunting & Gathering

This Bath kitchen is full of unique finds, handmade furniture and intriguing stories...

It’s pretty challenging to conjure an image that matches Rebecca’s description of the way this kitchen was when she moved in. The adjectives we’re hearing are total antonyms of the space around us – dark, dank and cramped, you say? We just can’t see it.

Rebecca Whittaker and husband Harry sure had vision when they took on this derelict old building, it seems (“The house would almost wobble when you were on the top floor,” we’re told). Built around 1800, the beautiful Bath stone house had this particular room added at the turn of the next century and, when the couple bought it in 2011, the extension sported a low, flat roof, one tiny window and carpet tiles.

Luckily, Harry is an architect (and an experienced one at that, of 27 years). Even luckier, he specialises in old buildings, as an accredited conservation architect.

“My mum and dad were architects,” he says. “Dad worked a lot with the National Trust and taught the history of architecture, too.”

A stylish blend of old and new, this kitchen’s modern glass wall lets the daylight flood into the bright space, with all its bare Bath stone and marble floor

The vase in the middle of the top shelf was a battery in a former life, while the ceramic spoons to the right came from a café in Italy – given to the pair by their server

Harry and Rebecca – who works as a relationship therapist – moved here from Shrewsbury, and Harry set up his business, Bath Conservation Architects, last year. Despite his expertise, Harry’s was far from the only input when redesigning this house. Rebecca has an interest in interiors and design that began long before she even met her architect husband.

“This marble,” she says, her hand resting on a gorgeous slab that tops the kitchen island, “I’ve had for years, carrying it with me every time I moved. I knew I’d use it one day!”

The couple are both well-practiced in hunting down interesting finds like this, with nearly everything I point out having been discovered in a second-hand shop, on eBay, or even in a skip. The pasta maker that Harry prizes was found at a jumble sale, and the glass coffee cups that Rebecca loves the most came from a café in Italy (she didn’t steal them, mind – honest). Even the vintage AGA came from their favourite online marketplace.

Rebecca admired these little coffee glasses so much during a meal in an Italian café that the owner gave them to her

“We had no idea if it was even going to work,” says Rebecca. “It was delivered in pieces – we’ve had some very strange experiences with eBay deliveries!”

Harry built the kitchen cabinets – painted a dark, charcoal blue – himself, and repurposed a ping-pong table that was made for him as a child into a gorgeously rustic dining table. Shelves at the back display characterful knick-knacks – including retro glass SodaStreams, earthenware jugs and basins, an oldschool citrus press and vintage glassware. There’s even a vase that was once a glass battery.

Thanks largely, we’d assume, to their eBay habit, the pair are constantly updating and tweaking the space – but not just for themselves. They list the house – which can sleep six – on Airbnb, meaning they move out to make way for guests a couple of times a month.

Staring out of the floor-to-ceiling glass at the front of the kitchen onto the pretty courtyard, we could think of worse settings for a weekend away.

KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL

Name: Rebecca and Harry Whittaker.

Hometown: Bradford-on-Avon.

Occupations: Relationship therapist and architect.

Must-have kitchen item: A coffee machine.

Most prized item: Our coffee percolator for Harry, and the marble sink for Rebecca.

Coffee or tea? Tea for Rebecca, coffee for Harry.

Beer or cider? Wine!

Wash or dry? Rebecca washes and Harry dries.

Favourite condiment: Horseradish sauce.

Five people you’d invite to your dinner party, dead or alive: Cesar Milan, Nicholas Parsons, Rebecca’s grandma, Norman Wisdom and Mr Bean.

The style of your kitchen in three words: Warm, dry, sunny.

Your kitchen is awesome because... it’s the place where we spend all our mornings and evenings – and lunchtimes, for that matter.

If you could change one thing about it, it would be… two of the marble slabs – they have age stains.

Unexpected item in your kitchen cupboard: A ricci tool (for opening sea urchins).

One thing your kitchen is used for that doesn't involve cooking or eating: Sunbathing!

WORDS BY JESSICA CARTER

PHOTOS BY ALICE WHITBY