Painted Shaker
Cartmel kitchens in Cheshire
A painted Shaker with a deeper frame and a softer, country feel.
Cartmel takes the familiar Shaker shape and gives it a wider, slightly chunkier frame, so the kitchen feels grounded and reassuringly solid. It is a warmer, more rural design than the Cambridge — the kind of kitchen that wants a Belfast sink, an oak worktop and a dog asleep by the range.
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Other kitchen ranges
About the Cartmel kitchen
We most often paint it in Warm Mid Grey or a soft White, with a Deep Charcoal island to anchor the room. Bronze hardware and a timber worktop complete the look. It is a forgiving, family-friendly design that hides everyday life rather than showing it off.
Design & character
The Cartmel softens the Shaker line with a wider, deeper frame that gives the whole kitchen a grounded, country feel. Where the Cambridge is crisp and tailored, the Cartmel is relaxed and generous — it positively invites a Belfast sink, an oak top and an Aga in the chimney breast. We design it around the rhythms of family life, with plate racks, deep drawers and a larder, so the room feels welcoming the moment you walk in. It is a kitchen that flatters older cottages and farmhouses, but a cooler grey Cartmel also brings warmth to a plainer modern house.
How the Cartmel is built
Built like our other painted Shakers, the Cartmel uses timber frames and panels primed and hand-painted for an even, hard-wearing finish, over moisture-resistant carcasses with soft-close drawers and doors. The wider frame is not just for looks — it gives the door a reassuring solidity that suits the country aesthetic. We build openings to take a range cooker and a deep ceramic sink precisely, adding a timber mantel or canopy where you want the cooker to become a feature, so the finished kitchen feels designed around how you actually cook.
Colourways & finishes
Warm Mid Grey, White, Light Silver Grey and Deep Charcoal, hand-painted, with bespoke shades to order. Every door is finished to the same exacting standard, and we are happy to mix two colours — a darker run of base units beneath a lighter island is a particularly popular way to use the Cartmel.
Handles & hardware
Knurled bronze knobs and cup handles suit the Cartmel beautifully, as do simple turned-timber knobs for a more rustic finish. Matt black is a popular cooler alternative.
Living with the Cartmel
A country kitchen has to earn its keep, and the Cartmel does. The painted finish hides the everyday marks of a busy home, the deep drawers swallow pans and crockery, and a larder keeps the worktops clear. Add a solid oak worktop that can be sanded and re-oiled over the years and you have a room that is built to be lived in rather than tiptoed around. It is the heart-of-the-home kitchen that families gravitate to — the spot for homework, baking and long Sunday lunches as much as for cooking. An oak or timber worktop, a deep Belfast sink and a tall larder complete the look, giving the Cartmel the relaxed, hard-working country warmth it was designed for. It is forgiving in daily use, hides the marks of family life with grace, and feels established and welcoming from the moment it is fitted. Choose painted Shaker fronts in a cool grey and it bridges traditional and modern with real ease.
Who it suits
Farmhouse and cottage kitchens, family homes and anyone who loves a relaxed country look. As with all our kitchens, the Cartmel is made to measure for your room, so awkward corners, sloping ceilings and chimney breasts are designed around rather than worked against.
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