Bespoke Kitchens in Southwold and Walberswick

Square & True makes bespoke kitchens at its own workshop in Mickfield, near Stowmarket, about 30 miles from Southwold and Walberswick. Every kitchen is drawn, made, hand-painted and fitted by the same small team, for houses on the Suffolk coast as much as for those inland.

Kitchens for Southwold and Walberswick houses

Southwold’s streets and greens were shaped by the rebuilding after the fire of 1659, and the town is full of painted terraces, fishermen’s cottages, flint and brick houses and larger villas facing the sea. Across the Blyth, Walberswick has its own mix of cottages, weatherboarded houses and substantial family homes. Most sit within conservation areas.

Kitchens in these houses are often small, with low ceilings, deep window reveals and walls that are anything but square. A kitchen drawn for the room, rather than assembled from standard units, makes far better use of that space. We scribe every run to the walls and floors as they are, and build storage into the awkward corners that catalogue cabinets leave empty.

Building for the sea air

A house a few streets from the beach is harder on a kitchen than one inland. Salt in the air marks some metals quickly, so we talk through hinges, handles and taps at the design stage. Solid brass and good-quality marine-grade fittings age well by the coast, while cheaper plated finishes can pit. The painted finish is chosen with the same thinking, so it can be touched in years later rather than stripped.

Second homes and holiday houses

Many houses in Southwold and Walberswick are second homes, and their owners are often in London or elsewhere during the week. If that applies to you, tell us at the start. It helps us plan surveys, sample approvals and fitting around the dates you can be there, and around access: the town’s narrow streets and parking make deliveries something to plan, not improvise. Because every kitchen is dry-fitted in our workshop before it leaves, the time spent in the house itself is kept as short as possible.

How a coastal kitchen is made

• Survey. We measure the room ourselves; the person who measures it is the person who draws it.
• Drawings. Plans and elevations, then a full-size setting-out before anything is machined.
• Workshop. Made bench by bench at Mickfield and dry-fitted there before delivery.
• Fitting. Installed by our own fitters, not subcontracted.

Most kitchens take 14 to 20 weeks from agreed brief to installation. They start from £45,000, and most land between £65,000 and £120,000 before appliances and stone. See what a kitchen costs. The ranges that suit coastal cottages best are usually The Suffolk and The Farmhouse, often with a scullery or pantry drawn alongside.

Southwold and Walberswick kitchen questions

Do you make kitchens for houses in Southwold and Walberswick?

Yes. Both are about 30 miles from our workshop at Mickfield, within the area we survey, deliver to and fit ourselves.

Can you fit a kitchen while we are away?

Tell us at the start if the house is a second home. We plan the programme around the dates you can be there, and because the kitchen is dry-fitted in our workshop first, the time needed in the house is kept short.

What hardware works best near the sea?

Solid brass and good marine-grade fittings stand up best to salt air. Cheaper plated finishes can pit and mark quickly on the coast, so we agree hinges, handles and taps at the design stage.

Can we see your kitchens before we commit?

Yes. The workshop at Mickfield is about 50 minutes from Southwold by car, and you are welcome to visit by appointment to see kitchens being made.

To talk about a kitchen for a house in Southwold or Walberswick, call 01449 710510 or make an enquiry. You can also read more about our work across Suffolk.