Rosalind Sack met chef, author and presenter Clodagh McKenna at her London home to discover how she has transformed this small space into a true chef’s kitchen, brimming with personality and warmth
CLODAGH IN HER HAPPY PLACE; IN THE HEART OF HER NEWLY RENOVATED LONDON HOME
Great kitchens require both practicality and beauty, and television chef Clodagh McKenna’s warm and elegant London home boasts a kitchen that perfectly balances both ingredients. Even more impressive is that this kitchen is compact – there’s no sprawling farmhouse proportions here. Yet Clodagh has planned every inch of this space with military precision, and finished it with the warmth and personality she has become so loved for.
“Everything always revolved around the kitchen when I was growing up In Ireland. We’d all congregate in the kitchen and sit around the table doing our homework while mum was cooking. Even now when I go back and visit friends it’s straight into the kitchen and there’s always a pot of soup or a stew on the go, or bread in the oven,” says Clodagh.
“I had a homecooked meal every night and every Saturday morning, me, my sisters and my Mum would bake for the week. I still do it now; when Sunday lunch is over and we’ve cleared up I’ll do a big batch of food for the week.”
With a column in The Sunday Times, a regular segment on ITV’s This Morning, as well as her many recipe books and lifestyle website, all requiring a steady stream of new recipes, Clodagh’s kitchen is a busy place. “I’m always cooking, I cook every night. It’s my work and it’s also my passion. So this is like my office, where everything has its place and gets filed away nicely,” says Clodagh. “I’ve reordered so many of my friends’ kitchens as well!”
Formerly a tired and unloved rental, Clodagh took on the renovation of her London home herself, without the help of an interior designer, architect or project manager. The whole process cheerfully documented on her Instagram account.
For the first couple of months she and her husband, Harry Herbert, moved a bed in from Broadspear – their house and farm on the Highclere Estate in Berkshire – and slept at the sparsely furnished house in London for two nights a week. This gave Clodagh time to work out how she wanted to live in the space before making firm decisions.
When it came to the kitchen, she decided to make a virtue of its size. “This was always going to be an intimate kitchen, so I wanted to make it warmer and cosier and embrace the fact that it was small,” she says.
She gutted the space, widened the entryway and added a large glazed ceiling panel to allow light and air into the room. Then, listing everything that she wanted it to include, Clodagh set about drawing out the plan herself and trying to piece it all in, making use of every inch.
To create a sociable space where she could talk to her guests while cooking, the kitchen island was a must. Clodagh would regularly pile up stacks of boxes to recreate the island in situ and decide on its exact position and proportions, as well as the positioning of appliances and cupboards around her. “I would stand there, in the middle of a building site, pretending I was cooking and thinking, right, this is my workstation, so where can I put everything? I’m sure the builders thought I was mad, but that method has really stood the test of time.”
The island is narrow but plenty big enough to enjoy a drink, a chat, and an intimate bite to eat. The base houses the radiator behind a cane panel, as well as her bin compartments – including her ‘farm drawer’ where she puts all of her vegetable peelings and leftover greens. Every week she takes it back to Broadspear where she and Harry have created a small, sustainable farm.
(LEFT) CLODAGH’S LOVE OF FOOD AND TRAVEL IS EVIDENT THROUGHOUT HER KITCHEN. (RIGHT) IN THE KITCHEN WITH HER LEMON AND GINGER CHEESECAKE
Carefully stored within arm’s reach are the items she uses all the time, including a large American style fridge freezer (rarely without a bottle of vodka in the freezer ready to whip up a margarita); a large double sink from Shaws (one side for food prep and the other for cleaning); a boiling water tap; and a handsome, multi-functional Smeg Portofino oven. It’s close enough that she can check on what’s cooking while chopping food at the island.
The oak veneer units in a beautiful ‘conker’ stain have also been carefully considered, with cans and dried ingredients next to the oven and open shelving for easy access to her spices. Fresh herbs and regularly used smaller pans and utensils are all to hand on hooks above the sink.
“I have been in and out of so many people’s kitchens over the years, especially when people used to hire me to do dinners for them. And I’ve found that I get exhausted running around a big kitchen. I want everything I need in a really tight space around me… not that I have much option here!”
By moving the radiator from the left hand wall to under the island, Clodagh has created more space to store servewear, crockery, cutlery and wine, as well as a coffee area and a large fridge to house Harry’s wine collection. The marble counter top running the length of the wall is the ideal place for all of her homecooked cakes and breads. “It makes the space feel much bigger and by the time the week is finished it’s always full of food.”
With the practicalities taken care of, Clodagh brought warmth into the space through the decorative elements, which celebrate her love of food and travel. The walls and ceiling are painted the shade of French mustard (‘Cane’ by Farrow & Ball), while the rich Ca’Pietra tiles are reminiscent of caramel sticks. “They feel so edible and delicious and warm; everything I want in a kitchen,” smiles Clodagh.
“I’ve probably always had a passion for interiors. I’ve been so lucky to live in different countries; I went to school in New York when I was 18 for four and a half years and I lived in Italy, France and Dublin. And so many of my friends are creative, so I’m always immersed in other people’s beauty. I’m like a sponge – I absorb a lot.
“This kitchen reminds me of living in Italy,” says Clodagh. “Most kitchens I went in there had dark wood. And I always wanted marble worktops because I make lot of bread and it’s brilliant for cooking and baking as it’s always chilled. It always looks fresh.”
THE AGED BRASS deVOL HANGING RAIL ABOVE THE SINK HOLDS CLODAGH’S HERBS AND UTENSILS, WHILE LAYERS OF TEXTURE AND CREATE DEPTH AND WARMTH
Accentuating the feeling of warmth are the layers of texture. The rattan-backed stools from Oka, wooden chopping boards and woven baskets add a rustic edge to the aged brass hardware, including the sockets and switches sourced on eBay, the deVOL hanging rail and hooks above the sink and the Pooky wall lights.
And it’s hard to draw your eyes away from the personal treasures lining the shelves. Decorative storage barrels discovered at a French market, a tagine brought back from a trip to Morocco and engraved salt and pepper mills which were a wedding present from her niece and nephew. Then there are glass dishes and vases bought from a local antiques shop for a steal, a charming little watercolour of Broadspear, and her parents-in-law’s silver salt and pepper pots once used at their family home at Highclere Castle. “There are so many stories and memories on those shelves,” says Clodagh.
In managing the renovation herself, Clodagh’s personality is woven into the very fabric of her home. That’s not to say that it was an easy process. “I spent every weekend on it and I have to say, it was hard. I was exhausted,” admits Clodagh.
“I was struggling trying to keep up with family life, work, live television every week, paying the bills. Constantly keeping in mind how everything was going to look, making sure that plumbers arrived on the day they were supposed to and keeping on top of deliveries and returning orders that were wrong. It was stressful and it was a lot to take on on my own. So I feel really, really proud.
“And now I’m at a point where I have all my energy back and I can enjoy it. If Harry’s not here, there’s nothing more pleasurable for me in the evening than having the music going, pouring myself a glass of wine and pottering around making everything beautiful. It’s the warmest, cosiest spot in London. We call it our hotel suite and I’m my husband’s personal chef!”
THE PAINT COLOUR IS THE SHADE OF FRENCH MUSTARD, WHILE THE TILES ARE REMINISCENT OF CARAMEL STICKS
(LEFT) THE KITCHEN COUNTERTOP IS OFTEN FILLED WITH CLODAGH’S HOME-COOKED GOODIES BY THE END OF THE WEEK; (RIGHT) THE CLEVER MULTI-FUNCTIONAL RANGE COOKER IS JUST THE RIGHT DISTANCE FROM THE ISLAND TO BE ABLE TO KEEP AN EYE ON HER DISHES AS THEY COOK
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