Inglis Hall for Jay Osgerby—where Good Design listens as much as it Speaks
The kitchen design process is a conversation. A series of questions and answers. It is not about filling a space with cupboards. It is about understanding how a space will be lived in.
Our conversation with Jay Osgerby was one of mutual respect. A shared language. Jay’s desire for an unfitted essence resonated with our own philosophy, one deeply influenced by Toby Hall’s formative collaboration with Johnny Grey. The idea of a kitchen as a collection of individual, considered pieces of furniture.
Our design approach is shaped by a disciplined hierarchy of needs. Function, reliability, usability, proficiency, and finally, imagination. We begin by satisfying the fundamentals, leveraging the Pareto rule to inform decision-making.
The barn’s kitchen design evolved through multiple explorations. Rev E drawings and countless refinements. Each decision weighed, each detail interrogated. The dialogue was patient, the outcome considered. This is how we work. It’s the only way we know.
The layout itself is a story of balance. A dividing wall between the original barn and stables became a quiet workhorse. It effortlessly conceals the bulk of the kitchen’s storage requirements. Larders, refrigeration, the necessary volume of a functional home. This allows the main kitchen run and island to breathe. To sit with intention, dedicated to the core functions of cook, clean, and prep.
Our signature band-sawn oak cladding is integrated into the architecture itself, sitting comfortably alongside Dinesen’s own majestic oak boards. A seamless conversation between two practitioners of the material. A celebration of timber, texture, and tone.
The island became a focal point. Jay’s furniture design heritage called for something that felt more like a table than an island. A joiner's piece. Elegant, structural, and inviting. It’s a nod to traditional craft, reimagined.
Materiality is everything. The worktops were a subject of deep consideration. The result was a decision to clad the entire room, not just the surfaces, in Belgian Blue Fossil stone. A bold gesture that honours the stable’s original brickwork, grounding the contemporary design in the building’s honest history.
There are nods to the efficiency of a professional kitchen. The inclusion of a Wolf range cooker speaks to a serious passion for food and cooking. It is a tool for a people who understands ingredients, process, and the joy of a meal well made. Form and function in perfect alignment.
The collaboration also birthed new ideas. Inspired by the functional beauty of the tool cupboards in our Sussex workshop, we designed a pair of new larder cupboards specifically for Jay & Helen. Imposing yet refined, and organised with a maker’s logic. A piece that will demand a place within our Product Series.
This is what we mean by a considered kitchen. It is a process of listening. Of collaborating. It is an authentic commitment to making informed by design. A complete process from concept to creation, delivered with meticulous attention and a steadfast commitment to quality. Each kitchen is different because every home and every person is different.
This kitchen could only belong to Jay Osgerby. And it could only have been made by Inglis Hall.
If you missed the last instalment, please visit part one. We look forward to sharing more about the making of the kitchen next.