Photography by Laura Muthesius, courtesy of Our Food Stories (@ FoodStories ).
When we first dropped in on photographer Laura Muthesius and stylist/gluten-free baker Nora Eisermann of Our Food Stories, they had just installed an Ikea kitchen in their new weekend getaway in the countryside outside Berlin.
Standard, modular cabinets from deVol’s Real Shaker Kitchen line arrived from the company’s workshop in Cotes Mill, England.
Laura and Nora came up with the layout themselves and worked with deVol’s design team remotely: “they reply unbelievably fast to emails.” A local crew took down the wall—”we were lucky, no extra supports were required”—and did the installation work.
In addition to the Farmhouse Sink, deVol also supplied the Aged Brass Ionian Tap, Brass Cabinet Hardware, handmade Crackle Metro Tiles, and Brass Hanging Rail. The oak and brass cutting boards are a collaboration between Frama and Dry Studios.
“Before our kitchen was all black; this time we really wanted to create another look and go for the opposite,” says Laura.
As they did in their Berlin studio, Laura and Nora finished the walls and ceiling with plaster from Kabe of Copenhagen to add texture and depth—”here we used Ivory, a very light gray that looks gray-white on sunny days and beige-gray on moody days,” says Nora.
A window—previously part of the guest room—brings in morning light: “we only photograph with daylight, so for us it’s most important to have good light,” says Laura, adding that “during the day we get moody light from our other window, which faces north.”
The kitchen is designed to be high functioning and ready for closeups.
A deVol small island serves as a prep space and breakfast bar.
Pantry staples are stored in Le Parfait jars in deep drawers.
The range and hood are from Bertazzoni’s Professional Series.
A Smeg fridge is tucked in the back, next to doors to the dining room and WC.
Our Food Stories fans will be glad to see Laura and Nora kept their much-photographed antique breakfast ensemble.
Fitted with shelves and drawers, a floor-to-ceiling deVol cupboard is filled with tableware and pantry goods. The antique rolling cart is used to hold the coffee maker, bottles of water, and a crate of potatoes and onions.
A moveable backdrop with a green plaster finish allows the couple to switch up the look in their photos.