The dinner party scene before us is like any other, tempting smells drift through the house as the kitchen comes alive with cooking, good wine and chatter. Only the keen eyed though will pick out the kitchen's subtle design differences that divulge more of the story behind what is a beautiful, homely kitchen, as we discovered.

Two years ago Kit and Penny Noble, owners of Nonsuch House, one of Dartmouth and Kingswear's leading B&Bs, decided enough was enough with their original kitchen and the time was right to make drastic changes.

According to Penny "We always wanted a kitchen that would encourage our guests to sit down with a glass of wine and chat away to Kit as he created their meal. Shut behind a swinging door and a partition wall, the old kitchen meant Kit was always isolated from guests, which is simply not how we wanted to run our business."

So the Nobles set about investigating companies who could deliver a bespoke design that would not only satisfy Kit's very specific requirements but create that extra special point of difference for their business.

A recommendation from a friend led Kit and Penny to Ashgrove Kitchens, a Crediton based company creating bespoke kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms for more than twenty years. Tasked with creating a kitchen that ticked all the boxes for the Noble's was senior designer Mike Lawrence, who himself can claim over 40 years specialist design experience within the industry.

For Mike the biggest challenge of any job is creating something that intricately matches the customer's personal preferences. However, hand in hand with this, is the oppurtunity to advise customers on gadgets and solutions that will make life in the kitchen more enjoyable and effortless.

The original kitchen certainly provided a real challenge but one that would see Ashgrove transform it from a narrow, cramped working space to into the stunning, open plan kitchen that suited their needs completely. As Mike explained, "While Kit and Penny took a well earned leave of absence in Peru, we moved in to Nonsuch House, knocking down the original kitchen's wall to create one large space from two small rooms. The key trick here was to create interlinking space that gave depth to the room to get away from the fact that the space naturally formed a narrow corridor."

At the same time Ashgrove Kitchens undertook much needed re-wiring and plastering work before Mike's hand drawn plans were brought to life by the company's craftsmen, with a look and feel inspired by the property's unsurpassed landscape views. Fabulous sweeping vistas of the River Dart winding its way past the famous town of Dartmouth, coupled with the sweet coastal smell of sea air meant soft New England colours were a must.

The other main ingredients included granite worktops, a suitable cooker and lighting setup to make Kit's life easier but one of the most important things, according to Penny, was "two sinks so I could finally wash up glasses and china in peace without a dirty frying pan in sight." Ashgrove recommended a practical stainless steel sink for Kit and a beautiful Belfast sink for Penny, both adding something to the kitchen.