RDA was recently appointed by Whitegates Nursery in North Yorkshire to transform its existing tea room into a contemporary country kitchen style cafe.

A family business, Whitegates was established over 50 years ago and takes great pride in the quality of the plants that it grows across its 15acre site, the excellent customer service it offers and its individuality.

It is this uniqueness that led owners Claire and John Grainge to approach RDA when they were looking to renovate the existing cafe facilities as part of the ongoing improvements and expansions at Whitegates.

Claire said: “I wanted something different to the traditional bland look and feel of many garden centre cafes. I was immediately attracted to what RDA could offer and liked that they were a like- minded, family business. I really felt they understood the brief and was confident that they would create something special whilst retaining the individuality and family atmosphere which has become synonymous to Whitegates.”

Our team of design experts worked with Claire to bring her vision to life creating a warm and welcoming country kitchen restaurant environment with a contemporary twist. To create this look, our team used a combination of lounge and dining furniture, warm ambient lighting and a mis-match of colours and materials. 

To represent the botanical surroundings, green was the predominant colour, but with olive tones and more delicate shades. To express the individuality of the project, this was contrasted with bold coloured furniture such as dark teal, violet blue and blush pink chairs against statement floral fabrics and raw wooden panelling to the walls, which was painted green.

Continuing with the contemporary farmhouse aesthetic, the cafe counter features artisan tiling and was cladded with natural wood ready to perfectly display the tempting selection of locally sourced, homemade and home grown hot and cold food, cakes and infusion teas.

In addition, our team designed and installed a newly built kitchen which included a four-door refrigerated counter, cooking suit with extraction canopy, microwave, Baine Marie, Merry Chef, soup kettle and wash station. 

Claire added: “We wanted to create an area within the garden centre for our customers where they could gather and chat about gardening.  Acosy yet luxurious and welcoming space where our customers could stay and relax, perhaps read a magazine, or a book whilst enjoying our home-made goods. I feel RDA has encapsulated that perfectly, and I couldn’t be happier with the result.”

http://www.whitegatesnursery.co.uk