After 20-plus years as an award-winning designer and kitchen specialist, Antoinette Fraser has joined forces with renowned British designer Christopher Peacock, whose eponymous collection of handmade, English-inspired cabinets have been the gold standard of luxury-kitchen design since the early ’90s.
“The Peacock signature is one of authenticity, quality, substance and styling that uniquely integrates the traditional prewar aesthetic with a modern point of view,” says Fraser, senior designer at the Christopher Peacock showroom in Short Hills, which opened its doors in June.
Peacock’s bespoke furniture and proprietary hardware are often hailed as the benchmarks for built-ins. His earliest design, the Scullery kitchen, gained widespread attention at the 2002 Kip’s Bay Showhouse in New York City. The brand has garnered a long list of influential clients, including presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton and business mogul David Koch.
“Chris’s genius lies in his relentless editing,” says Fraser, a Montclair resident. “His style is always being copied—but no one ever quite gets it right. The amount of detail that goes into our furniture would frustrate the most seasoned cabinetmaker.”
The predominantly built-in furniture is handmade in West Virginia “by a workforce that is 40 percent women,” she notes. “A lot of love goes into every piece.” While the stained pieces are completed at the factory, the painted goods are hand finished in clients’ homes by a select group of European artisans trained under Peacock’s direction.
The Short Hills showroom offers the opportunity to experience the brand in a home-like setting. Beyond the usual vignette, there are complete representations of Peacock-designed rooms: a working Refectory kitchen complete with Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances, a bathroom, dressing room, butler’s pantry and wet bar.