Smallbone’s Pilaster Kitchen As Depicted In ‘The Iron Lady’
Saturday, January 28th, 2012
Margaret Thatcher’s Dulwich house was fitted with a handmade Smallbone kitchen, which had won the Prime Minister’s heart at first sight and in 1985 was one of the most widely reported features about her home.
As a Smallbone Kitchen owner, she joined the ranks of celebrity fans of the company, which included Rowan Atkinson, Nigel Mansell and Dustin Hoffman. Today, the company is still known for its international star following.
As a direct result of this media coverage, Mrs. Thatcher’s Dulwich kitchen was carefully recreated at Pinewood Studios for the set of The Iron Lady film, now released.
When approached by the Production team to provide a kitchen for the film, Smallbone pulled out all the stops, dismantling a complete showroom display and rapidly re-built it at Pinewood to recreate the character of the Iron Lady’s traditional kitchen.
Pictured here is Smallbone’s Pilaster kitchen as depicted in The Iron Lady:
- Inspired by the grand architecture of the 18th century the design focus of this kitchen is the pilaster, a gently tapering half column, which is based on an original from 1743.
- Other details like the dentil cornice mouldings plus raised and fielded panels, also have their origins in the Georgian period.
- The Pilaster collection can either be made from oak, or can be hand painted in many different colours.
Smallbone’s Design Director, Steven de Munnich commented, “Smallbone is an iconic British brand and Margaret Thatcher’s kitchen is definitely in our Hall of Fame. We were so pleased to be asked to play a role in this film - and proud to be part of her story.”
For further information about the smart Smallbone Pilaster Kitchen, please visit the website.

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