{"id":3233,"date":"2013-09-09T16:01:30","date_gmt":"2013-09-09T16:01:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/?p=3233"},"modified":"2026-02-25T16:05:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T16:05:19","slug":"run-of-the-mill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/run-of-the-mill","title":{"rendered":"Run of the Mill"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>It\u2019s funny how you get used to things. What was an impossible dream just a year ago has become&#8230; well, almost normal; to me at least. It takes someone to visit for the first time to remind you that you are still very very lucky and what you are doing is far from normal.<\/div>\n<div>\n<div id=\"attachment_3245\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3245\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3245\" src=\"\/\/www.devolkitchens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/DSC_0037-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"The short and tall barn, reroofed and weather-boarded. (shop front to tall barn yet to be fitted.)\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-3245\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><ul id=\"socialshare\"><!--<li class=\"fb\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dialog\/share?app_id=688330137993706&display=popup&href=https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/run-of-the-mill?img=\/\/www.devolkitchens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/DSC_0037-600x400.jpg\"><\/a><\/li><li class=\"tw\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/run-of-the-mill&text=Run of the Mill\"><\/a><li>--><li class=\"pt\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button?&url=https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/run-of-the-mill&media=\/\/www.devolkitchens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/DSC_0037-600x400.jpg\"><\/a><li><\/ul><\/div> <em> The short and tall barn, reroofed and weather-boarded. (shop front to tall barn yet to be fitted.)<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div id=\"attachment_3284\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3284\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3284\" src=\"\/\/www.devolkitchens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/diptic2.jpg\" alt=\"Half built workshop already in use.Top floor of tall barn, waiting for windows.\" width=\"600\" height=\"193\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-3284\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><ul id=\"socialshare\"><!--<li class=\"fb\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dialog\/share?app_id=688330137993706&display=popup&href=https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/run-of-the-mill?img=\/\/www.devolkitchens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/diptic2.jpg\"><\/a><\/li><li class=\"tw\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/run-of-the-mill&text=Run of the Mill\"><\/a><li>--><li class=\"pt\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button?&url=https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/run-of-the-mill&media=\/\/www.devolkitchens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/diptic2.jpg\"><\/a><li><\/ul><\/div> <em>Half built workshop already in use. Top floor of tall barn, waiting for windows.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>When you imagine buying a place as vast as this, with it\u2019s 1000 years of history, its 12 acres by the river Soar, it\u2019s unique array of outbuildings and its endless room after room, floor after floor, you know you are taking on a huge project. You know you are sticking your neck out, not playing safe; but you can\u2019t quite imagine how it will feel on a day to day basis. Will you be scared or proud, will you take it in your stride or fall apart with worry; will unforeseen problems and spiralling costs turn your dream into your worst nightmare.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>There\u2019s more to share here than the building when it\u2019s done. As an experience, it is unique and our blog, which feels like a diary to me, is a way of recording your thoughts and\u00a0 experiences for others to share; and in doing so I think it will serve to remind me what a special time this is.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>We have learnt that it is definitely better to allow your plans to develop as you go. We have had numerous ideas that seemed perfect at the time, but later seemed ridiculous, the very last thing you should be doing with the place. One such idea was opening a cafe. We imagined a wood fired pizza oven and a swanky coffee bar right in the middle of the second storey, like a hub of lively and luxurious living. Helen was keen, I was not keen. I pictured more of a tea room in the Mill house at the back overlooking the mill pond, with maybe a deck suspended on wooden piles so you could enjoy a peaceful cuppa and a toasted tea cake watching the ducks.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>We decided to get on with the essential renovations and mull it over. Once we opened our doors back in January it quickly became obvious that we really shouldn\u2019t be encouraging passers by to pop in for a bite of anything. Nice to have a place like this to visit, but not necessarily good for business. Our customers travel for hours to spend time with our designers. They want to be reassured with quality and dedicated service, they don\u2019t want to be disturbed by random browsers. We didn\u2019t need a lively coffee bar feel, nor a blue rinse tea room, this place needed to be a sanctuary from distraction, an exclusive club where you soak up ideas and creativity.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>You have to learn to get excited about things and then be prepared to let them go without any disappointment. One idea dissolves as another comes into clear focus. And so it has been, it\u2019s refreshing, we have a problem, we have some ideas, we have a quick chat with the builders and then suddenly someone\u2019s idea is a clear winner. We decide there and then, that\u2019s what we\u2019ll do; and then, when will it happen. You spend the following days or weeks wondering why it hasn\u2019t happened yet. You\u2019re eager to see it done to be reassured you have made the right decision and to help you with the next tranche of unanswered questions.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Occasionally you are able to feel some satisfaction: the last asbestos roof panel has finally been removed or the building is now water-tight ish or we are actually finally making furniture here. Each milestone is not represented by a clear and solid marker unfortunately there are lots of overlaps. For example, we are making furniture, but the roof has no guttering. We are making our show stand for 100% design in a room that has been insulated but not boarded out, let alone plastered, decorated, 2nd fix electrics, lights etc. Needs must, the show is imminent and this space is available for pre-assembling the stand.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Incidentally, you might recognise the casual beardy fellow in the unfinished barn, it\u2019s my old business partner, the deV of deVOL, Phil deVries, He\u2019s back from growing olives in Portugal to help us out for the summer. This building is so rambling it was easy to find a little space for him to live temporarily. Phil along with Dean have been doing all the little jobs around the mill; the stuff builders turn their noses up at. Like pulling out all the old urinals and making our loos spacious and spotless, with baby changing and disabled facilities. I saw a chap changing his baby in the car park a couple of months ago and thought, of course, how stupid, it\u2019s crazy not to look after Mums and Dads, when you have all this space. And that\u2019s how it goes, instant realisation of what you must do; on that matter and every other. You feel kind of like a passenger, definitely not like a person with a burden of having to get it right.<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div id=\"attachment_3256\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3256\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3256\" src=\"\/\/www.devolkitchens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/DSC_0020-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"Phil, pencil on wood, show-stand in bits.\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-3256\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><ul id=\"socialshare\"><!--<li class=\"fb\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dialog\/share?app_id=688330137993706&display=popup&href=https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/run-of-the-mill?img=\/\/www.devolkitchens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/DSC_0020-600x400.jpg\"><\/a><\/li><li class=\"tw\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/run-of-the-mill&text=Run of the Mill\"><\/a><li>--><li class=\"pt\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button?&url=https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/run-of-the-mill&media=\/\/www.devolkitchens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/DSC_0020-600x400.jpg\"><\/a><li><\/ul><\/div> <em>Phil, pencil on wood, show-stand in bits.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_3283\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3283\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3283\" src=\"\/\/www.devolkitchens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/diptic3.jpg\" alt=\"Looking inside from inside, there will be a door through to the mill on the left. 1st fix cables from the tall barn hanging loose in the Air kitchen workshop - See more at: http:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/?p=3233&amp;preview=true#sthash.Vt4l0JYS.dpuf\" width=\"600\" height=\"193\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-3283\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><ul id=\"socialshare\"><!--<li class=\"fb\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dialog\/share?app_id=688330137993706&display=popup&href=https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/run-of-the-mill?img=\/\/www.devolkitchens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/diptic3.jpg\"><\/a><\/li><li class=\"tw\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/run-of-the-mill&text=Run of the Mill\"><\/a><li>--><li class=\"pt\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button?&url=https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/run-of-the-mill&media=\/\/www.devolkitchens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/diptic3.jpg\"><\/a><li><\/ul><\/div> <em>Looking inside from inside, there will be a door through to the mill on the left. 1st fix cables from the tall barn hanging loose in the Air kitchen workshop.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<div id=\"attachment_3259\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3259\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3259\" src=\"\/\/www.devolkitchens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/DSC_0016-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"Making the Air kitchen display for 100% design in the ground floor of the short barn.\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-3259\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><ul id=\"socialshare\"><!--<li class=\"fb\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dialog\/share?app_id=688330137993706&display=popup&href=https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/run-of-the-mill?img=\/\/www.devolkitchens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/DSC_0016-600x400.jpg\"><\/a><\/li><li class=\"tw\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/run-of-the-mill&text=Run of the Mill\"><\/a><li>--><li class=\"pt\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button?&url=https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/run-of-the-mill&media=\/\/www.devolkitchens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/DSC_0016-600x400.jpg\"><\/a><li><\/ul><\/div> <em>Making the Air kitchen display for 100% design in the ground floor of the short barn.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div id=\"attachment_3240\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3240\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3240\" src=\"\/\/www.devolkitchens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/DSC_0045-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"Ducks hanging out by the mill pond\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-3240\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><ul id=\"socialshare\"><!--<li class=\"fb\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dialog\/share?app_id=688330137993706&display=popup&href=https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/run-of-the-mill?img=\/\/www.devolkitchens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/DSC_0045-600x400.jpg\"><\/a><\/li><li class=\"tw\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/run-of-the-mill&text=Run of the Mill\"><\/a><li>--><li class=\"pt\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button?&url=https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/run-of-the-mill&media=\/\/www.devolkitchens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/DSC_0045-600x400.jpg\"><\/a><li><\/ul><\/div> <em> Ducks hanging out by the mill pond<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_3301\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3301\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3301\" src=\"\/\/www.devolkitchens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/diptic4.jpg\" alt=\"The Environment Agency on site for the summer repointing the Medieval bridge over the Soar. Devil\u2019s island, a 3\/4 acre island of significance in the Civil War battle of Cotes bridge, which me and the kids cleared last winter, but is now 7 foot high with nettles.\" width=\"600\" height=\"193\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-3301\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><ul id=\"socialshare\"><!--<li class=\"fb\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dialog\/share?app_id=688330137993706&display=popup&href=https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/run-of-the-mill?img=\/\/www.devolkitchens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/diptic4.jpg\"><\/a><\/li><li class=\"tw\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/run-of-the-mill&text=Run of the Mill\"><\/a><li>--><li class=\"pt\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button?&url=https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/run-of-the-mill&media=\/\/www.devolkitchens.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/diptic4.jpg\"><\/a><li><\/ul><\/div> <em> The Environment Agency on site for the summer repointing the Medieval bridge over the Soar. Devil\u2019s island, a 3\/4 acre island of significance in the Civil War battle of Cotes bridge, which me and the kids cleared last winter, but is now 7 foot high with nettles.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s funny how you get used to things. What was an impossible dream just a year ago has become&#8230; well, almost normal; to me&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":15401,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[125,33,126,127,128],"class_list":["post-3233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cotes-mill","tag-civil-war","tag-furniture","tag-helen","tag-nightmare","tag-portugal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3233"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3233\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26287,"href":"https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3233\/revisions\/26287"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devolkitchens.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}