Catsfield Cabin - Outdoor Kitchen Design & Landscape Regeneration in Sussex

Location: Catsfield, East Sussex

Budget: £50,000

Timeline: 6 weeks

Scope: Landscape reshaping, outdoor kitchen build, and bespoke timber cabin

In the heart of the East Sussex countryside, on a steep, overgrown plot, we were asked to create something simple, sustainable, and beautiful. The site sat within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, so the brief called for care, something that felt rooted in its surroundings, not placed on top of them.

The result is Catsfield Cabin - a handcrafted timber shelter with a fully functioning outdoor kitchen, set within a reshaped landscape designed to support both people and pollinators.

The Brief

The clients came to us with a clear vision. They wanted to create a space that:

• Allowed them to cook and entertain outdoors

• Created a safe and natural route through sloping ground

• Increased biodiversity using native planting

• Felt quiet, green, and informal, not overdesigned

• Used natural materials that would weather beautifully with time

They weren’t looking for a showpiece. They wanted something real, flexible, and honest, just like the surrounding countryside.

Our Approach

We started with the land. It was steep, patchy, and uneven, so instead of flattening it, we shaped it. Using soft mounding and gentle banking, we introduced flow and circulation without hard edges. A curving path now leads through the space, inviting exploration up toward a wild garden.

The central structure, the Catsfield Cabin, was built entirely by hand using locally sourced Oak and Chestnut. It’s part kitchen, part shelter, and part retreat.

The Cabin Design

The structure transitions gradually from open to enclosed:

• At the front, exposed beams create a light-filled canopy

• Slatted timber cladding adds filtered shade and ventilation

• The rear is weatherproofed and enclosed for storage and protection

This flow from open to closed gives the space flexibility. It works on sunny days and stormy ones, for cooking or just sitting quietly with a coffee and the sound of birds.

Outdoor Kitchen Details

The kitchen is full of small, intentional features:

• A live-edge Oak worktop, cut from a single local tree, brings warmth and craftsmanship

• An upcycled vintage cabinet is used to store herbs, oils, and utensils

• Galvanised wall lights add a subtle industrial edge while casting a soft glow in the evenings

• Open timber shelving offers utility without clutter

Every detail was built on-site. No flat-packs. No unnecessary finishes. Just solid, practical joinery designed to last.

Landscape Regeneration

Outside the structure, we focused on rewilding and biodiversity. New tree planting, native hedging, and seasonal wildflowers now fill the space. Pollinators are drawn in from spring through autumn. A fruit tree orchard was added for seasonal interest, and snacks.

The clients have since added a small wild pond, further boosting the site's ecological value. The result is a garden that changes through the year and will only improve over time.

What We Learned (and What You Can Take Away)

If you’re thinking about your own outdoor kitchen or retreat, whether in a garden, field, or woodland corner, here are a few things this project taught us:

• You don’t need to flatten the land. Work with it, not against it.

• One well-made structure is more valuable than a long list of features.

• Local materials and handmade elements create spaces with soul.

• Outdoor kitchens don’t need to be sleek and modern to be functional.

• Rewilding doesn’t mean messy, it means considered, layered, and evolving.

Final Thoughts

Catsfield Cabin isn’t a luxury install or a show garden. It’s a lived-in, seasonal space that reflects the landscape around it. It’s a place to cook, gather, think, or do nothing at all. And most importantly, it feels like it belongs.

If you're working on your own outdoor space and want something rooted in craftsmanship, ecology, and clarity of design, we’d love to hear from you.

Explore more projects at craftedlandscapes.co.uk

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