Creating A Luxury Country Style Kitchen For Every Home

By Author: Carina Evison
Total Articles: 7
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Few kitchen styles offer a more homely and welcoming environment than a country kitchen. The design and character of this style is a popular choice for those with a family and who want the kitchen to be the heart of the home.

Country kitchen designs tend to be simple, with minimal detailing and adornment used on the cupboard doors to mirror the functionality of traditional country kitchens designed in the 18th and 19th century. Although some country kitchens have plinths included in their design, The Longhouse Kitchen by Plain English is intended to look freestanding and each base cupboard has its own set of “legs”, inspired by the traditional kitchens found in Suffolk’s vernacular farmhouses.

To help create bespoke country style kitchens, there are traditional features one would expect to find included in the design. Classic Farmhouse or Butler sinks are popular choices; their shape, size and robustness are practical for those with a family or who regularly prepare food in that area and wish to avoid the ...
... splashing of water commonly associated with shallower styles. Reclaimed antique taps and a traditional range cooker, such as an Aga, bring real character into a country kitchen, and with so many cookers on the market, there is one to suit every lifestyle and requirement.

If hand painted kitchens is in mind, colours such as greens, yellows and terracotta that are earthy or natural in tone, compliment the countryside surroundings and help create a country style kitchen feel. Small hand turned wooden knobs or tarnished brass handles accent these colours well and create a “lived in” effect.

To increase that aged, country look, incorporate rustic woods into the kitchen, either through an old dresser, scrubbed Pine dinner table or shelving; this will add texture and the more distressed the wood, the more old and authentic it will look. Plain English uses reclaimed Pitch Pine on their freestanding work tables; they provide the perfect place to prepare fresh garden vegetables for those wholesome family dinners.

In old houses, use existing features such as a brick fireplace or original flooring where possible, to maintain the character of the room. If the chimney is no longer in use, a fireplace can provide a quirky area to add extra cupboards for storage, or alternatively, it can create a beautiful housing for an Aga or range cooker.

Traditionally, country houses featured beautiful old flagstone floors and in the ‘Flower Room’ at Plain English’s Suffolk showroom, there are traditional Suffolk pamments.

If new flooring is required, materials should be hardwearing, to cope with the purpose of the room and the traffic that moves to and from it. Stone, slate or tiles are usually the most practical, especially if in a country setting.

Whatever finishes and details are chosen, ensure that the materials and designs used are of the highest affordable quality; this will ensure that the new kitchen has as much staying power as the traditional 18th and 19th century country designs that inspired it.

About The Author:

"Carina Evison is the author of this article. Carina works for Plain English, a traditional joinery company that specialises in the design of bespoke kitchens, ranging from country house kitchens and shaker style kitchens to contemporary kitchens. Using the time-honoured Georgian techniques of furniture making, their designs are simple and long-lasting, with cupboards handmade and hand-painted in Suffolk from the finest quality materials."