This is the most requested room reveal- it was with the last house too! The kitchen is the heart of the home, even if I’m not a natural cook. As in most homes, it’s the one room where we congregate as a family and where we entertain our guests.
I wanted to keep some of the country kitchen feel that we had in the old house but adapt it to suit our new city life. We discovered early on that our British Standard cupboards worked very well with what was already in the new house so we re-used them, painted them blue and they transformed the space. The blue is Carbon by Fired Earth and I’d seen the idea on Pinterest. The colour, combined with the darker Ebony Oak Aged Parquet flooring from The Natural Wood Floor Company, creates a really nice mix of modern and traditional. The walls were kept neutral in Slaked Lime Midi by The Little Greene Paint Co.
I’m thrilled with the result; it also meant we didn’t waste anything by ripping out a whole kitchen and re-doing it when we didn’t need to. A win for us, and a win for sustainability! We also re-used our countertops…Honed London Grey from Caesarstone.
One thing we did add was an island. You might remember the debate from doing up the old house: is there space for one or is there not? We went for it in the end and even though it was a slim one, we realised how much they’re used. It’s a space to chatter, have drinks and perch with a coffee during the day, especially on lovely Oka bar stools that I had upholstered in a signature brown fabric from Sharland England, my new homewares collection.
Once I had my blue joinery in place, the colour scheme came together easily. We have some beautiful Milagros blue and white tiles that were hand-painted in Mexico. I used terracotta grouting and the colour is picked up in the floor runner. The shelves either side of the cabinets are a mix of glass Kilner jars and colourful jugs that I’ve collected over time. The pink jug is from Hot Pottery; the floral blue is Burleigh and the teapot is Royal Copenhagen. Above is another splatter jug, a Tory Burch version in blue as well as one with a black floral design by Ralph Lauren Home and a terracotta one by Casa Cubista on Notonthehighstreet.
After displaying these alongside my collection of blue and white plates on the Welsh dresser, I added some brown clam plates that I found from France via Ebay and some terracotta cups from Notonthehighstreet that I’ve dotted around the kitchen. The brown, blue and cream theme was complete. There’s some added colour to the room with plants on the dresser and a tray from Sharland England too.
Lighting wise, I did know what I wanted the overall look to be prior to works beginning. I already had one beautiful pendant light by Alice Palmer that we’d had in the Orangery so I got another to match and hung both of them over the island. The blue and white fabric shades are perfect. There are downlighters under the cabinets which gives the kitchen a really soft, low-lit glow in the evening. To me, a great kitchen is one that is bright and open during the day but cosy in the evenings.
Attached to the kitchen is a little dining area. Our lovely pink Loaf sofa that we had in the Orangery was brought in here, alongside the same dining table. I switched out the sisal rug for one I’d had for years in LA but never used. I knew I’d find the perfect place for it one day! The lamp is an old Oka friend- I don’t think I’ve ever had a lamp that looks so good in so many different places.
As with every room in the house, I’m going to play around with the art until I find the look I like the most…and then will probably switch it again. The Gray Malin print behind the sofa started out above our bed in LA; it was in Honor’s nursery and now it’s next to our cocktail trolley.
Speaking of, I think this is one of my favourite pieces in the kitchen. The bar cart itself is an antique from Lou & Pickle with a colourful carafe by Rebecca Udall and the green and blue glasses by Bias Editions. There’s a lovely shell picture on the tray by Domenica Marland and I think it adds to the whole beach cocktail vibe that we’ve got going on.
So there it is. A little cocktail stop at the beach bar before a cosy kitchen supper (thank you chef) and a debrief of the day.
xx,
