A Grand Country House Kitchen With Drama

By Author: Carina Evison
Total Articles: 7
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Plain English’s London showroom is an example of how colour and design can inject drama into a traditional kitchen. Designed by Katie Fontana, Plain English’s Creative Director, the ground floor comprises a bespoke Georgian kitchen that you might expect to find below stairs in a grand country house.

The deep grey tone of Little Greene Paint Company’s ‘Lead Colour’, used on the walls, cupboards and canopy, adds a sense of theatre to the impressively sized room and high ceilings. Unlike in smaller kitchens, where the use of darker colours can feel oppressive, larger spaces welcome a more dramatic colour scheme.

To create subtle variation in country kitchens, ...
... the central prep table is painted in a darker shade of the room’s primary colour (‘Dark Lead’); alternatively, a central island or prep table could be painted in a bright, contrasting colour to add a contemporary twist to the design. Monochromatic elements such as the striking black and Stainless Steel La Cornuecooke, the cream crockery resting on the canopy shelf, and the pale Bateig Blue stone worktops, complement the kitchen’s grey colour palette.

Being the heart of the home, a Suffolk kitchen of any size should be welcoming; introducing warm tones and natural texture into a cool-coloured scheme (especially if situated in a large space) helps to create this aesthetic. The Rustic European Oak worktops, Douglas Fir floorboards and Georgian brass ironmongery used in Katie’s design, inject a sense of ‘home’ and comfort into what could otherwise be an austere-looking room.

The highly detailed joinery adds to the theatrical nature of the kitchen; the floor and counter-standing cupboard doors have been designed with mouldings and beaded detail, and the central door panels of the floor cupboards have been raised. Georgian-inspired cornicing, together with a complimenting canopy shelf and pediment, mirror this level of detail and create a feeling of grandeur.

In traditional Kitchens where space is limited, be careful not to overwhelm the design with heavy detailing or use particularly dark colours; less is more and ‘theatre’ can be created with cleverly chosen accessories and fabrics, which can always be easily changed in the future if needed.

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 luxury bespoke kitchens, ranging from country house kitchens and painted shaker 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.