The Daily Telegraph

Plus How the country kitchen went contempora­ry

Even townies are discoverin­g the joys of range cookers, walk-in pantries and ‘foraging drawers’. Jessica Doyle reports

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Not so long ago, the sleek, handleless kitchen was the epitome of modern style. When minimalism held sway, a streamline­d space with high-spec integrated appliances and all clutter packed behind uniform cabinet doors (save for the odd artfully placed vase of flowers or potted herb) was the design blueprint, in city apartments and suburban semis alike.

Over the past few years, however, as we’ve gravitated towards natural materials and more personalis­ed spaces, the traditiona­l, rustic-style kitchen has started to make a comeback – free-standing units, visible utensils and all – and it is surprising­ly well-suited to modern urban spaces.

Tom Howley (tomhowley.co.uk) credits a growing appreciati­on for craftsmans­hip to demand for more rural-style, wooden kitchen cabinets; his Hartford range starts from £40,000.

“Many customers are now understand­ing the work that goes into making a kitchen, which revolves around the desire for quality and performanc­e, longevity being a key driving factor when investing in a kitchen,” the kitchen designer says.

“A high-gloss, handleless kitchen is a trend-based buying decision, but a classic Shaker-style kitchen can be easily updated.”

In practical terms, any marks or scratches can be sanded down or painted over, and a simple paint job can create a completely new look: a wooden cabinet door may have rustic associatio­ns, but painted navy blue or deep teal, it looks altogether more modern and sophistica­ted. Changing the handles is an even easier update: brass, matt black and leather are on-trend finishes.

As open-plan and broken-plan continue to be the layout of choice, the kitchen island remains popular as a transition­al element between kitchen and sitting room. Howley reports that an island was specified in 75 per cent of his kitchen designs last year, and that it doesn’t have to be big to become a social hub.

It’s also a product of the growing popularity of restaurant-level cooking and, in particular, baking at home: maximum worktop space is top of kitchen buyers’ wishlists, and we’re increasing­ly opting for traditiona­l materials such as marble (perfect for pastry-making) and granite, over man-made materials like Corian.

Similarly, more and more of us are opting for a range cooker, the mainstay of a country kitchen – whether or not we live in a country house.

Everhot, which produces range cookers in 12 different colours, has seen a 75 per cent increase in sales over the past three years, with its Everhot 60 model, which it describes as “a modern take on a classic design”, being one of its most popular. At just 60cm wide, as opposed to the usual 90cm-plus for a range cooker, it’s also perfect for smaller properties.

The pantry is another element of the traditiona­l country house kitchen that is currently in demand, and for those who have a spare walk-in cupboard that can be transforme­d with shelving, it’s the ultimate kitchen luxury. For those who don’t, the free-standing pantry cupboard comes a close second.

“Kitchens and storage are both huge search terms on Houzz,” says Victoria Harrison, the website’s editor, “and when you combine the two, you get the pantry cupboard, one of the most popular kitchen trends of the moment. A modern take on the traditiona­l larder, these storage workhorses look set to lead the way when it comes to kitchen features.”

Some of us may want to hide the kitchen clutter away; others want to put it on display – and open shelving is another element of rustic kitchen design that is making its way into modern homes. Simple, scrubbed wooden shelves lined with Kilner jars and copper pans will give a flavour of the country in an urban kitchen, and a subtle reference to the past. The antique dealer Christophe­r Howe (howelondon.com) has installed a Georgian-style kitchen in the basement of his Belgravia shop, with long open shelves stacked with china, utensils and antique finds.

The kitchen was made by Plain English (plainengli­shdesign.co.uk), the go-to choice for beautifull­y made, bespoke traditiona­l-style kitchens, and the ethos of Katie Fontana, its founder, is to “reference the values of the past and gently evolve to embrace the modern ways in which we live now”.

It’s a maximalist, rather than minimalist, approach to kitchen design that puts the emphasis on the decorative aspect of design.

This style of open storage fits well in a more modern property, too. Compartmen­talised shelving painted in dark, inky colours can be used to display photograph­s, artworks and cocktail glasses alongside china and recipe books, as in the kitchen of Kate Watson-smyth, design journalist and author, which can be seen on her blog, madaboutth­ehouse.com. She points out that open shelving also gives you more usable worktop space than head-height cupboards – a key advantage in a smaller, urban kitchen – and advises displaying things you use regularly to cut down on dusting.

As for other sources for tradmodern kitchens, British Standard (britishsta­ndardcupbo­ards.co.uk) is the less expensive, “off-the-shelf ” arm of Plain English: cupboards come fully assembled, in off-white eggshell, ready to be painted, and start from £465 each. DEVOL (devolkitch­ens.co.uk), which recently worked with Rachel Khoo on the bijou pea-green kitchen in the chef ’s London home, offers a Real Shaker kitchen that starts from £12,000, and a collection by Sebastian Cox that includes woven timber elements and copper detailing (from £15,000).

And taking bespoke to the highest level, the recently launched kitchen company Lanserring (lanserring. com) has developed an exceptiona­lly crafted modular kitchen in high-end materials, inspired by the 16thcentur­y botanist John Tradescant. It starts at £50,000, but for that you get the option of your own personalis­ed “foraging drawer”, a dedicated charcuteri­e cabinet, and an island fitted with lead-crystal spice drawers.

‘Some may want to hide kitchen clutter away – others want to put it on display’

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 ??  ?? Classic: Hartford kitchen from Tom Howley, above; Shaker-style by DEVOL, right; and bespoke by Lanserring, below
Classic: Hartford kitchen from Tom Howley, above; Shaker-style by DEVOL, right; and bespoke by Lanserring, below

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