SIMPLE KITCHEN UPDATES

Bring new life to the busiest room in the house by adding fresh character, reworking its appearance or sorting out your storage

Bring new life to the busiest room in the house by adding fresh character and sorting out your storage

ALL THINGS CRAFTED

As the room where you are often found stirring, chopping and kneading is all about creativity, it makes perfect sense to surround yourself with handmade objects in the kitchen. Pleasingly tactile, they are an apt reminder that, just as with cooking, it takes time and slow practice to make something good.

At the top end of the scale are items such as a freestanding larder, made-to-measure cabinetry or a handmade dining table – centrepieces that will set a mood of crafted calm. And the fact that a bespoke item will be perfectly tailored to the proportions of your space subtly adds to that sense of balance.

But it’s also possible to bring the crafted aesthetic into your home in smaller ways. You may already have artisan tableware stored away, but giving pieces pride of place on a mantelpiece or shelf will highlight their charms. Look out for ceramics that show the hand of the maker, whether it’s in the way a handle has been moulded to a mug, or the unique swirls or daubs of glaze on a jug.

Chunky chopping boards that have been carefully chosen for their particular timber and grain by a skilled woodworker will last a lifetime. Recycled glassware blown with whorls and bubbles has far more character than identical pieces off a production line. And block-printed or hand-embroidered table linen not only looks beautiful but feels good to the touch. At ground level, handwoven baskets are a practical addition, perfect for storing fresh vegetables or positioned by a back door for shoes, boots or dog-walking paraphernalia.

SETTING STORE

Whether you have a big farmhouse kitchen or a smaller cottage space, everything from hefty saucepans to sprigs of herbs needs to be stored in a logical, accessible way. Kitchen designers are constantly dreaming up ways to eke the most out of tricky spaces and irregular nooks.

Bifold-doors are ideal when space is tight. Fitted to larders or smaller counter-top cabinets, they conceal – and then reveal – everyday appliances such as toasters and coffee machines. Behind cupboard doors, smooth-sliding wooden drawers are an efficient way to store foodstuffs and crockery. You can fill up the entire space but still reach items right at the back. Drawers can also be tucked into corner cupboards, receding into what would otherwise be a ‘dead’ space.

While some items are best hidden away, others deserve to be admired, which is where open shelving comes in. Stacked with an interesting array of plates, glasses and vintage finds, they function like a latter-day dresser. On a more practical note, if staples such as rice and pasta are stored in glass jars out on show, you can see what needs replenishing. If you don’t already have a built-in larder, freestanding versions now come with mini shelves fitted inside the doors, making them as indispensable today as when they kept a cook’s foodstuffs cool and dry. Sometimes, the old-fashioned ideas really are the best: pans hung from a metal rail or a rack use space efficiently while doubling as a visual display.

An assortment of old chairs and a characterful pine table lend interest to this streamlined kitchen

Above and far left Textural objects including woven natural baskets, hold the eye

Left and below Shapely ceramics and wooden implements offer handcrafted appeal

Left and above A balance of concealed storage and favourite pieces on display is a pleasing combination

Left Traditional kitchen implements have an attractive appearance, and keeping them out on show means they are always to hand

Opposite Wooden doors cleverly conceal a kitchen in designer Tom Raffield’s stylish Cornish home

Right A plate rack is a good way to display ceramics in a smaller space where a dresser might dominate