Country house appeal
FARMHOUSE kitchens with Belfast sinks and Aga ranges have been fashionable for decades but a new modern country décor is refining kitchens for the 21st century. It’s all about creating a back-to-the-future look with updated versions of 20th century classics. Made in Britain Aga cookers – popular since the 1930s – can now be plugged into standard electric sockets, while vinyl kitchen unit doors come with a realistic woodgrain texture that are not only cheaper than solid wood units but much easier to keep clean.
Kitchen makeover specialists such as Kitchenmagic.com and Kitchenrestoration.co.uk can transform tired-looking kitchens by simply replacing doors and drawers, which is much cheaper than having the full works.
But if you want a more modern take on country kitchens Magnet’s Nordic Nature could work well. It was named Ideal Homes Kitchen of the Year this month and its oak-veneer surfaces give it a pared-back country vibe, while its smooth and fluted surfaces create a modern look.
That’s not to say the Shaker style is out of style, because it goes really well with Ercol furniture – another throwback to the 20th century.
New-design Ercol dining tables are a natural replacement for the stripped pine equivalent that have dominated our kitchens since the 1980s.
They’re available at stores ranging from FurnitureVillage to Barker & Stonehouse.
Complete your kitchen makeover with accessories such as simple wooden-lidded storage jars from new UK home storage company Not A Boring Box.
Alternatively look at John Lewis’s best-selling affordable home accessories brand ANYDAY.