Journal
The Best Colours for Country House Kitchens – part 3; in the final part of our series we return to a more traditional colour palette.
Selecting the best colours for your country house kitchen is a personal decision, influenced by your style preferences and the atmosphere you want to create. Creating an inviting space will be be a balance between functionality and aesthetics.
The nostalgic vision of a classic country house kitchen is one of flagstone floors, rustic beams and range cookers, and the colour palette used to help capture this charm, warmth and inviting ambience tended to be neutral shades in white, cream and warm greys.
INSPIRED BY TRADITION
Incorporating wooden elements into a bespoke kitchen design, such as wooden countertops, open shelving, or exposed ceiling beams will create warmth and texture and that’s hard to replicate with other materials.
Our design team have seen a noticeable shift in the cabinet choices our clients are making, with the use of real wood as the feature, instead of a paint colour.
Wood such as walnut or oak used for kitchen islands or cooks tables are now acting as the focal point, with a warmer hue of white or a tone of cream paint for the surrounding cabinetry, complementing the grain of the wood.
A painted kitchen can really come to life with the addition of a natural wooden centre piece
NATURAL NEUTRALS
While oak is probably the least expensive wood to use, sycamore and walnut offer their own unique colours and grains and with an aged finish will create a period feel in a house with historic features.
As a more cost effective way to introduce wood in to your scheme; an oak top on a painted island can soften the space.
French polishing is a beautiful way of adding natural warmth to a space, although it would not have featured in period kitchens 100+ yrs ago as it would have been considered too luxurious for a domestic space. However, used in small amounts it can bring warmth and add period charm to a kitchen.
One client recently had a kitchen completely designed and made using polished French oak, it certainly is not for the faint hearted.
TRIED & TESTED NEUTRALS
Hannah Anderson has consulted on many kitchen colours in the past 20 years and her advice with neutrals is tried and tested. She is a fountain of knowledge when it comes to deciding which are the best colours for country house kitchens.
“If using paler colours on your cabinets, nearly always go one shade darker, colours always look lighter once the room is fully painted”. Some of Hannah’s favourite neutrals are;
Farrow & Ball Stirabout; an earthy neutral that adds warmth to any room. Farrow & Ball Old White; a soft grey green that simply earns its name by being the most historic of all their white paint colours. Paint and Paper Library Moleskin; a warm grey. Paint and Paper Library Stone IV; an Architectural colour, individually formulated using different strengths of the same pigments to achieve subtle shade differentiations within any interior.
Farrow & Ball Hardwick White; a rich and chalky hue sits just as well in a contemporary room as it does in a historic house. Little Green Slaked Lime Mid; this mid shade is a warmer neutral paint colour than classic Slaked Lime heritage paint. Little Green Portland Stone Deep; this deeper shade of classic Portland Stone is a warm neutral Victorian paint colour. Paint & Paper Library Tarlatan a really useful neutral with stubby brown/grey undertones which give depth to a neutral kitchen or boot room, paired with simple marble tops and oak flooring.
White is still one of the most popular kitchen paint colours; neutral, timeless, and bright
Whether you opt for a bold colour, earthy tones, classic whites, soft pastels, or natural wood, the key is to strike a balance that makes your country house kitchen feel welcoming, comfortable, and in harmony with the surrounding countryside. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different colour combinations to achieve the perfect kitchen that suits your taste and lifestyle.
We offer a kitchen colour consultancy service when designing your bespoke kitchen.
