Plan A Country Cottage Kitchen

Units & Freestanding Furniture
Appliances, Sinks & Taps
Worktops, Splashbacks & Flooring
Where To Buy Country Cottage Kitchens

Cotteswood-Country-Kitchen. Guide To Country Cottage Kitchen

The allure of a country kitchen lies in its cosy ambiance and relaxed looks. Its nostalgic designs have stood the test of time yet somehow manage to integrate all the 21st century trappings we can't live without. So how do you get the look of a country cottage kitchen? Read on to find out...

By Caroline Rodrigues

How To Get The Look

Forget about beams and an inglenook unless you live in a cottage or farmhouse. The rest of us need a lighter approach to create the look. For example:

Think painted units, stone floors and freestanding furniture.
If you can, set the scene by opening up a chimney breast to take a range cooker, with a shelf mounted on corbels above (take advice before you pick up a sledgehammer though, as the chimney breast is a supporting structure of the house).
Appliances should be traditional in style or hidden away behind unit doors.
Add some freestanding furniture such as a larder cupboard and a well-scrubbed dining table - all the better if they're a bit worn - to bring in that farmhouse appeal.
Natural materials will give you the relaxed effect you want, so turn down stainless steel and glass in favour of wood units and worktops with stone or terracotta flooring.

Choosing Country Kitchen Units

It's hard to choose between natural wood and painted units, as both have so much to offer.

Wood kitchens provide outstanding variety, from palest maple, to deep stained oak. Lighter woods are more popular for good reason - they don't close in the space as much. While a hand-painted kitchen has a relaxed, welcoming look, it's also a flexible choice as you can repaint if you tire of the colour. A hand painted kitchen is less uniform than a factory finish, which can help along the bespoke effect. Flag up individual pieces such as a dresser with a bold colour such as bright lacquer red or a midnight blue. Look out for heritage paint shades - they're everywhere now - try your local DIY store and in particular look out for Farrow & Ball.

Instead of a relentless wall of unit doors, incorporate basket drawers, open shelving and a built-in plate rack to allow display space for your favourite china. Use decorative cornices or columns to add an authentic stamp to your kitchen, and look out for pewter finish cup handles, drop handles or round ceramic knobs to accessorise the doors.

Fired-Earth-Island-Table. Guide to Country Kitchens

Freestanding Furniture

A freestanding kitchen has a lot going for it. It changes the character of the room, allows varying worktop heights and can be made to measure to suit your requirements. The furniture tends to be bulky, so settling for a mix of fitted kitchen and a couple of quirky stand-alone pieces is a good compromise.

If you're aiming for a one-off look rather than showroom style, ferreting around in antique markets should come up with the goods, or try The Kitchen Dresser Company, Fired Earth, Ikea, or Marks & Spencer. Most kitchen manufacturers come up with freestanding pieces to suit their own kitchens, try John Lewis of Hungerford or Mark Wilkinson, or Plain English. If space allows, a pine table with mismatched chairs, a comfy, if battered, armchair and a bookcase will turn this room into the heart of the house.

For more planning advice for free-standing kitchens, see our feature; for design ideas for free-standing kitchens, see our gallery.