Eat-in Kitchen Designed for One or a Crowd
Green and wood cabinets connect this flexible English kitchen to the outdoors, while black accents add a modern touch
How do you design a space to feel cozy for a single occupant but just as welcoming for extended family? When Serena Pitchers of Your Interiors Friend was hired to transform the kitchen, dining and seating area in this early 1930s house in England’s Midlands region, she knew the owner was sometimes alone but often had his children and grandchild with him.
“It had to function for somebody on their own and not feel ridiculously big but also be very much a family space that could hold three generations at once,” she says. She’s created an elegant space that feels warm and intimate while offering plenty of room for gathering.
“It had to function for somebody on their own and not feel ridiculously big but also be very much a family space that could hold three generations at once,” she says. She’s created an elegant space that feels warm and intimate while offering plenty of room for gathering.
The warm palette of greens, rusts and natural woods reflects the large yard. “This room very much has outdoor views thanks to three huge floor-to-ceiling windows,” Pitchers says.
To sharpen up the palette a little and link it with the steel-framed windows, she’s introduced black metal pendant lights, which draw the eye through the space to the outdoors. “Bringing that black element into the kitchen made it a little more modern and less soft,” she says.
To develop a lighting plan, Pitchers spent time understanding how the owner would use and move through the space. “A good lighting plan for me is about the shadows as much as the lighting, because that’s what provides the atmosphere,” she says. “I was looking at how the owner would move through the space, what he might want switched on or what kind of glow he might like; the layering of lighting at different times of the day, different times of the year.”
Flooring: custom aged parquet, Broadleaf Timber; main pendant lights: A110 Hand Grenade by Alvar Aalto, Artek; arched pendant light: Semi Pendant, Gubi
To sharpen up the palette a little and link it with the steel-framed windows, she’s introduced black metal pendant lights, which draw the eye through the space to the outdoors. “Bringing that black element into the kitchen made it a little more modern and less soft,” she says.
To develop a lighting plan, Pitchers spent time understanding how the owner would use and move through the space. “A good lighting plan for me is about the shadows as much as the lighting, because that’s what provides the atmosphere,” she says. “I was looking at how the owner would move through the space, what he might want switched on or what kind of glow he might like; the layering of lighting at different times of the day, different times of the year.”
Flooring: custom aged parquet, Broadleaf Timber; main pendant lights: A110 Hand Grenade by Alvar Aalto, Artek; arched pendant light: Semi Pendant, Gubi
The cabinets, which have oak interiors, were custom made and installed by local cabinetmakers. “We wanted the style of the kitchen to be quite neutral so it doesn’t date, and a classic Shaker style always delivers on that front,” she says.
Pitchers has combined paint and wood so it has a furniture feel rather than looking too solid. She’s also subtly varied the greens, with a darker island, medium perimeter units and paler walls. “We went for a mixture of greens so it reflects the variations in nature and helps merge the room with the outdoors,” she says.
The tall cabinet on the left contains a coffee station. “We fitted a pocket door so it didn’t become awkward to walk around and the cabinet can be left open,” she says.
Pitchers has made use of every space, so even the small cabinets above the cooktop contain storage as well as the exhaust fan. Note the beautiful attention to detail, with the grain on the doors flowing to look like one piece of wood. The kitchen side of the island has a dishwasher and pull-out trash bins. The countertop is quartz, and Pitchers specified a boiling-water faucet.
The door to the right of the oven stack leads to stairs that go down to a movie room in the basement. The door to the left leads to a pantry (more on that shortly).
Custom cabinetry: Alexander Lewis; island paint: Olive Colour, Little Greene; perimeter cabinet paint: Sage Green, Little Greene; wall paint (behind cabinets): Normandy Grey, Little Greene
Pitchers has combined paint and wood so it has a furniture feel rather than looking too solid. She’s also subtly varied the greens, with a darker island, medium perimeter units and paler walls. “We went for a mixture of greens so it reflects the variations in nature and helps merge the room with the outdoors,” she says.
The tall cabinet on the left contains a coffee station. “We fitted a pocket door so it didn’t become awkward to walk around and the cabinet can be left open,” she says.
Pitchers has made use of every space, so even the small cabinets above the cooktop contain storage as well as the exhaust fan. Note the beautiful attention to detail, with the grain on the doors flowing to look like one piece of wood. The kitchen side of the island has a dishwasher and pull-out trash bins. The countertop is quartz, and Pitchers specified a boiling-water faucet.
The door to the right of the oven stack leads to stairs that go down to a movie room in the basement. The door to the left leads to a pantry (more on that shortly).
Custom cabinetry: Alexander Lewis; island paint: Olive Colour, Little Greene; perimeter cabinet paint: Sage Green, Little Greene; wall paint (behind cabinets): Normandy Grey, Little Greene
Pitchers has subtly blended contemporary and traditional styles, adding a groove detail around the cabinet door and drawer fronts to offset the modern lighting. “Because the actual framing is very simple, we wanted to give it a little bit more depth by putting the groove in,” she says. Similarly, the pillars on the island are slightly chamfered to soften it a little and add interest.
“Because we’d chosen quite modern lighting, I felt we could afford to include a few of those period details,” Pitchers says. “If we’d had traditional lighting, I would have gone the opposite way with the kitchen.”
The backsplash is a natural slate with rust elements in it. “We sealed it as you would a slate floor as it has to be functional,” she says.
Slate backsplash tile: Mandarin Stone
“Because we’d chosen quite modern lighting, I felt we could afford to include a few of those period details,” Pitchers says. “If we’d had traditional lighting, I would have gone the opposite way with the kitchen.”
The backsplash is a natural slate with rust elements in it. “We sealed it as you would a slate floor as it has to be functional,” she says.
Slate backsplash tile: Mandarin Stone
As the owner likes everything to be very neat, Pitchers has included materials with natural imperfections, such as the parquet flooring with color variations and the mottled slate backsplash.
“The skill of a good designer is knowing how to help the client feel good in their home,” she says. “The owner has lots of guests over, so I was conscious that if the finishes were [too pristine], it might make him anxious. For instance, if people wear heels, a wooden floor will get scuffed. So to counterbalance that, we used parquet that already has imperfections running through it as part of the patina, so he could relax and not feel it had to be perfect.”
“The skill of a good designer is knowing how to help the client feel good in their home,” she says. “The owner has lots of guests over, so I was conscious that if the finishes were [too pristine], it might make him anxious. For instance, if people wear heels, a wooden floor will get scuffed. So to counterbalance that, we used parquet that already has imperfections running through it as part of the patina, so he could relax and not feel it had to be perfect.”
Behind the coffee station cabinet is a roomy pantry that provides additional storage, an extra trash can, more prep surfaces, space for small appliances and a large refrigerator (just glimpsed on the far left). It meant the kitchen could be pared back. “The main kitchen didn’t need to be as chock full of gadgets and that sort of thing. It could be quite a clean look,” Pitchers says.
She’s chosen olive green for the cabinets in here. “Because it’s a north-facing room, I embraced that and went for a rich palette,” she says.
As the window faces the front of the house, glass shelves add a little privacy as well as looking decorative with trailing plants. “The glass means the light isn’t blocked and they’re a nice display space,” Pitchers says. “They make what could have been a purely functional room into something that has a bit of personality.” Similarly, the Lampe de Marseille by Le Corbusier elevates the room.
Since the walls had been freshly plastered, Pitchers added some tongue-and-groove paneling. “It’s important to me to add texture into a newly refurbished space, because otherwise it’s just a bit too perfect,” she says.
Cabinet paint: Olive Colour, Little Greene
She’s chosen olive green for the cabinets in here. “Because it’s a north-facing room, I embraced that and went for a rich palette,” she says.
As the window faces the front of the house, glass shelves add a little privacy as well as looking decorative with trailing plants. “The glass means the light isn’t blocked and they’re a nice display space,” Pitchers says. “They make what could have been a purely functional room into something that has a bit of personality.” Similarly, the Lampe de Marseille by Le Corbusier elevates the room.
Since the walls had been freshly plastered, Pitchers added some tongue-and-groove paneling. “It’s important to me to add texture into a newly refurbished space, because otherwise it’s just a bit too perfect,” she says.
Cabinet paint: Olive Colour, Little Greene
The lights in the dining area are also “imperfect” in that they’re all different, but they work together as they’re all in the same family.
The dining table seats a crowd if necessary. There are only six chairs here, but the furniture-maker who crafted the table also made a bench, which usually lives in the hallway but can be brought in when necessary. “It means you don’t have loads of chairs around the table when the owner is dining alone,” Pitchers says.
Custom dining table: Barnby Design; wall paint: Muskoka Trail, Benjamin Moore
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The dining table seats a crowd if necessary. There are only six chairs here, but the furniture-maker who crafted the table also made a bench, which usually lives in the hallway but can be brought in when necessary. “It means you don’t have loads of chairs around the table when the owner is dining alone,” Pitchers says.
Custom dining table: Barnby Design; wall paint: Muskoka Trail, Benjamin Moore
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The furnishings span several eras, and design classics mingle with store-bought pieces. “As with a home you’ve developed over years, it’s about a mix of pieces chosen for how well they work together and how much you love them, rather than them coming from one place,” Pitchers says.
“We wanted it to feel like a curation of the owner’s taste rather than just a designed home,” she says. “We brought him along with every decision — it’s been a collaboration. That means he’s empowered to add to his home as he sees things he likes, because he’s understood the whole process.”
“We wanted it to feel like a curation of the owner’s taste rather than just a designed home,” she says. “We brought him along with every decision — it’s been a collaboration. That means he’s empowered to add to his home as he sees things he likes, because he’s understood the whole process.”
The artwork is a wallpaper designed in 1928. It helps fill the big space and improves acoustics. “A big room like this needs something to soften echoes from the hard materials,” Pitchers says. “We’ve tried to replicate the curves and straight lines in the whole design. There’s a slight masculinity to it, but without it being bachelor-pad-esque, which the owner didn’t want.”
The heating is via an air source heat pump, which keeps an ambient temperature throughout.
Wallpaper: Abstract 1928, Zoffany; floor lamp: Gräshoppa, Gubi; chair and buffet: Vinterior
The heating is via an air source heat pump, which keeps an ambient temperature throughout.
Wallpaper: Abstract 1928, Zoffany; floor lamp: Gräshoppa, Gubi; chair and buffet: Vinterior
The seating area is more cozy and is zoned with a made-to-fit area rug. “It was important that it fit exactly and was in a pattern that worked with the palette and was neither too masculine nor too feminine,” Pitchers says. “It also nods to the 1930s.”
The colors here are part of the palette, but just slightly brighter. “Because it’s a north-facing area, it’s naturally a little darker, so I could intensify those colors,” Pitchers says.
“The owner wanted a TV in there because sometimes there’s a sports event on and there might be someone cooking while a crowd of people are watching,” she continues. “Again, it’s thinking about how the client is actually going to be living in the space.”
Area rug: Custom wool flatweave, A Rum Fellow
The colors here are part of the palette, but just slightly brighter. “Because it’s a north-facing area, it’s naturally a little darker, so I could intensify those colors,” Pitchers says.
“The owner wanted a TV in there because sometimes there’s a sports event on and there might be someone cooking while a crowd of people are watching,” she continues. “Again, it’s thinking about how the client is actually going to be living in the space.”
Area rug: Custom wool flatweave, A Rum Fellow
Pitchers has created a cozy feel with a mix of old and new pieces and layered textures, but also half-height paneling. “That was to add texture, but it’s the same color as the walls so it doesn’t feel too standout,” she says.
Though new, this metal casement window is in the style of the originals.
Wall paint: Normandy Grey, Little Greene
Though new, this metal casement window is in the style of the originals.
Wall paint: Normandy Grey, Little Greene
The laundry-mudroom is at the opposite end of the hallway from the kitchen.
The walls are painted in a rich yellowy buff color originally developed in the 1930s. “With an occasional space like this, you can play with color a bit,” Pitchers says. “It’s invigorated what could have been a boring space.”
Residents can enter the house straight from the yard here, so Pitchers has chosen robust slate tile flooring. “As long as it’s sealed, slate is incredibly hardwearing and easy to clean,” she says. The buff walls pull out the ocher shades in the stone.
The upper cabinets are glazed to keep an airy feel. “It’s fluted glass, so the contents don’t look messy, but it just gives a bit of depth and texture rather than solid color,” she says.
Slate floor tile: Mandarin Stone; upper cabinet paint: Rolling Fog, Little Greene; full-height and base cabinet paint: Rolling Fog Dark, Little Greene; wall paint: Middle Buff, Little Greene
The walls are painted in a rich yellowy buff color originally developed in the 1930s. “With an occasional space like this, you can play with color a bit,” Pitchers says. “It’s invigorated what could have been a boring space.”
Residents can enter the house straight from the yard here, so Pitchers has chosen robust slate tile flooring. “As long as it’s sealed, slate is incredibly hardwearing and easy to clean,” she says. The buff walls pull out the ocher shades in the stone.
The upper cabinets are glazed to keep an airy feel. “It’s fluted glass, so the contents don’t look messy, but it just gives a bit of depth and texture rather than solid color,” she says.
Slate floor tile: Mandarin Stone; upper cabinet paint: Rolling Fog, Little Greene; full-height and base cabinet paint: Rolling Fog Dark, Little Greene; wall paint: Middle Buff, Little Greene
Across from the washing machine is a drying cupboard containing wooden racks and an electric heater so the owner can dry clothes out of sight. The stick on the wall is to measure the height of his children and now grandchild.
The owner loves his remodeled home. “He was open to everything but also very involved,” Pitchers says. “So now he has a home that, he says, has changed his life. He loves coming home to it and often works here. It’s a space he can see developing — as he gets older, it will grow with him. It brings him pleasure because it’s his space — it feels like him.”
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The owner loves his remodeled home. “He was open to everything but also very involved,” Pitchers says. “So now he has a home that, he says, has changed his life. He loves coming home to it and often works here. It’s a space he can see developing — as he gets older, it will grow with him. It brings him pleasure because it’s his space — it feels like him.”
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A man with two teenagers who spend half their time here and two grown-up children and a grandchild who visit often
Location: Warwickshire, England
Size: Kitchen, dining and seating area: 807 square feet (75 square meters); pantry: 53 square feet (4.95 square meters); laundry/mudroom: 135 square feet (12.5 square meters)
Interior designer: Serena Pitchers of Your Interiors Friend
The house had to be renovated completely as the previous owners had lived here for 60 years and much of it was beyond repair. By the time Pitchers was brought in, this space had been taken back to bare brick.
The occupants of the house come and go, and the owner didn’t know how to design a space that worked for all scenarios. Luckily, Pitchers did. She zoned this large room to create more intimacy, with cooking, dining and relaxing areas that are linked but have their own identity. “We did that by choosing a very similar palette throughout so the spaces flow, then ramping up one element of that palette in each area to define it,” she says.
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