Kitchen of the Week: English Cottage Style in a Rural Farmhouse

“The wife really knew exactly how she wanted the kitchen to be laid out, but she was also open to new storage ideas and unique finishes,” Wunder says. “She was not afraid to do something interesting and different.”

An 11-by-3½-foot island serves as the center of the kitchen and its English-kitchen-inspired green paint, marble countertop with an ogee edge and oversize glass pendant lights make it stand out. The seeded glass and knurled brass on the lights add texture and dimension, while their transparency keeps them from overwhelming the space. “I’d always rather have lights be oversized than anything that looks the slightest bit undersized,” Wunder says.

Beyond the island, a range alcove serves as the focal point. The range hood has a subtle curve to it and is flanked by countertop cabinets that provide storage for everyday dishes and glassware.

The homeowners wanted a scullery, or back kitchen, to hold additional prep space, the fridge, a second sink and dishwasher for hiding pots and pans when entertaining, small appliances, a second oven and storage for pantry items, wine, glassware, serving pieces and more. “The main kitchen laid out really nicely because we knew how much the back kitchen would be supporting it,” Wunder says. “It allowed the kitchen to become more of an entertaining kitchen.”

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A soft organic color palette complements the pastoral views and brings the English cottage kitchen vibe. The perimeter cabinets and trim are a light mushroom hue, while the walls are a soft cream. As for texture, tiles with a handmade zellige look cover the window wall and the range backsplash. “Composing this tile in a stacked pattern keeps it a little more modern,” Wunder says. A light plaster finish on the range hood adds subtle and soft texture.

Dark contrast comes in through rustic hammered iron sconces on the window wall and soapstone perimeter countertops. As a researcher, the wife had worked in laboratories with soapstone countertops for years, so she knew what she was in for with this living finish. It will patina, it’s softer than other natural stones — which means it’s susceptible to chipping — and it requires some maintenance. She embraced these issues when she made the selection. The soapstone countertops have an eased-edge profile.

Paint colors: Garden Gate (island), Shoji White (walls) and Taupe Tone (trim and perimeter cabinets), Sherwin-Williams

The range was an important element to the wife, and this one is a black induction model by Ilve. “A stainless steel range would not have gone with the style of this kitchen,” Wunder says. “The black blends seamlessly with the house, and brass knobs and hardware help it blend in with the cabinetry.”

The wife wanted to make her pots and pans as easy to access as possible. She asked Wunder if it was acceptable to have open storage. “I told her of course we could,” the designer says, “especially if we could tuck them into the center where they wouldn’t be seen from most angles.”

Flanking the range is more handy storage for cooking. The pullout on the left is for tall containers of cooking oils, vinegars and herbs. On the opposite side, the pullout is outfitted with canisters for utensils. The pullouts keep the countertop clear of these items.

Here’s a peek at the back kitchen from the main kitchen. The cabinet color matches the island color.

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The back kitchen measures 190 square feet, and the fridge, sink and dishwasher are on the left. Expansive soapstone countertops provide additional prep space and room to mix drinks and serve wine. The glass cabinets offer space for barware and there are 20 cubbies sized for wine bottles.

In both kitchens, Wunder suggested mixing beaded Shaker-style cabinet profiles for the doors and slab fronts for the drawers. “This gave us the opportunity to use a big mix of hardware, including cup pulls, knobs, double pulls, long pulls and latch pulls,” she says. “Mixing the hardware like this added something creative and different to the kitchen.”

Custom cabinets: Charles Henry Fine Woodworking

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To tie all the spaces within the open plan together, Wunder repeated certain elements, such as the black iron light fixtures that pick up on the black drapery rods. The dining table and Cesca chairs were the homeowners’ and Wunder used rugs, striped host and hostess chairs and drapes to tie the room together.