Pale Green and Oak Kitchen With a Hidden Pantry
A designer elegantly adds ample storage into this English kitchen, walk-in pantry and mudroom
With a growing family and a desire for entertaining space, the owners of this home in the English countryside decided the time was right to add on to their home. The original kitchen had a poor connection to the backyard and a cramped mudroom blocked light. The new addition created space for an eat-in kitchen with a walk-in pantry and a large mudroom.
Kitchen designer Tim Higham of Higham Furniture was tasked with incorporating plenty of storage while keeping the look airy and open. His thoughtful use of pale materials and tailored cabinetry has given the family a kitchen that feels both functional and calm.
Kitchen designer Tim Higham of Higham Furniture was tasked with incorporating plenty of storage while keeping the look airy and open. His thoughtful use of pale materials and tailored cabinetry has given the family a kitchen that feels both functional and calm.
The range is flanked by traditional-style casement windows with roomy drawers and cabinets underneath, keeping this area bright and open. To the left, a large floor-to-ceiling unit provides abundant food storage.
“We’ve gone higher than normal, so the cabinets are about 2.6 meters [8½ feet] high. Although there wasn’t much room for wall cabinets elsewhere, we wanted to have scale where we have the tall unit, to make it look impressive,” Higham says.
The double doors in the center hide a breakfast bar. To its left is a freezer and to the right a refrigerator. Small cabinets along the top house infrequently used items.
“We’ve gone higher than normal, so the cabinets are about 2.6 meters [8½ feet] high. Although there wasn’t much room for wall cabinets elsewhere, we wanted to have scale where we have the tall unit, to make it look impressive,” Higham says.
The double doors in the center hide a breakfast bar. To its left is a freezer and to the right a refrigerator. Small cabinets along the top house infrequently used items.
The breakfast bar has pocket doors that slide out of the way so it can stay open when in use. The countertop is marble, and there are electrical sockets on either side for a toaster and coffee machine. Vertical LED strips on each side ensure good visibility. Roomy drawers underneath, which hold supplies such as teas and coffees, are flanked by bottle racks.
The cabinets are painted a soft sage green that sits lightly in the space and connects them with the garden. The dark-stained engineered wood flooring, which has in-floor radiant heating, creates a strong base for the pale design.
A simple oak shelf above the sink keeps the area open and offers display space. The cabinet to the left of the sink contains a corner shelving system to make use of a potentially dead area, and the cabinet to the right is a dishwasher. The doorway leads into the mudroom.
The couple were set on having Carrara marble countertops. They knew the pitfalls of the porous stone but wanted a natural product. “Marble has a depth you just don’t get with quartz,” Higham says. The countertop company coated it with a dry protection, “so, provided it isn’t abused, it should last well,” he says.
“We chose a honed matte finish rather than polished. We find that with a polished finish, sometimes the polish starts rubbing off. A matte finish tends to last better,” Higham says. “As long as the owners aren’t chopping highly acidic or alkaline things on it and they clear up spills, it should work really well.”
Cabinet paint: Color-matched to Vert de Terre, Farrow & Ball; handles and knobs: Kilburn antique brass, Corston; sink: Farmhouse 800 Belfast, Villeroy & Boch; instant hot water faucet: 3-in-1 Fusion in patinated brass, Quooker; pull-out spray, Bidbury & Co.
A simple oak shelf above the sink keeps the area open and offers display space. The cabinet to the left of the sink contains a corner shelving system to make use of a potentially dead area, and the cabinet to the right is a dishwasher. The doorway leads into the mudroom.
The couple were set on having Carrara marble countertops. They knew the pitfalls of the porous stone but wanted a natural product. “Marble has a depth you just don’t get with quartz,” Higham says. The countertop company coated it with a dry protection, “so, provided it isn’t abused, it should last well,” he says.
“We chose a honed matte finish rather than polished. We find that with a polished finish, sometimes the polish starts rubbing off. A matte finish tends to last better,” Higham says. “As long as the owners aren’t chopping highly acidic or alkaline things on it and they clear up spills, it should work really well.”
Cabinet paint: Color-matched to Vert de Terre, Farrow & Ball; handles and knobs: Kilburn antique brass, Corston; sink: Farmhouse 800 Belfast, Villeroy & Boch; instant hot water faucet: 3-in-1 Fusion in patinated brass, Quooker; pull-out spray, Bidbury & Co.
The kitchen was previously disconnected from the living room, but a wide doorway (seen on the left) now links the spaces. It also lacked a connection to the yard, but floor-to-ceiling steel windows now surround the dining area and provide lovely leafy views.
Lighting has been layered throughout the room, with large pendants above the island and table to define the workspace and dining zone, spots in the ceiling and above the range, wall lights over the perimeter cabinets, and LED strips in the breakfast cupboard and pantry.
The large island is made from oak. “The owners wanted it slightly whiter, so we’ve stained it with a white oil, which removes some of the oranginess of the oak,” Higham says. The kitchen side has a seating area, drawers, slots for cutting boards and a pull-out trash can.
The butcher’s block on the end incorporates open shelving for cookbooks and attractive pieces like the tray and basket here or large ceramic bowls. It was also a way to extend the island surface without having to use a second piece of Carrara marble. “It makes the island longer without requiring a join on the [countertop],” Higham says.
White oil: Rubio Monocoat
Lighting has been layered throughout the room, with large pendants above the island and table to define the workspace and dining zone, spots in the ceiling and above the range, wall lights over the perimeter cabinets, and LED strips in the breakfast cupboard and pantry.
The large island is made from oak. “The owners wanted it slightly whiter, so we’ve stained it with a white oil, which removes some of the oranginess of the oak,” Higham says. The kitchen side has a seating area, drawers, slots for cutting boards and a pull-out trash can.
The butcher’s block on the end incorporates open shelving for cookbooks and attractive pieces like the tray and basket here or large ceramic bowls. It was also a way to extend the island surface without having to use a second piece of Carrara marble. “It makes the island longer without requiring a join on the [countertop],” Higham says.
White oil: Rubio Monocoat
At the request of the owners, the surface of the butcher’s block is oak end grain. “We then edged it with oak planks and fitted metal protectors on the corners,” Higham says. “It’s bulletproof for chopping and preparing stuff.”
See why you should hire a professional who uses Houzz Pro software
See why you should hire a professional who uses Houzz Pro software
The dining side of the island contains pull-out shelves, a wine fridge (behind the open door) and another cabinet.
A walk-in pantry, seen here behind the island, was carved out when the addition was built. The oak doors coordinate with the island and the fluted glass blurs the contents while retaining the sense of depth. The doors can also be closed with the interior lights left on for a glow in the evening.
A walk-in pantry, seen here behind the island, was carved out when the addition was built. The oak doors coordinate with the island and the fluted glass blurs the contents while retaining the sense of depth. The doors can also be closed with the interior lights left on for a glow in the evening.
Inside the pantry, open base cabinets run around three sides, with the middle section containing a wine rack. Carrara marble countertop offers additional storage. A couple of electrical sockets mean the owners can plug in small appliances. Shelves above hold sauces and preserves.
LED strip lights are installed under the lower shelf, and a textured white tile backsplash helps reflect the light.
LED strip lights are installed under the lower shelf, and a textured white tile backsplash helps reflect the light.
Before: The kitchen was fairly small and mostly cut off from the backyard by a tiny laundry room (top right).
After: The architects stole space from the original snug (den) and kitchen for the mudroom, with the powder room moving under the stairs. They used some of the old study to create the pantry. You can see how the kitchen is now linked to the living room via an open doorway.
The mudroom provides a route into the kitchen after muddy dog walks or on wet days. The door (the frame of which is just seen on the far left) can be accessed from the front or back of the house.
Cabinets along two sides are painted a warm beige and topped by Carrara-style quartz for a more robust finish. To the left of the sink, an open area has the potential to hold the dog’s bed. To the right is a secondary dishwasher and a small under-counter refrigerator in the corner.
Cabinet paint: Stone IV, Paint & Paper Library; farmhouse sink, Caple; faucet in antique brass: Perrin & Rowe
Cabinets along two sides are painted a warm beige and topped by Carrara-style quartz for a more robust finish. To the left of the sink, an open area has the potential to hold the dog’s bed. To the right is a secondary dishwasher and a small under-counter refrigerator in the corner.
Cabinet paint: Stone IV, Paint & Paper Library; farmhouse sink, Caple; faucet in antique brass: Perrin & Rowe
On the adjoining wall, two large double-door cupboards contain items such as the ironing board, vacuum cleaner and broom, plus a water softener. The washing machine and dryer are located elsewhere in the house.
A custom bench incorporating shoe storage with hooks above ensures the family’s outerwear is stowed away tidily.
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Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A family with two children and a dog
Location: Surrey, England
Size: Kitchen: 560 square feet (52 square meters); pantry: 25 square feet (2.3 square meters); laundry-mudroom: 172 square feet (16 square meters)
Designers: Tim Higham of Higham Furniture (kitchen design) and Rebecca Hughes Interiors (interior design)
To ensure that the kitchen felt light and open, Higham, who uses Houzz Pro software, concentrated the bulk of the storage in a bank of tall cabinets, a large island and a walk-in pantry.
The couple wanted a traditional-style Everhot 150 range cooker (which looks like an old oil-fired range but is in fact entirely electric) as the centerpiece of the cabinet run, so Higham built a false chimney surround to house it.
“They wanted a slightly simpler design than our normally ornate mantels so we pared it back but curved the corners to make it look less severe and added a little decorative oak shelf above,” he says.”
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