This is a real family kitchen with a very authentic fee. My own take would be to go one of two ways. Either go with the warm in the kitchen that you so obviously feel drawn to.... in which case the gingham in the warm tone would suit well. If you felt you wanted to tie in and bring together the more designed look, then go with the closest you can get to the Aga, these are samples but you can probably get a better match. Gingham is a class country furnishing choice, your home says family, warmth, winter suppers near the bum warmer...gingham won't fight that in winter, and will brighten the feel in summer. Do let me know how you decide and good luck. x

We just painted our house interior using Taubmans China Doll, a very neutral colour that complements various shades and timbers, and the light throws different tones within the paint.

Hey Victoria, I have a suggestion for the kitchen layout, that steals a little bit of space from the Office, which still leaves ample space for two desks, as it is a really big room. I understand you have restrictions on the beams, so working around those for the location of the wall, as I don't know where they are. I had a similar idea as katlucy for built in seating would really help with space saving here and I have added some inspiration pictures to give you some ideas. I think it would be great to have additional storage here, so you could have pull out drawers or cupboards even. If you wanted to be a bit more daring you really could turn the whole space on it's head and add a little utility room or toilet at end of the kitchen. It would be small, but it could work, you could have the door coming out into the hallway. I would be happy to post this layout suggestion as well, if you might like it? I think the work would be a lot. Thank you - Jessica

Tricky. Does the kitchen work for you size wise? If you are planning to replace the kitchen then it would be interesting to see a few alternative layouts allowing for the doors for garden access. It might be possible to reduce the whole pillar wall arrangement to a support column with the right design. I think the builder might be correct though in that the gain would not justify the cost. Would it be possible to use the whole kitchen as a kitchen and keep the conservatory for a dining space? This way an island with seating and much bigger kitchen might be possible.