Kitchen Tour: A Contemporary Update for a Country Cottage
This modern kitchen with its calming palette strikes the balance between old house and new cookspace
A kitchen that advertises all its bells and whistles could look incongruous in an old, Cotswolds stone cottage, but this contemporary design is understated, with a muted palette and all the tech tucked out of sight.
“An important factor for the owners was that such a modern kitchen didn’t look out of place in their old house,” designer Jon Howes of Contour says. Here’s how he met the challenge.
“An important factor for the owners was that such a modern kitchen didn’t look out of place in their old house,” designer Jon Howes of Contour says. Here’s how he met the challenge.
Jon and his team were asked to replace the old kitchen, but not to drastically change the layout, as you can see in this ‘before’ photo. “It was very much just that the original kitchen was tired and the island was smaller,” he says.
Style-wise, the couple were after a homely space that was seamless at the same time, where they could close things away out of sight.
“You can see that it’s next to the lounge,” Jon says, “so the owners wanted a space that was easy to look at and didn’t feel too kitchen-y. The finishes were always going to be important for that.”
These include a high-quality, oak-effect laminate on the wall unit doors and island leg, carbon grey base cabinet doors, and white and near-white work and wall surfaces.
Find kitchen designers and fitters in your area in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
“You can see that it’s next to the lounge,” Jon says, “so the owners wanted a space that was easy to look at and didn’t feel too kitchen-y. The finishes were always going to be important for that.”
These include a high-quality, oak-effect laminate on the wall unit doors and island leg, carbon grey base cabinet doors, and white and near-white work and wall surfaces.
Find kitchen designers and fitters in your area in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
“The couple wanted a TV in here, so we had to try to incorporate it,” Jon says. “It can be difficult to make a television feel ‘right’, as there’s no obvious place for it in a kitchen.”
He cleverly designed discreet shelves to ‘frame’ the TV and hid cables in concealed cupboards to one side. Previously, the corner had been a jumble of sockets, cables and the Wi-Fi router, all now neatly tucked out of sight. There are concealed cupboards behind the yellow flowers at worktop level, as well as one that opens onto the TV unit for items seldom used.
The base units house a dishwasher, integrated bins, pull-out drawers and, under the toaster, a Le Mans corner unit.
Bondi kitchen base units in Carbon Grey; wall units in Karst Oak laminate, all Leicht.
He cleverly designed discreet shelves to ‘frame’ the TV and hid cables in concealed cupboards to one side. Previously, the corner had been a jumble of sockets, cables and the Wi-Fi router, all now neatly tucked out of sight. There are concealed cupboards behind the yellow flowers at worktop level, as well as one that opens onto the TV unit for items seldom used.
The base units house a dishwasher, integrated bins, pull-out drawers and, under the toaster, a Le Mans corner unit.
Bondi kitchen base units in Carbon Grey; wall units in Karst Oak laminate, all Leicht.
The untidy ‘TV corner’ before Jon and his team hid all the tech inside cabinetry.
The clients chose an articulated tap, which angles right into the sink as well as folding up against itself to be out of the way when necessary.
The roll-up metal mat is a nifty addition that can be used as a portable drainer then rolled up out of the way. Being heatproof, it also doubles up as a trivet.
Karbon mixer tap, Kohler at Sterling Sinks & Taps.
The roll-up metal mat is a nifty addition that can be used as a portable drainer then rolled up out of the way. Being heatproof, it also doubles up as a trivet.
Karbon mixer tap, Kohler at Sterling Sinks & Taps.
This pretty cottage window is an important architectural feature of the building, so altering it was not an option. Instead, Jon devised this low unit, chiefly an ornamental space, but one that could also double as a window seat or a tea- and toast-making station in the future. As well as the shelving, it also features push-to-open drawers.
The low unit surface material is Leicht’s Karst Oak laminate. “The wood effect is all part of making it feel homely and connected to the living space,” Jon says.
Why laminate? The same finish needed to be used in quite a few areas and do quite a lot of jobs. “Laminate takes knocks that bit better,” Jon says. “It’s also good from a cost point of view and the Karst Oak is quite compelling – it looks authentic and blends well with the doors and the engineered wood floor, which was already there.”
Why laminate? The same finish needed to be used in quite a few areas and do quite a lot of jobs. “Laminate takes knocks that bit better,” Jon says. “It’s also good from a cost point of view and the Karst Oak is quite compelling – it looks authentic and blends well with the doors and the engineered wood floor, which was already there.”
The unit under the window in the old kitchen featured open storage, which looked cluttered.
This shot shows off most of the finishes used in the kitchen, and reveals how well they complement one another to create a calm cooking and working space.
The chimney breast is Dekton Orix (man-made quartz). “It was important to the couple to make a feature of the fireplace, so it had to be something full of impact,” Jon says.
The 800mm hob was specified to fit within the chimney cavity. “It was a tight fit,” Jon says. “The area around the hob is white glass, which takes heat very well, as does the Dekton.”
TwistPad® Fire induction hob, Neff.
The chimney breast is Dekton Orix (man-made quartz). “It was important to the couple to make a feature of the fireplace, so it had to be something full of impact,” Jon says.
The 800mm hob was specified to fit within the chimney cavity. “It was a tight fit,” Jon says. “The area around the hob is white glass, which takes heat very well, as does the Dekton.”
TwistPad® Fire induction hob, Neff.
The chimney and cooker area in the old kitchen.
This close-up of the newly finished chimney shows the Dekton. “It’s very matt and has a suede finish; it’s quite stone-like,” Jon says.
Originally, the old island had been topped with a large piece of red granite. The owners considered keeping and reusing this, but as the project progressed, they realised it wouldn’t be big enough. “The colour was also quite strong,” Jon says.
The island worksurface – along with the others in the kitchen – is now 12mm Silestone. “On the island, there’s a polished finish called Pearl Jasmine that has a little fleck in it. It’s a nice material to lean on,” Jon says.
Elsewhere, the worktops are N-Boost Iconic White Silestone. “We’re finding this 12mm worktop is very much in vogue,” Jon says of the slimline surfaces. “Probably more so right now than the 20mm traditional thickness.”
Silestone worktop, Cosentino.
Elsewhere, the worktops are N-Boost Iconic White Silestone. “We’re finding this 12mm worktop is very much in vogue,” Jon says of the slimline surfaces. “Probably more so right now than the 20mm traditional thickness.”
Silestone worktop, Cosentino.
For a clean look, the wall space around the units is clad in white laminate, with deliberate shadow lines above the openings to the oak-effect doors. “We liked that as a concept and created the effect using 2mm black plastic,” Jon says.
An oven, combination microwave and warming drawer are stacked to the right.
Slide and Hide built-in oven; built-in oven with microwave, both Neff.
An oven, combination microwave and warming drawer are stacked to the right.
Slide and Hide built-in oven; built-in oven with microwave, both Neff.
This is the kitchen’s secondary sink (next to the hob), for washing vegetables or making drinks. It’s mounted over a 300mm cabinet and it neatly houses the workings of the boiling-water tap, which also does hot and cold filtered water.
The splashback is the same oak-effect laminate of the wall units.
Boiling-water tap, Kohler at Sterling Sinks & Taps.
The splashback is the same oak-effect laminate of the wall units.
Boiling-water tap, Kohler at Sterling Sinks & Taps.
The wine fridge is fitted into the island.
Undercounter wine cooler, Caple.
Undercounter wine cooler, Caple.
There’s more wine storage built into the end of the hob run, pointing towards the living room.
The clients already had these bar stools, which they find extremely comfortable. They were one element they didn’t want to change.
The clients already had these bar stools, which they find extremely comfortable. They were one element they didn’t want to change.
The couple’s dog was happy with the finished job, too.
Tell us…
What do you like about this slick but understated kitchen? Let us know in the Comments section.
Tell us…
What do you like about this slick but understated kitchen? Let us know in the Comments section.
Who lives here? A professional couple with adult children who’ve left home
Location Gloucestershire
Property Detatched Cotswolds stone cottage with four bedrooms
Room dimensions 4.2 x 5.5m (around 24 sq m)
Designer Jon Howes of Contour
Photos by Lisa Lodwig Photography
Perhaps the most striking feature of this kitchen is the impressive island. There’s a reason for that, since it was at the top of the list of improvements the owners had in their brief.
“The couple like to work at the island in the evenings,” Jon explains. “They were keen to turn the existing – smaller – island into a larger table, so they could also use it as a sociable area.”
The island contains a set of drawers, a wine cooler, a cupboard and a freezer (there’s a tall fridge next to the oven). The unit also features one of two radiators in the room, painted the same colour as the dark units. You can just see the slats behind the island leg; the other is next to the fridge.
The unusual leg is made from timber clad in oak laminate. “We have something a bit like it in our studio,” Jon says.