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Idea Home 2004
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The kitchen's friendly, simple feel stems
in part from painted, flush inset door
cabinetry, although high-power work
areas stand ready. A deep window
ledge provides space for plants and
decorative jars. A section of built-in
wood cabinetry mimics an old baking
cupboard. Basket drawers and spice
racksoffer easy storage.
Kitchen, Family Room, and Dining Room
Regardless of an English home's scale, the kitchen is usually one of its largest rooms. Big enough to handle family meals and entertaining, it's also cozy enough for two friends to share a cup of tea. We replicated an older home layout by separating the kitchen and family room. Keeping noise, odors and views of dirty dishes out of the family's main living space is a part of stress-free comfort.
To add tradition and an older-home quality to our kitchen, we created an unfitted look by using two different finishes (Almond Glaze enamel and Maple stain) on our Plain & Fancy Cabinetry. We achieved a furniture look by designing the built-in baking center with the wood finish and adding details such as shelves, glassfront display cabinets, various-sized drawers and a lowered surface to roll out pastry. The island resembles a farm table, yet it holds a microwave oven and warming drawer. A double basin, apron-front, undermount sink adds to the simple country look. A distinctly vintage touch, to-the-ceiling cabinetry in the painted finish offers plenty of storage for infrequently used items. Other storage ideas include a wide pantry, produce basket drawers, tray storage slots and a plate and wine rack. Though they look like granite, our Cambria countertops are twice as strong, helping them withstand the heavy-duty demands of the kitchen. They're a luminous pure natural quartz with a depth of finish. A hearth-style custom arch creates a focal point and melds English country style with state-of-the-art efficiency in the form of a stainless-steel pro-style range from Jenn Air. Six burners and a griddle let this unit easily handle family breakfasts or dinner parties.
While a formal tone reigns in our home's public rooms, the family areas speak to cozy comfort. Overstuffed chairs and a sofa with a slipcovered look provide relaxed seating. Wood furniture is either painted or casually distressed pine. Gentle wall colors are the perfect backdrop for a distinctly English celebration of all things flora and fauna.
English antiques provided the inspiration for a pine entertainment center and a sturdy 50-inch octagonal coffee table, both from Broyhill. The pieces handle electronics storage and daily clutter such as magazines and homework. In the kitchen, banister-back chairs surround a drop-leaf table. Continuous white woodwork eases the transition from kitchen to family room. The textures of our manufactured-stone fireplace, natural baskets and cherry floors add a warm, rustic sense to this room, while 9-foot ceilings, soft color choices and lightly covered windows reinforce the feeling of uncluttered spaciousness.
The dining room serves up tradition, but keeps it light with painted crown moldings and paneled wain-scoting. There's no stuffiness with floor-to-ceiling bay windows dressed in cheerful multi-hued silk drapery panels that play off classic blue-and-white china.
Traditional Chippendale ladder-back chairs and a pedestal table in a cherry stain feel less stodgy when mixed with white-finished versions of a marble-top sideboard and an English Regency server hutch. Collecting is a timeless passion, and the dining room is the place to display finer collected or inherited pieces, like silver tea services, crystal candlesticks, Oriental-inspired pottery and toile trays. Tall glass vases of simple Midwest sunflowers add a contemporary touch. Crystals on sconces and the chandelier, as well as a large Oriental mirror and mirrored back on the server hutch, reflect sun or sparkling candlelight.
