With raw plaster walls, skirted lampshades and lattice-fronted cabinets with crenellated details, there’s a certain theatricality to Alice Palmer’s kitchen in a 1930s house in north-west London.
The room is part of a large extension added to the house after she bought it in 2017 and in creating it she took inspiration from the work of the architect and set designer Oliver Messel — whose style she came to know when spending time in the Caribbean as a child. His trademark shade of pale green, which became known as Messel Green, is a particular favourite. ‘I painted the cupboards in a warm neutral called Clunch by Farrow & Ball. The fronts are made from a material intended for radiator covers, as anything custom would have been much more expensive, and I added Yeabridge Green, also by Farrow & Ball, behind to show through subtly,’ she explains.
The work surfaces are in a green onyx that came from a local marble supplier and the green zellige tiles were sourced from Habibi Interiors, which specialises in Moroccan designs. These link to the detail that runs along the top of the cupboards. ‘They were inspired by a trip to Morocco,’ says Alice. ‘This room is so light, I like the idea of feeling that I’m not in London.’
Above the island hangs a trio of lampshades that forms part of her collection, which she designed when pregnant with her third child. Her range has expanded to include fabrics, such as the red-and-white stripe used as a cabinet curtain in the glazed pantry. ‘As a rule, I like to use fabrics of similar colours, in different patterns to break up the look, but not be too out there,’ she adds. The floors are laid with limestone tiles from Mandarin Stone.
This feature originally appeared in the January 14, 2026 issue of Country Life. Click here for more information on how to subscribe.
