How to transform a Victorian kitchen with bold colour and Georgian-style joinery
Georgian-style joinery and dark colours lend a cosseting feel to this farmhouse kitchen.


This kitchen was created as part of the refurbishment of a Victorian farmhouse in the Shropshire countryside that had previously lain empty for a decade. ‘The owners wanted a room with an authentic feel, as if it’s always been part of the house, with a sense of warmth and homeliness suitable for a young family,’ says Tracey Hyde of Plain English.
‘I wanted to allow the beauty of the reclaimed herringbone floor to shine’
Rather than a classic island, the designer placed a work table as the central feature of the room:
‘I wanted to allow the beauty of the reclaimed herringbone floor to shine.’ Painted in Drab Colour SC231 by Papers and Paints and topped in untreated oak, reminiscent of a scrubbed farmhouse table, it provides the main preparation area of the kitchen.
‘Unlike a traditional overmantel, with sides that drop to the work surface, this has a floating appearance, designed to introduce a more modern feel’
Classic cupboards and drawers flank an Aga, with an extractor concealed in a chimneybreast. ‘The canopy makes a focal point,’ explains Tracey. ‘Unlike a traditional overmantel, with sides that drop to the work surface, this has a floating appearance, designed to introduce a more modern feel.’
'It pays to be brave with colour, because it always creates such impact'
Perhaps most important to the success of the scheme is that every-thing – including the cupboards, doors, window frames and walls – is painted in Army Camp, a deep olive-green from the Plain English paint collection. ‘It pays to be brave with colour, because it always creates such impact. Here, not only does the all-over colour produce a sense of calm, it also ensures that the eclectic mix of materials – such as the brass lights, copper pans and Arabescatto marble worktops – contrasts beautifully with the backdrop.’
Credit: Melanie Johnson
Homemade ricotta, pea and smoked-salmon duck-egg ravioli
Our kitchen garden cook elevates the humble pea.
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Restoring a Georgian kitchen
William Palin finds that restoring his Georgian kitchen is not as easy as one might expect, and in fact the
Amelia Thorpe is a design and interiors journalist and regular contributor to Country Life. She spent the first half of her career book publishing, before jumping the fence to become a writer — a role that she adores. Amelia lives in London with her husband and two roguish dogs.
-
Embrace off-grid living on this Scottish island for sale, but you'll have to share it with the local seal population
A dot on the map of the west coast of Scotland has come up for sale.
-
Are you a 'frag head'? Country Life Quiz of the Day, June 30, 2025
Well, ARE you? And how well do you know Leonardo DiCaprio's 2002 work? It's time to find out.
-
Curious Questions: Where did the viral Instagram Shaker kitchen come from — and how is it linked to Quakerism?
The traditional and incredibly versatile Shaker kitchen is looked up to the world over, but where did it actually come from?
-
How to create a serene, yet hard-working kitchen
Plain English worked with antique dealer Robert Young to make this traditional kitchen with an effortlessly relaxing colour scheme that marries perfectly with the views over beautiful gardens.
-
Why kitchens are going green — literally
Green is the perfect colour for a kitchen, says Amelia Thorpe.
-
A modern kitchen perfectly framed by the exquisite ancient beams
Artichoke designed a discreet and timeless kitchen to complement a converted granary. Amelia Thorpe takes a look.
-
Yes, you can put a new kitchen in a Grade I-listed house — and this beautiful example shows how
Traditional cabinetry was a key ingredient in the sympathetic restoration of a Grade I-listed Tudor house in Shropshire.
-
A London townhouse kitchen transformed to be sociable, practical and charming
The new owners of this London townhouse have reconfigured it to create a sociable space for cooking and entertaining.
-
A beautiful new kitchen sympathetically created for a 16th century manor house
Limewash walls, a large island and plenty of open shelving combine to create a kitchen that’s sympathetic to this 16th-century manor house in Somerset.
-
10 things I wish I'd known about doing up old houses before I started, by Country Life's interiors guru Giles Kime
Country Life’s executive editor and resident interiors expert Giles Kime shares the lessons he’s learnt from the experience of dragging a succession of houses into the 21st-century.