Like most families, our kitchen is the most used room in our house.
The Colleoni wallpaper is an Italianate trellis design which echoes the view from the kitchen onto the patio garden. The room is an odd shape because we merged 3 of the original rooms (the kitchen, scullery and larder) together. We kept the walk-in larder as a small pantry in the corner. The kitchen was made by Siematic who were very helpful in creating units and doors to size to fit the pantry and the odd corners. The tall units are doubled-up in order to reach as close as possible to the ceiling height of 3 meters. Even then, a small drop was put in (and the a copy of the original cornicing installed) in order to meet the units. This wall now looks very sleek and minimal and I also don’t have to deal with dusting the top of the tall units. I also dropped the height of the breakfast bar in order for the children to sit comfortably in normal chairs. Also in consideration of the children’s safety, I had separate taps installed for boiling water and for drinking water.
Kitchen details: SieMatic S3 handle-less units in white silk matte and grey stained oak, Miele appliances, Quooker hot water tap, Blanco undermounted sinks, white quartz worktop, Mercury range cooker, Osborne and Little Colleoni wallpaper, paints used are Farrow and Ball Cornforth White and Charleston Gray, pendant lights are Flos K-Tribe S3 by Philippe Stark, ceramic floor tiles are Quadra Cenera from Porcelain Tiles; Vitra DSR chairs by Ray and Charles Eames.
Having a separate dining room is definitely a luxury. The table is actually used for homework and craft activities more than the fabulous dinner parties I assumed I would have when I grew up. It’s also the piano/violin practice room (close enough to hear that practice is actually being done but not so close as to grate on the ears).
The two rooms are separated by a glass pocket door which muffles noise as well!
Dining room details: walls are in Farrow and Ball Shaded White, Cole and Son Ex Libris wallpaper, Artemide Mesmeri wall lights, French Empire mahogany dining table, original metal fireplace, fireplace tiles are Fired Earth National Trust range
What would I change? I think the kitchen ceiling should be painted the same colour as the walls. In the dining room, I love the Ex Libris wallpaper so much I’d like to paper the whole room. I’d like to change the fabric on the dining chairs to make it more funky, or even change the chairs completely for mid-century modern ones. That’s a harder sell for Mr. N – the chairs are an expensive mistake from my early forays into interiors.