The country kitchen is a long-residing favourite that has endured throughout the years. Whether you live in the heart of the countryside or within a town or bustling city, the country kitchen look has an undeniable allure that transcends time and trends. As a business we have been in the interiors industry since 1995 and understand all the decisions and thoughts that go into a build or renovation. With a passion for timeless stone flooring, we have put together a Quorn Stone guide to help you achieve your perfect country style kitchen!
What is a country kitchen?
A country style kitchen combines rustic charm, effortless style, and an ageless feel, whilst making a welcoming and comforting space for you to live and be in. There are so many directions you can take a kitchen, from the modern country trend to a traditional and rustic style – all within your own creative license.
Whether you are renovating a listed property or building a new home sympathetic of traditional characters, we have a beautiful product offering to create the ultimate country feel to your home and kitchen.
Traditional take on the country style...
A traditional take on the country style is all about utilising the existing character of your property and incorporating natural materials to give a lived-in and rustic appearance. Oak beams, exposed brick, heritage colours and brassware each add a certain warmth and charm.
Featuring the Monte Carlo tumbled limestone, this space provides plenty of country kitchen ideas. A reclaimed butcher’s block table acts as a focal point and island, with use of vintage vases and bottles placed on open shelving and original copper pans on a railing above the cooker. This project also features the enduring Belfast sink – a must for the country look! Choosing our tumbled limestone with honey-beige tones and natural fossil details, the Monte Carlo flooring works effortlessly with the beauty of this kitchen.
Whilst we are on the topic of a traditional country style kitchen, we couldn’t not mention this beautiful project with the Bordeaux Aged Chateau French limestone tiles! This idyllic cottage with an extended kitchen space has so much inspiration to offer on your guide to the perfect country cottage kitchen. Built to emulate the original features of the property, the use of reclaimed beams, an intricate arched window and bespoke, handmade cabinetry really help to establish a rustic feel. The rich mushroom tones and handcrafted finishing of the Bordeaux French limestone floor, gives an appearance of a flagstone that has been there for hundreds of years and is a wonderful choice to emulate a true French country kitchen.
Modern take on the country style...
There is definitely a move towards the modern country kitchen, with it offering the fundamentals of a country style kitchen but bringing elements up to date. The outcome is a bright and airy space with character, but usually leaning towards a cooler palette and use of more modern materials.
A perfect example of the modern country style has to be this customer kitchen with the Hambleton Ivory tumbled effect porcelain. The colour palette offers a lovely combination of neutrals, with the units painted in ‘Tansy’ and island in ‘Moonstone’, both by Tom Howley. This classic shaker style kitchen takes consideration of traditional cabinetry with panelling, cornicing, and detailing but painted in a soft pale blue and paired with a white quartz worktop for a subtle modern design. The use of stone effect porcelain mimics the look of a real stone yet offers a more consistent tile. This particular modern country porcelain tile has a tumbled effect edge in a subtle pale ivory hue lending itself beautifully to country style homes.
What tiles work best as country kitchen flooring?
Porcelain Tiles: Dorchester Aged White
Dorchester Aged White is a neutral stone effect tile, with delicate veining details throughout. A soft white to creamy beige base is complimented by warmer markings and a rustic tumbled effect edge, mimicking the appearance of natural stone. Brightening any room, this stone effect tile is well suited to country homes with a modern touch, as well as any country cottage kitchen.
Porcelain Tiles: Provence Grigio & Provence Crema
The Provence collection offers a stone effect porcelain with a subtle tumbled appearance. Together with the character and variation from tile to tile, this soft tumbling effect lends itself beautifully to the modern country kitchen as well as industrial rustic styles. The detailed print within each tile makes this stone effect porcelain hard to distinguish from a natural limestone!
Natural Stone Tiles: Dijon Limestone
Whether it is the Dijon tumbled, Dijon brushed, or Dijon seasoned, our Dijon limestone is an ever-popular selection for a timeless country feel! This neutral toned limestone tile complements an array of colour schemes with its soft beige and light grey hues. The minerals, fossils and calcite veining evident in this limestone tile make it a forgiving and classic choice for busy family homes and kitchens. Tumbled offers softer edges with a rustic feel, whilst brushed offers a straighter edge with a slight sheen to the surface. The seasoned has more surface texture and grip with a subtle added warmth from the finishing process.
Natural Stone Tiles: Clermont Gris Limestone
Whilst a lot of country kitchen ideas lean towards warmer palettes, if you are looking for a true grey flagstone then our Clermont Gris aged tumbled is the idyllic tile for you! The varying grey hues within this stone blend effortlessly, with a slight warmth and a timeless charm from natural fossil details. The aged-tumbled finish provides a unique textured surface, giving an aged, lived in appearance - suited for the much-loved country cottage kitchen. Alternatively, a less rustic finish would be the Clermont Gris lightly tumbled limestone which is the same natural stone but isn’t a quite as textured surface. Our customers home with the Clermont Gris lightly tumbled achieves the perfect country kitchen farmhouse look with its reclaimed wooden island and white beams vaulted ceiling.
Natural Stone Tiles: French Limestone
Our collection of French limestone tiles have been carefully sourced and offer a premium and entirely unique floor option for kitchens. Perfect for heritage buildings, character properties and country interiors, French limestone tiles bring an authentic and traditional country style to any space. If you are trying to recreate a classic French country kitchen, our range of French limestone provides plenty of French country kitchen ideas!
Natural Stone Tiles: Sorrento Limestone
The Sorrento aged tumbled limestone is a classic beige toned tile in a tumbled finish with subtle tonal variations throughout. The varying beige and honey hues within this stone blend effortlessly. A true beige natural stone working in country kitchens, offering unique texture and detail within each limestone tile with an aged, lived in appearance.
What are the best colours for a country feel?
When choosing colours to create a country feel kitchen, it is important to keep in mind there is a reason certain colours have stood the test of time and have been chosen again and again! Understanding English Heritage colours will help in emulating a truly traditional feel. Think off-whites, warm greys and greens, rich blues, and earthy stone shades – all offering authentic and timeless pigments for kitchens. To help your inspiration, Little Greene paint and Farrow & Ball have a beautiful library of colours to choose from. Below are a handful we have recommended widely and which many of our customers’ homes feature…
Off-white: Farrow & Ball 'Drop Cloth' or 'Shadow White'
Versailles Limestone Tiles, Cabinets 'Drop Cloth'
Green: Little Greene 'Invisible Green' or Farrow & Ball 'Hardwick White'
Provence Crema Porcelain, Cabinets 'Invisible Green'
Provence Crema Porcelain, Cabinets 'Invisible Green'
Navy: Farrow & Ball 'Stiffkey Blue' or Little Greene 'Hicks Blue'
Dijon Tumbled Limestone, Cabinets 'Stiffkey Blue'
Dijon Tumbled Limestone, Cabinets 'Stiffkey Blue'
How should I style a country kitchen?
Once you have the fundamentals of a country cottage kitchen in place, it is all about the finishing touches and styling that make it your own. To conclude our guide with the ultimate country kitchen ideas, there are a few key suggestions we have that will really complete a space.
Textures
Texture plays such an important role in the home, from soft furnishings to fresh foliage and flowers on the island, consider how you can bring in different textures and layers to your kitchen space to add warmth and charm.
Natural Materials
We have covered this throughout, but there is nothing quite like natural materials! Natural stone, exposed brick, real oak and brassware all add to the modern country or country cottage kitchen style. There is also a lot to be added in smaller decorative pieces, such as wicker baskets, wooden crates, stone urns and glass or ceramic vases.
Vintage and Pre-loved Kitchenware
It is tempting when renovating to buy everything new! There is of course a benefit to investing in new items, but we also believe taking time to find vintage and pre-loved kitchenware can be a real treasure and keep your country style kitchen feeling authentic and personal. Try vintage plates and teacups or antique copper pans and hardware for a traditional French country kitchen look.
Make it Seasonal
Instinctively, a country cottage kitchen is sympathetic of natural materials and with this, seasonal living. Keep your country kitchen ideas inspiring and fresh by changing small décor pieces depending on the season and mixing up the styling of your island, shelving, or countertops.
