For a dual kitchen/dining room in an English manor house on a horse farm in Berkshire, UK, Christina Nielsen (of her eponymous New York– and London–based firm) set out to create a warm, welcoming space for the family to enjoy for years to come. “As this kitchen leads out to the beautiful gardens, I wanted to instill unity between the landscape and interior,” Nielsen explains. The designer enlisted Plain English for the millwork, paint and hardware, and selected a rich array of hues.
“My favorite color combinations are purples and greens,” she notes. “I especially love leaning toward jewel tones for both of these colors. I find them to be warm and timeless, and they act as neutrals for the space.” In some cases, the designer actually removed color, like at the hearth, which originally housed a blue Aga stove surrounded by red brick. “This felt very heavy and outdated to me, it also darkened the space quite a bit,” Nielsen says. “Opposite the hearth is the back door, which leads out onto the beautiful English gardens and their purple, green and white hues.” To brighten the space, she painted the brick a distressed white, letting some of the original rust shine through, and opted for a white Aga stove.
Open shelving replaced upper cabinetry to further brighten and open the space. In the dining area, chairs wear Robert Kime and Christopher Moore fabric for a splash of pattern. “The patterns all work together but do not perfectly match,” the designer adds. “This is a space where the family will enjoy many memories and meals together, and I wanted it to be a place of comfort rather than feeling too posh and uptight.”
