Farrow and Ball Kitchen Cabinet Colours

One question that I am constantly asked by you lovely lot is which paint colours to use on your kitchen cabinets. And, more specifically, which Farrow and Ball paint colours.

I thought I'd show you first-hand, as it were, by taking 10 super-popular kitchens (for good reason, these really are design classics) and showing you the best possible matches from the Farrow and Ball range.

Here are my favourite 10 Farrow and Ball Kitchen Cabinet Colours....with links where possible to my Paint Colour Case Studies.

Farrow and Ball Blue Gray

I've spoken extensively about this gorgeous colour here on one of my Paint Colour Case Studies. Farrow and Ball Blue Gray is one of the most changeable colours I know. It can shift from this gently bleached grey to a really powerful sea green, depending on the light in the room. And it'll always be one of my favourites.

Farrow and Ball Pigeon 

The picture above is actually painted in two shades: Farrow and Ball Shaded White (top cabinets) and Farrow and Ball Pigeon. This is more of a recent trend and one that I really love. Top cabinets can make a room look heavy and overbearing if they are too dark so painting them, for example, in the same colour as the walls can help them to recede into the background.

Farrow and Ball Old White

This gorgeous kitchen was recently shared by Mark Wilkinson, my all-time favourite kitchen designers. The island is Farrow and Ball London Clay, a gorgeous earthy brown with sultry bruised undertones. And the main units are Farrow and Ball Old White, which is a warm stony green.

Farrow and Ball French Gray

I love the way Farrow and Ball French Gray can veer to the blue, the green or the grey. Slippy slidey colours, that's what I love. Different lighting? Different colour! Different time of day? Different colour! Just make sure that you love all the different variations before you commit.

Farrow and Ball Cornforth White

You really can't go wrong with this gorgeous combination. Try Farrow and Ball Cornforth White on the upper cabinets and Farrow and Ball Plummet on the base cabinets. Perfect for all lovers of grey kitchens! Set it off with cream accessories and you have yourself a stunning Modern Country kitchen.

Farrow and Ball Railings

For those of you who like things a little darker, a little moodier, take a look at Farrow and Ball Railings. It's the deepest darkest charcoal grey you can imagine. But definitely not black. And it has the teensiest hint of the night sky.

Farrow and Ball Shaded White

Shaded White is another paint colour from Farrow and Ball that veers around hugely. In some lights, it'll be perceived as a beautiful sludgy cream, in others a gently greyed green and in others a rather disappointing beige. I feel another case study coming up!!

Farrow and Ball Hardwick White

Now this beauty is a serious contender for our new kitchen. We already have Farrow and Ball Hardwick White on the walls in our family room but I just LOVE it as a Modern Country kitchen cabinet colour. Perfectly understated but with enough character to stand out from a crowd of greys; Hardwick White is a keeper!

Farrow and Ball Downpipe

I'm not mad keen on going to the dark side but, if I were to venture forth, this is the way I'd want to take it. Moody and handsome, that's how I like it {insert hilarious men joke here}. Farrow and Ball Down Pipe is most certainly deep and dark but the clever way that it retains its uncertain teal undertones means that it's never overbearing or dull.

Farrow and Ball Slipper Satin

Let's finish with a classic cream - with a Farrow and Ball twist. Slipper Satin is a gorgeous soft ivory. Not too warm but certainly not cold. It's classic, timeless and perfectly Modern Country!

Kitchens, kitchens.....and paint colours to die for. Was there ever a more perfect combination!!!?

Have a wonderful day...the sun is shining here in the Cotswolds!

Sarahxx

Imaes via Farrow and Ball, ChesterMorris Kitchens, Mark Wilkinson, Plain English, unknown, unknown, unknown, unknown, De Vol, Farrow and Ball

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AMAZING Georgian House Tour

This home that I'm sharing today is a completely amazing example of what we were talking about last time. I first saved this beautiful Georgian home maybe seven years ago and I've just stumbled across it again today.

It still looks every bit as gorgeous as when I first excitedly discovered it all those years ago.

And that's a sign worth listening to.

With so many passing fads in an increasingly fast-changing world, how can you know which are the looks that will endure? 

Again, my answer is this: by looking back through your archive of hastily torn out pictures from magazines from years back, or your older Pinterest favourites, or wherever it is that you store away precious inspiration images, you'll find your sense of timeless style coming to the fore.

You'll find that some aspect won't excite you any more (there have been some pretty crazy crazes!) but there will be plenty that will. And it's exactly those elements that you should always try to incorporate into any new project because its those same elements that will continue to excite you in ten, twenty years to come.

So, let's take this beautiful Georgian home as our example. What is it that still sings out to me today? I love the colour scheme. 

Muted naturals have always, always, ALWAYS made me heart stop in its tracks. I can first remember noticing a muted natural in our family tablecloth when I was a very, very little girl. And it's those same colours that I reach for now because I know that, for me, they stand the test of time.

And please do note that  essential "for me" in itallics in the previous paragraph. Taste, lasting taste, is as deeply personal as current fads are ephemeral. You're looking for the loves of your life, not a dull one-night-stand. We want true and lasting romance, don't we!?

And, it'll come as no surprise when I say that I completely adore the carefully curated mix here of Modern and Country styles. 

For me, I'll never tire of Modern Country Style because the Modern aspect keeps shifting as time passes, and the Country aspect just pleases me through and through!

Yes. Modern Country Style runs deeply in my veins!

Take Care Till Next Time,

Sarahx

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My Number One Tip For Choosing Your Dream Kitchen

So, my sweets, we've begun The Big Build!!! 

Yes, we've been saving our pennies since moving to our Georgian home and the time has come!!! It's an amazing, rambling house and I feel very lucky to live here but it has needed a lot of work to turn it into the family home of my dreams.

I'll be sharing every step of the way with you... the ups and downs, the trials and the tribulations. How do you choose an amazing builder? How do you pick the perfect scheme? How do you afford your dream kitchen? How do you need to treat an old house?

Are you wanting answers to all these questions and more? You're in the right place, my poppets. If there's one thing I know how to do, it's research the be-jingles out of anything interiors-related!!

Let's take a lovely gentle route in and feast our eyes on some kitchen beauties, shall we?

I've saved these kitchen images over the years and here begins my first lesson for you.... If you know you've got a big project ahead then start filing away those precious inspiration pictures a looooong time before you need them. Why? Because it'll help you to see what dates over time.

You see, it's so easy to be wept along by the latest fancy trends but when it comes to kitchen designs in particular, you want to be choosing something pretty classic.

ON trend today most definitely equals OFF trend in five or so years time and a good kitchen should last sooooo much longer than that.

By all means bring in your current favourite looks with accessories - I'm most definitely not sniffing at passing fashions - and love them to bits while they make you happy but know, with smug satisfaction, that while those accessories may need to be packed away, your gorgeous, timeless kitchen will never look old and tired, if you choose with one eye on the long game.

Most of the kitchen twinkliness I share here on Modern Country Style falls into exactly that category. Gorgeous flagstones, Shaker style units, softly muted shades: these things NEVER get old.

And that's the kind of home I want to run home to. 

Each day. Every day.

Take Care Till Next Time,

Sarah xx

Images via: so old I honestly can't remember. Please contact me if you'd like to be credited!

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The Holiday's Rose Cottage Is Up For Sale!!!

The little home that inspired Rose Cottage from the amazing film The Holiday came up for sale recently!!!

Don't tell me you don't recognise this.....

Rose Cottage in The Holiday is actually....gasp....a fake set.

But didn't they do a great job at creating the perfect quintessential English country cottage?

Shall we take a look at the real thing?

Welcome to Honeysuckle Cottage, which nestles in the village of Holmbury St Mary in the beautiful Surrey hills.

It's got the same perfect porch. The same symmetry: four gorgeous windows surrounding the front door. The same beautiful stone walls.

Shall we take a look inside?

Let's begin with this sweet kitchen....

The kitchens in the two cottages have the same cosy gorgeousness, don't they? And look at those mouth-watering beams?

The living room in Honeysuckle Cottage is far more airy and spacious....

...but keeps the same softness, with lots of soft fabrics, an upholstered ottoman and plenty of seating.

Moving upstairs to the bedrooms, it's here that the architecture of the house really takes centre-stage.... 

....vaulted ceilings and exposed beams and stonework provide the wow-factor in spades, just as it did in Rose Cottage...

Imagine owning this beautiful cottage!? Rose Cottage has truly stood the test of time. Can you believe The Holiday is 13 years old? So it's no surprise that the colour palette in Honeysuckle cottage is a little different.

But the underlying feeling hasn't changed a bit! I love it!

Would you buy it?!!

Take Care Until Next Time,

Sarahx

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Top Ten Agas In STUNNING Kitchens

To Aga or not to Aga? That is the real question!

And, to be honest, I'm still not sure what the answer is....

Kitchen painted in Farrow and Ball Lichen 

Let me lay out my quandary for you, while you feast your eyes on the Top Ten Modern Country Kitchens With Agas...

Kitchen painted in Farrow and Ball French Gray

The main point is the look of the almighty Aga. Yes, there is not much that beats the Aga in terms of cosy, country kitchen looks. Agas have become a quintessential part of any imagined rustic idyll. 

Try Farrow and Ball Hardwick White for this look

They deliciously dominate the room, with their warmth, their size, their amazing design: chunky, curvy, timeless.

Top kitchen units painted in Farrow and Ball Shaded White. Base units in Farrow and Ball Pigeon

But, but, but....through extensive research, I've come to realise that the look seems to be the only true advantage.

You might say, what about the heat? Many people find them unpleasantly hot. You're basically paying for a massive radiator to be on whether you like it or not. Not really eco-friendly.

Walls and kitchen units painted in Dulux Dusted Moss 1

And then there's the fact that when Agas get unbearably hot, you have to turn them off for half the year, so you need another oven anyway. That seems crazy-thinking to me.

Try Little Greene Normandy Grey for this kitchen style

And who could forget the cost. Not only the initial outlay but the ongoing an,d frankly, hefty running and maintenance costs. This can easily run into tens of thousands of pounds...

The temperatures are unpredictable too. I love baking and I don't want 'warmish', I want exact temperatures. I want to know where I am when I'm cooking...

Now there are certainly ways around some of these issues: reconditioned Agas are widely available for a fraction of the price.

And it's possible to get Agas with add-on attachments to provide year-round usage. Granted, these attachments make the final product gargantuan, but they'll prevent the look of an oven here, an oven there, an oven over there......

So you see my predicament? I'm in a Modern Country Style pickle! I just cant get away from those stunning, stunning LOOKS.

I'm completely torn. Can you tell?

Take Care

Until Next Time,

Sarahx

Images via: Christopher Peters, Plain English, unknown, Chester and Morris kitchens, unknown, Country Homes and Interiors, Davonport, Neptune, unknown, inknown, Ideal Home

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