A polished take on the country look in Lisa Mehydene's London kitchen
“I am drawn to a very lived-in aesthetic. I don’t like everything to feel fitted or all done at once”, says Lisa Mehydene of the country house style in which she has decorated her kitchen in south west London. Though she splits her time between London and her Cotswolds barn, she was determined to have the country house style in both: it’s an aesthetic on which she has built not only her own homes but also her business, which sells an eclectic mixture of pieces for the home: from rattan accessories to vintage rugs and hand painted papier mâché decorations.
When she bought the house, the kitchen was “really lovely, it had been done by Retrouvius and was full of reclaimed materials”. Eight years after she moved in, a flood destroyed the kitchen, giving Lisa the opportunity to get creative and bring some of her own style to the space.
“There's a different pace of life in the countryside,” she explains. “London is where we properly live - we’re always running around, making food (and mess), doing homework or having friends over, and this kitchen needed to work for that”.
Working with kitchen specialists British Standard by Plain English, Lisa came up with the layout for the new kitchen. The cabinet fronts are in the Shaker-style which British Standard is known for, but subtle touches refine the look. The colour palette, for example, is relatively neutral: walls painted in Edward Bulmer’s ‘Lilac Pink’ complement cabinetry in ‘London Stone’ by Farrow & Ball.
Keen to avoid it all feeling too plain, Lisa has layered textures, colour and pattern in an understated way. The vintage zinc-topped kitchen island - found years ago in France - is not only practical but brings an industrial element, while the bright blue pantry painted in ‘St Giles Blue’ from Farrow & Ball is an explosion of colour. Decorative touches include Howe’s ‘ Folies Bergère’ fabric on the window pelmet and in the pantry, and a painted tile backsplash by Gavin Houghton. A mixture of vintage and contemporary pieces adds character - toleware lighting is topped with pretty, striped paper lampshades from Frolic Lighting, and a vintage cotton runner adds texture and colour.
The overall effect is a comfortable but sophisticated space which functions for a family, while the nods to cottage-core create a sense of home.
