Fashion stylist Louise Roe’s farmhouse kitchen

Having lived in Los Angeles for a decade, when stylist Louise Roe considered her move back to the UK with her husband and daughter in tow, she knew she wanted something particularly English. They landed on a Georgian country house and set about renovating it to respect its heritage and celebrate the prints Louise so adores. The kitchen was one of the most important rooms and Louise wanted it to be both functional and a space to entertain (though having moved in just as lockdown began, they are yet to know just how well it will work.)

Louise looked to British Standard by Plain English and together, they set about working how to configure the long, fairly thin but not galley, kitchen. The team at British Standard asked Louise - as they do with all clients - questions about how she cooks, how often they shop as a family and where they most cook to work out the best possible layout for them and how much storage would be needed. Luckily for the family, a lot of storage was incorporated into the design, which has been a huge relief during this unprecedented time when we've all been grocery shopping less often and therefore having to keep more produce to hand.

There were two key existing features that were important to Louise; the Aga and the sink placement. She says 'We inherited a beautiful old Aga with the house and wanted to keep it where it was and same with the sink. It was looking out the window when we saw the house and we wanted it to stay there.' These two features allowed the rest of the space to come together around them with ample work surfaces stretching the length of the space. An unusual feature of the kitchen is there because of this configuration: a pot filler over the cooker. These are very common in America but not seen often here but Louise felt it was an important thing to have as 'we often cook with heavy casserole dishes and lugging those over to sink with a toddler running around is quite dangerous.'

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The fridge and freezer are at the end of the kitchen, in a separate section partitioned off by an archway which Louise and her husband had moved up as it was too low. This was the only space the appliances could fit but Louise admits it works remarkably well. She was 'really keen to have all the appliances hidden so it could feel traditional and old-fashioned. The house was originally a farmhouse so I wanted the kitchen to emanate that,' say Louise, so as a result the fridge-freezer is behind a panelled door by British Standard.

Most people, when faced with a kitchen of this shape, would sacrifice having any type of kitchen island but Louise was adamant she wanted 'somewhere to sit and drink wine at the end of the day while my husband is cooking'. Having been told repeatedly that there was no space, she set about herself and 'had one made out of the same reclaimed Georgian floorboards that are underfoot. It’s not fixed so that it can be moved out the way if people are coming over and I have to say, it brings the kitchen together perfectly.' Even better, it turned out to perfectly fit her beloved bobbin stools underneath, which are covered in a Peter Dunham splashproof fabric.

Her favourite feature in the whole kitchen? 'The colour - it’s the perfect green; ‘Sage Green’ by Little Greene. I felt I had seen too much blue in kitchens and I wouldn’t love it forever, but this green is timeless. I had to remember that it’s not sunny here like it is in LA so I chose a warm green.' To work alongside her chosen colour, Louise opted for honed 'London Grey' countertops by Caesarstone; 'they make it feel like a farmhouse and not a modern kitchen. I love the texture next to the shape of the British Standard cupboards.'

As a stylist, Louise is very aware of how her design choices within fashion translate to her choices for renovating the house; 'When I dress, I wear a lot of print and colour and I love it in the house too, however they’re very different types of prints. Home is respite - it needs to feel comfy, cosy and nurturing so I had that in mind with the colours that I chose for the house - there’s a nod to what is historical too as I had expert advice from Edward Bulmer personally. I’ve brought the things I love about fashion but translated them slightly differently to make the house feel lived in, cosy and warm. I’m enjoying reupholstering things to give them new life - it’s such a joy, just like when you restyle a dress - you get a new kick out of it.'

For more from Louise's house and her interiors inspiration, follow her at @louiseroehome.