This traditional kitchen is full of countryside charm

The appeal of life beyond the city is the slowness. The simplicity. The proximity to nature. Here's an open plan kitchen and dining area that brings the best of the countryside to life, with traditional details and a large farmhouse-style table, plus charming nooks for playing, growing and reading.

The land of plenty

“Abundant” is a word that sums up this family kitchen well. Its worktops, walls, cabinets and drawers are all generously stocked with everything from saucepans and measuring spoons to homemade preserves. It’s the kind of kitchen where something delicious is bound to be bubbling away or baking at any time of day. On today’s menu, for instance? Freshly baked apple cake!
 

For everything and everyone

They say food is what brings people together, but the open plan layout of this kitchen and dining area certainly helps! While a meal is being prepared, the rest of the family can still be close by: playing or working at the dining table or settling for a good read in one of the room’s two comfy armchairs.
 

Storage where you least expect it

You don’t have to look far in this kitchen and dining area for clever ideas that make life a little easier. In this fluid space where different activities come and go, furniture with built-in storage makes the transition from one to the next a lot less time-consuming.

The great indoors

Even if you don’t have a meadow or a forest on your doorstep, you can still take a leaf out of this home’s book by adding in plants and greenery aplenty. A sunny windowsill and plant stand are happy homes for this family’s collection of pot plants and cuttings.