Custom storage and a simplified palette bring an airy update to a traditional kitchen, breakfast room and laundry room. A low ceiling, dark cabinets and poor connections to other rooms detracted from this striking kitchen in a Cotswold-stone house in southwest England. The original layout, which the owners inherited, was dated and too busy for the space.
Designer Mandy Oestreich of Marloe Interiors was tasked with creating a kitchen that was beautiful, practical and timeless. She kept the best of the original features and brightened the design with fresh white cabinetry, a charcoal-gray island and concealed appliances.
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with three adult children, who visit often, and two dogs
Location: The Cotswolds, Wiltshire, England
Size: Kitchen: About 295 square feet (about 27 square meters); breakfast room: 280 square feet (26 square meters)
Designer: Mandy Oestreich of Marloe Interiors
The kitchen had lots of architectural character, including oak beams and flooring, and exposed honey-colored Cotswold stone, but it was visually busy. “There were several elements competing for attention — mid-gray cabinetry, black [countertops], open shelving, glass display cabinets, a freestanding [refrigerator] — so there was a lot going on,” Oestreich says.