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Longtime design editor Vivienne Ayers and photographer Brent Darby have spent their fair share of time in the English countryside together, capturing everything from idyllic treehouses to converted workshops. After a while, the two became experts of sorts in rural living, so much so they decided to write a whole book about it. Living in New Rustic Style, which hit shelves in November, is full of ideas for anyone who wants to foster a slower pace of life at home—especially in the kitchen. The cooking zones featured in its pages aren’t your typical modern farmhouse kitchens with subway tile–clad backsplashes and industrial pendant lights. There’s a sense of effortlessness behind each one. Here’s a closer look at 10 of our favorites, and what we learned from each.
Add Serious Texture to the Walls
At their home in Dorset, artist Majeda Clarke and her husband, Gary, swathed the walls in a soft pink plaster and created a backsplash out of distressed sheets of copper that will only become richer-looking with age.
Put Your Plates and Cups on the Wall
What if we told you this kitchen was in a treehouse 13 feet off the ground? Anna and William Charlton went all out on this enchanting space, even incorporating a kitchen that’s a lesson to all the small-space dwellers out there: Open shelving, hooks for mugs, and plate racks are your best friends.
Source Cabinets From Unexpected Places
You don’t have to hire a carpenter to construct boxes from scratch in order to end up with unique millwork. Gayle Firmin bought the long stretch of wood cupboards from an ironmonger and the large glazed cabinet from an optician’s office.
Take the Zellige Up to the Ceiling
Use zellige tile to your advantage in a kitchen with low ceilings by taking it all the way up the wall, like Jane Rockett, founder of Rockett St. George, did in her house, which, once upon a time, was a pub. The texture of the tile makes the other battered things in her space—the lone wood cabinet, the wonky ceramic sink—feel right at home.
Swap the Farmhouse Sink for a Slate One
Dorian Bowen’s Wales kitchen looks like it’s been there for centuries, but it was actually built less than 10 years ago. He achieved an old-world look by placing a thick slate trough sink in the middle of the rough stone countertops.
Bring the Outdoors in With Hanging Plants
Interior designer Siân Parry-Jones broke up all the dark shades of brown and gray going on in her space with teal blue and yellow cabinets and green in the form of a row of hanging plants.
Mix Baskets and Steel for a Nautical Take
All you can see from architect Marta No-wicka’s house at Camber Sands in East Sussex is the sea, sky, sand, and marshland. So she chose to outfit her cooking space accordingly: The utilitarian stainless steel cabinets felt fitting given the house used to belong to the coast guard, and a perch for baskets over the pantry door invites you to picnics at the beach.
Never Reach for a Spice or Tool Again
If staying put at the cooktop is your cooking mantra, take after this countryside home just north of Florence where spatulas and scissors dangle in front of a Carrara marble backsplash, and deep, open shelves on either side house jars upon jars of spices and dried goods.
Rethink Traditional Overhead Lighting
So you want industrial lights in your space. Instead of going with the matte black fixtures everyone else has (you know, the ones that look like they belong in a barn), try something more artful, like the swinging rope lights in this North Cornwall home.
String Together a Series of Tables
Behold, the power of freestanding furniture. In Susannah and David Le Mesurier’s kitchen, a trestle table topped with black granite doubles as an island, while a weathered wood table along the wall houses the sink. Turns out, doing the bare minimum is actually enough in the kitchen.
