How to soften city living with laidback English country design

You don’t have to live in the countryside to celebrate its tradition-steeped aesthetic, says Adele Cardani

Beam me up: a bespoke Tom Howley kitchen at Plaish Hall, Shropshire (Tom Howley)

I’ve just returned from a few days away, visiting my best friend’s North Yorkshire hometown. She’s from a picture-perfect village where cottages and manor homes carved from honeyed stone are folded into hills dotted with sheep. It has become my favourite escape from the city, for when I want to fill my lungs with something other than car exhaust and hot garbage. There, Barbour-clad locals always seem to have a hunting dog in tow and every long lunch of pub classics concludes with sticky toffee pudding.

As I spent my afternoons sunk into capacious sofas, surrounded by ruffled linens, story-telling heirlooms and table lamps with delicate fabric shades, I couldn’t help but lust over the countryside’s charming, tradition-steeped style. The look isn’t restricted to rural estates themselves though – according to the experts, it can look just as at home in Clapham as it does in the Cotswolds. Here are their tips for how to soften city living with laidback country design.

Floral accents: Naomi Astley Clarke at Norfolk Rectory (Paul Massey)

Kate Palmer, creative director at Painted Furniture Company, tells me, “country-style interiors evoke a sense of cosiness, which can be a welcome contrast to the fast-paced and often impersonal environment of urban life. To achieve this inviting ambience, start by choosing a soft colour palette of creams, yellows, pale greens, blush pinks, and eggshell blues. These shades work well when combined with layered floral, gingham and plaid fabrics for upholstery and accents.”

Luxury London interior designer Naomi Astley Clarke adds: “When decorating with classic chintz patterns, select one key floral, and use it generously throughout your space – such as for your bed valance and headboard, or for curtains and chair upholstery. Then incorporate a few of the pattern’s accent colours into the rest of the room using plain textiles to give your scheme space to breathe, allowing it to remain cool and current.”

Floral and foliage motifs are a great way to instantly bring the outdoors inside when you’re decorating, creating a calming, rural ambience

Jessica Jung

Palmer continues: “Comfort is a priority in country style. Choose deep, sink-in sofas, plump cushions and layers of soft furnishings, combined with natural wood, stone and exposed-brick surfaces to create welcoming spaces with warmth and character.”

Interior stylist Jessica Jung tells me about her latest project for British furniture studio, Lorfords Contemporary – a relaxed, countryside-inspired bedroom created for a blank white studio space. “Floral and foliage motifs are a great way to instantly bring the outdoors inside when you’re decorating, creating a calming, rural ambience,” explains Jung. “I find these work particularly well in bedrooms where you come to unwind and relax. For this scheme, I designed a statement headboard which acts as a giant canvas, bringing in a sense of the countryside with its rambling appliqué florals – by botanical artist Natasha Hulse – taking centre stage. To finish the space, making it feel less ‘new build’ and more characterful, I’ve brought in vintage furniture to offset the usual ‘city slick’ style that we normally see with modern developments.”

Outside in: Lorfords Contemporary x Natasha Hulse (Lorfords)

In this vein, the most successful country interiors look as if they’ve evolved over time, with furniture having been added as it was serendipitously found, often over many years. Astley Clarke explains: “When it comes to traditional furniture that has stood the test of time, we often think of dark wood – which some still shy away from, worried it might make their home feel dark and dated. By including these items in the brightest parts of your home, the look is grounded while remaining modern and airy. For example, an antique oak side table or bench beautifully contrasts the lightness of an entranceway with white walls and classic cornicing. The key to mixing vintage items into your home is to only employ as much as your space can handle and to balance it out with thoughtful colour combinations. You can’t go wrong with pairing wood furniture and light blue textiles as the warmth of the brown harmonises with the coolness of the pale fabric.”

For the floor, parquet – a style said to have originated in the chateaux of France in the 16th century – is a go-to foundation for homes with heritage. The elegant chevron planks add texture and interest to a space whilst remaining neutral. To get the look, turn to German flooring expert Parador, which has just launched the new Chevron collection in the UK. The range of warm, rustic oak parquet flooring is crafted from raw materials that have been carefully selected from sustainably managed forests. This style sits prettily underfoot in the kitchen, complemented by a hearth-like range, Shaker-style units, rustic beams, a deep ceramic sink, butcher’s block worktops, and dish racks brimming with china.

Shaker it up: Tom Howley at Plaish Hall (Tom Howley)

Interior designer Kathryn M Ireland – who has recently launched her first online course – Artfully Edited Interiors – with Create Academy spends her time between Los Angeles and her renovated French farmhouse in Provence. She tells me: “If you’re wanting to create a rustic style kitchen – these are never overbuilt or fitted. Try incorporating standalone pieces of furniture, like dressers, into the kitchen structure. Open shelving is another key design element to consider – display your beautiful pots, crockery, and glassware instead of hiding them away. You can opt for under-counter curtains instead of cupboard doors, and choose fabrics with tickings, stripes, and large checks mixed in with florals, preferably in faded colours to add a sense of antiquity as though they have always been there, and the room is older than it actually is.”

Afterall, the allure of a classic English kitchen lies in the curated details that evoke a sense of heritage and homeliness. For more inspiration, look to bespoke kitchen maker Tom Howley, who recently completed a sprawling kitchen within a grade I listed Tudor house nestled in the picturesque South Shropshire countryside. Finely crafted shaker cabinetry in pale, warm neutrals and natural oak adorn the space, complementing the historical surroundings – stone walls, a vaulted ceiling, and exposed timber trusses. Modern appliances are thoughtfully integrated throughout, providing optimal functionality without compromising the traditional aesthetic.

Country crockery: Burleigh’s Blue Arden Collection (Burleigh)

If, like myself, your space and budget are limited, you can start small by incorporating a few rustic details into your existing kitchen. Switch out your taps for distressed bronze, store your utensils or linens in wicker pull-out baskets, and display richly coloured, mismatched English-made earthenware.

For the latter, my go-to is Burleigh, whose crockery has been handcrafted in Stoke-on-Trent since 1851. Burleigh’s potters turn raw malleable clay into vibrant ceramics adorned with English country-garden florals and fanciful oriental motifs, using time-honoured skills that have been passed down through generations of craftspeople who worked in the very same hallowed halls. The brand’s core palette of rich cobalt and powder blues, basil green, and petal pink can be mixed and matched for a delightfully eclectic, country cottage scheme. I can picture it now, with a kettle hissing on the stove and the aroma of Victoria sponge wafting through the air.