Designer interiors in country houses; what's in and what's out
Stuffed animals out, stainless steel in – the country house is getting the designer treatment
There’s a certain type of person who wants to recreate London in the country,” says Rupert Sweeting, head of country houses for Knight Frank. “We are beginning to see state-of-the-art kitchens, gas fires rather than log fires, walk-in wine cellars and lots more bathrooms. There is also a fascination with gyms in outbuildings.” Excerpt from the Sunday Times February 17th 2008.

COZY KITCHENS - THE COMFORT ZONES IDENTIFIED
The recession ( 2009 ) has changed our tastes in kitchens, away from high gloss cabinets and shiny gadgets to a more cosy, informal, and less clinical or industrial feel. Country-style kitchens are all the vogue at the moment with their return to the eternal verities of the earth and grown things, reminiscent of country toil in allottments and fields associated with the pre-industrial life-style. In the words of Katrina Burroughs "go for fixtures and accessories that lend character and warmth, freestanding wooden furniture, ceramic sinks, ranges draped with textiles, scrubbed tables laid with chunky china, and on the counter tops, woven and wooden vessels filled with seasonal fruit and veg...the cosy kitchen is seriously in vogue" More here.......