A natural kitchen with texture

Texture done right is what comes to mind when I view the image above. Kitchens with open shelving usually have that element of lightness that I like and the decorative scheme in this one, the natural and warm look with earthy ceramics and kitchenware, is ideal. Apart from the moss green units the palette is neutral, meaning that texture is the key to an eye-catching look. Everything works here and the cover of the Chesterfield sofa, hand-woven Hungarian linen, adds that extra textural touch. The shelves and other kitchen units are carved from untreated oak, and wooden crates are used for storage instead of closing the units with doors.

About three months ago I pinned two images of this same kitchen. They looked familiar but I just couldn't place them until recently when I leafed through a stack of magazines to look for a particular house tour. In the February 2015 issue of Elle Decoration UK, there it was, another angle of this kitchen I thought I must have seen before, part of a feature called Revival of a Classic (photographed by Michael Paul). Initially I thought it was perhaps Scandinavian but it belongs to a renovated Edwardian style house by the coast in West Sussex. If you like natural and rustic style this house tour won't disappoint you. The house owner is Alex Legendre, who owns the I Gigi boutique in Brighton.

[Want to see more? The images I pinned show the 'Butler' sink, a vintage find, and the use of wooden crates as storage. For those of you who don't use Pinterest, you can view these images on the website of the Norwegian interior magazine Vakre Hjem & Interiør.]

image by me | credit: Elle Decoration UK, February 2015, p. 88 · Michael Paul

Yellow fabrics by Fermoie

I am going through one of my phases of yellow textiles; I see yellow patterns everywhere. My relationship with this primary colour can get complicated because there are shades of yellow that I'm drawn to like bees to honey while others don't do much for my aesthetic side. The yellows that entice me are golden and mustard yellows; yellows with a hint of red in them, like turmeric and saffron. My latest crush comes in the form of fabric samples that I recently got from the English fabrics company Fermoie.

The wide-striped sample is a fabric called Cotton York Stripe (L-039) and the other pattern is called Cotton Rabanna (L-190), which seems to melt my heart each time I look at it. Both these high-quality fabrics are made from 100% cotton. I got more colours and patterns that I will lay on my table and show you later ... when my yellow phase is over. (In my image above, in the bottom-left corner, you see part of a photo by Chris Court in the book Gypsy: A World of Colour & Interiors by Sibella Court.)

Fermoie was founded by Martin Ephson and Tom Helme, the two gentlemen who also founded Farrow & Ball (which they sold). I like the simplicity of their palette that consists of five colours - reds, yellows, greens, blues, and neutrals - available in various light and dark hues. According to Helme,

Fermoie's aim is to capture the life, light and enjoyment of old woven textiles. We print traditionally with a light touch using pigments creating a subtle impression but with the depth of a woven fabric. (Fermoie - About)

The design is drawn by hand in their studios and printed on natural fabrics in their factory in Marlborough (the base cloths are woven in Lancashire). If you happen to be in the Chelsea area in London you will find their showroom at 2 Pond Place.