Want a Downton-style kitchen? Here’s how

Forget sleek kitchens with handleless cabinets, gleaming surfaces and silent appliances. The most lustworthy ones right now embrace something more soulful: character, craftsmanship and good old-fashioned British charm. Simply put, they have entered their Downton Abbey era.

Once seen as a relic of the past, the late-19th-century “below stairs” country estate kitchen — like Mrs Patmore’s in the iconic drama — is now enjoying a revival in homes from rural cottages to city flats. Much of its appeal lies in its unpretentious functionality: oversized wooden worktables instead of bulky islands, open shelving over high-gloss cabinetry, and hardwearing materials such as stone, copper and brass.

“People want comfortable not clinical kitchens,” says the interior designer Patrick Williams, founder of the design practice and homeware emporium Berdoulat, where most products take their inspiration from 18th and 19th-century traditions. “Fitted kitchens are only about 75 years old. Prior to that people had pieces of furniture and the kitchen came together organically instead of having units informed by appliances.”

Philip Hooper, the joint managing director of the design titan Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, agrees: “There is definitely a pushback against the fitted kitchen. People want to feel wrapped in nostalgia.” So how exactly do you achieve the heritage look? Here are eight key elements the design experts recommend.

A freestanding dresser and plate rack

A freestanding dresser painted in Scullery by Little Greene

Integrated cabinetry? Too perfect. Instead homeowners are gravitating towards freestanding dressers (painted in Scullery by Little Greene) for an unfitted and intentionally mismatched aesthetic. “Dressers keep everything you use to hand. It’s not about hiding things away,” says Merlin Wright, the design director at Plain English. The Northamptonshire-based antique dealer Will Green has noted a surge of interest in them over the past few years. “Pine dressers in particular have become very desirable.” Meanwhile, old-fashioned plate racks are also racking up popularity. “They are quite efficient in terms of storage,” Green adds. “And the plates look beautiful all lined up.”

Delft tiles

Delft floor tiles by Petra Palumbo

ALEXANDER BAXTER

These hand-painted blue and white tiles of Dutch origin are much coveted and perfect for cooker splashbacks. “There is so much tradition and historical reference attached to Delft tiles,” says the interior designer Emma Sims-Hilditch, whose studio recently unveiled a collection with Marlborough Tiles. “You can go classic and traditional or fun and whimsical.” The designer Petra Palumbo is known for Delft tiles featuring everything from animals to apple pies and is launching Delft floor tiles (£32 each) this month. Meanwhile, at Not Quite Past you can create bespoke Delft tiles online with AI (from £15 each).

Copper cookware

A design by Ben Pentreath Studio

JAMES MCDONALD

A hallmark of the Downton kitchen is the warm gleam of copper pots and pans, as seen in this kitchen design by Ben Pentreath Studio (above). “Cooking with copper pans feels elegant in a way that stainless steel doesn’t,” Green says. “It looks great when it is not being used and gets better with age.” Green recommends high-quality modern copper pans from brands such as Mauviel for cooking. “But I would use old pans decoratively for a traditional feel.”

A cook’s table

A kitchen design by Sims Hilditch

The modern kitchen island is dead. Instead, opt for a cook’s table, a traditional piece of furniture originally used by estate staff for food prep, as seen in this kitchen by Sims Hilditch (above). “They bring character and softness to a kitchen,” says the interior designer Alexandra Childs of the London-based Studio Alexandra. “They can be moved and lived with in a way that fixed units can’t, making the space feel more inviting.” Usually made of solid wood, many have shelves or slatted racks beneath for storage. “The big difference is that a cook’s table has legs rather than being built down to the floor,” Wright says. “We tend to use one that has big drawers, which feels more historical.”

A pantry or scullery

A pantry by Studio Duggan

KENSINGTON LEVERNE

In the Downton era, no kitchen was without its pantry. Today, these spaces are being reimagined as both functional and luxurious — Studio Duggan’s pantry has warm red open shelves and a toaster. “Pantries are great for siphoning off appliances so the main kitchen is a properly furnished room,” Patrick Williams says. For a more traditional look choose an authentic colour, says Ruth Mottershead, the creative director at Little Greene, which has a paint shade called Scullery inspired by the pantry door at the National Trust’s Wimpole Hall in Cambridgeshire. “Muted browns and greys were popular because they disguised dirt or damage.”

A cast-iron range

A kitchen designed by Alexandra Childs

FINN STUDIO

At the heart of every country estate kitchen is the range cooker. “Stainless steel feels harsh, whereas enamelled cast iron sits better aesthetically speaking,” Williams says. While an Aga is the classic choice, brands such as Everhot and Lacanche also tick the box. “They are the beating heart of a traditional kitchen that isn’t only about cooking — it’s also about warmth and routine,” says Childs, who designed this pastel-coloured kitchen.

Period lighting

Ethel wall light, £168, and Stowe pendant, £888, davidhuntlighting.co.uk

Recessed ceiling lights resembling an airport landing strip are the kiss of death for a heritage look. “So is putting LED lighting under the shelves or in the skirting,” Philip Hooper says. “It’s about losing all theatricality.” Instead layer multiple light sources. Try the Stowe brass and opal glass pendant by David Hunt Lighting for an antique feel, as well as the Ethel wall lights, for a Downton kitchen vibe.

A Belfast sink

The classic Belfast sink — a deep, wide basin typically made from fireclay or enamel — remains a mainstay and looks great with aged brassware, as illustrated by this deVol kitchen (above). Helen Parker, creative director of deVol, says: “Belfast sinks feel authentic, hardworking and practical.”