Decor tips: A country kitchen

The country kitchen has to look as if it has been there for years. Key elements are good, solid, wooden cupboard doors, painted or bare, natural stone (or stone-look) floors, range cookers and sinks deep enough to wash up generous casserole dishes. A true country kitchen is completely unfitted, but modern style lets you combine the space and hygiene benefits of a fitted kitchen with open shelving, glass-fronted cabinets and dressers to retain the country look.

This is the perfect style to choose if you feel at home with a bit of clutter, and it is immensely practical, too. Country kitchens don't hide it all away: what is used regularly sits out on the worktop; what is admired and loved is displayed and enjoyed.