Decorating & Design
This Stunning Kitchen Will Have You Dreaming Of Mediterranean Vacations
Helen Parker is the Creative Director of British kitchen firm deVOL, which epitomizes the quirky, highly personal kind of farmhouse kitchens that have sparked 1,000 Pinterest boards. For her own Leicestershire kitchen, Helen was inspired by the Mediterranean and its plethora of old-style bars and restaurants. “Trips to Venice and Sicily were uppermost in my mind — and my absolute favourite places in the world,” she says.
A flourish of deVOL brass rails (with pots hanging from the ceiling), lacy café curtains, a giant terracotta urn planter and a French cooker help conjure up an authentically old school European look. “It’s almost too obvious to make your home feel as good as being on holiday, but seeing as you only spend two weeks away each year it’s silly not to try,” says Helen.
Helen’s starting point for the kitchen was a still life painting of a fish that she bought years ago, which now hangs in the kitchen. “It gave me a colour palette and made it much easier to navigate the minefield of options and colors,” she says. Helen settled on chequered marble floor by Floors of Stone. “This gave me the perfect base, it felt Victorian, grand and slightly faded. It’s not the cheapest floor but, in my opinion, this is a place that’s worth spending your money.”
“Tiny flecks of pink within the marble were beautifully similar to my favourite Farrow and Ball paint color Setting Plaster, so the walls were now decided on too.” Helen had picked up a few vintage pieces from the Cotes Mill showrooms (such as deVOL’s Curiosity Cabinet, which looks like a vintage find) and eBay, and they add that curated, heirloom look that she was craving.
The backsplash tiles were also inspired by Helen’s fish still life. “The plate in the painting has a wonderful teal edge, so having the faded glamour of our lace tiles in Vintage Teal was a no-brainer.”
As for the cabinetry, the choice was inspired by Helen’s personal history with deVOL. “I began working here 16 years ago and in those days we only had the Classic English furniture line,” she says. “For me, it is the essence of deVOL and I had to include it in my own home.” The cabinets are complemented by a marble sink and worktops which, Helen says, blew the budget.”But I now love washing up so it was worth it!”
A series of aged brass faucets bring a vintage vibe to the big farmhouse sink. “I love things that look old, but are easy to buy in quantity, easy to fit and give a specific atmosphere to a room,” says Helen.
“The reason we make so many accessories here at deVOL is that it allows us all to recreate an old or hard-to-find item that we yearn for in our homes.” The fluted Tuscan Farmhouse Marble sink and Aged Brass Mayan Taps are perfect examples.
Courtesy deVOL
Helen Parker