Through the proliferation of the pantry, the butler's sink, and the larder, kitchens are being given the Edwardian era treatment.
The pantry is now mainstream. Larders and butler’s sinks are almost everyday thanks to kitchen designers' Edwardian-era flourishes.
While short, the Edwardian period still holds significant décor sway, as this smart kitchen by London-based Studio Duggan demonstrates.
Its island has a furniture feel, evoking the more traditional cook's table and even featuring a tea towel rail.
It was a time of immense change. The years between 1901 and 1910 launched the Art Deco period. Art Nouveau was at the height of its power.
Victorian strictures had relaxed, but the modernity of the Frankfurt kitchen was still two decades away.
Through the popularity of the TV series and films, Downton Abbey has played a significant role. It was at its cook’s table where all the below-stairs action took place.
It was the surface on which bread was kneaded, and confessions rolled out. This piece of furniture was the precursor to the island.
Part of its attraction is its lightness of being. Set on legs, it doesn’t occupy the same volume and therefore doesn’t look as heavy in a space.
Add some Edwardian heat with these ideas:
Marrying antique and modern
Antique dealer Robert Young commissioned Plain English to create a warm and comfortable kitchen for no-nonsense cooking and eating, while incorporating an antique table with hanging batterie de cuisine above and an existing four-oven Aga.
Spitalfields cupboards with Hanbury doors accented with Antique Brass handles and knobs.
Painted a leafy green to reflect the garden which it overlooks, it includes a generous larder for dry foods, along with willow baskets for home-grown vegetables. Prices start from €80,000.
The Store Yard in Portlaoise currently has an Irish pine table, €1,250, that would be perfect in this set-up.
Turning the heat up on the cook’s table
At Seamount House in Malahide, a neo-Elizabethan 10-bedroom, six-bathroom residence for sale through agents Sherry FitzGerald, features a classic combination.
With a diamond terracotta tile floor, the contrast of the dark base, brass d-ring drawer pulls, and the Calacatta marble worktop combine to create a modern classic that works really well to bridge the contemporary look of the cabinets with the age of the property.
UK-based Artichoke has a limited edition design that is similar to the one shown. It costs about €46,00, but most bespoke kitchen makers here can do something similar.
Tapping into tradition
This image from M&S AW 2025 lookbook features scullery-style wall-mounted taps atop a butler’s sink.
Etsy sells a pair of unlacquered brass taps, ex VAT, for about €11,4 while Screwfix sells a pair of similar cross-head taps that are counter rather than wall-mounted, for about €192.
The olive green casserole dish also shown costs €24 from M&S.
Sleek and contemporary
Rhatigan & Hick has taken a contemporary approach with its smoked oak and lacquered finish look. “We used a dark imperial marble on the island and a natural quartzite inside the tall units,” explains Ed Rhatigan.
The details play an important role in delivering this level of finish. Custom-made brass pull tabs feature on the tall units, while the island with legs has a Picadilly handle from ironmongers SDS London.
Prices for such cabinetry start from €30,000.
Hybrid design
The hand-painted Seaway design by Andrew Ryan marries the cook's table and the contemporary island to form a hybrid piece of furniture that has traditional styling.
It includes decorated below-counter storage with essential elements such as bins housed within the island aspect.
It features 60 mm English air-dried oak with a hand-finished oil coat.
Prices start from €30,000.
