Decor and flagstones

[Hazelbarn]

Hello,

I’m trying to vaguely smarten up our farmhouse kitchen. The floor has always looked, um, rustic, but I’ve only ever mopped it with water and hoovered it; it hasn’t ever had any special treatment. Should it? Lots of modern kitchen pics seem to have gleaming smart looking flagstones, but maybe they are a different type? And aside from trying to get it to look a little nicer, it does flake off (sometimes quite big bits, other times just slivers) is it too dry?

Also fishing for decorating ideas - would you paint the ceiling the same as the back wall colour? Or keep the white? Wondering about putting a warmer chocolate distemper on the beams - to match the mantlepiece... wondered about other colours for mantlepiece and beams but losing the plot on whether it would look too modern? If beams were whited out and mantlepiece went... sage?! Maybe I’ll just forget it and stick to the floor

Room is north facing with smallish leaded widows and after painting the whole room in white it looked totally unpainted - our uneven walls made it look like some stage of plastering! Hence warmer colour of back wall.

 

[Feltwell]

I think it looks nice just as it is! Maybe a bit more of an off-white for the doors and ceiling, it does look a bit Pure Brilliant White at the moment, which is modern. Beautiful flags. I don't like artificially shiny floors, the "natural" look does it for me!

 

[88v8]

Looks good to me, on my screen,.
I hope you painted the walls with limewash or clay.... and not vinyl.

It all has a nice simple vibe. Forget magazines, do you remember how just a couple of years ago they were pushing battleship grey??!! Novelty-obsessed towny know-nothings.

If I were going to change anything, the white is perhaps too white. Brilliant white is very modern. And although I still use gloss for window boards because it's hard wearing, on woodwork I prefer eggshell elsewhere.

Washing the floor is fine. But some stone does flake, and wetting makes it flake more. Wash it less. After all, you have crockery for food?
If you start sealing the floor, you may develop damp problems. And, the sealer will wear through on the high spots and look tatty. Just be content that it looks as if it's untouched since the house was built. Most period house owners would kill for that floor.

Sage green? Another colour. Bittyness. Perhaps black the mantelpiece to match the beams, if it will fulfil your urge to fiddle

Ivor

 

[Hazelbarn]

Thank you for thoughts! Hmm I used gloss on the door because I have a house full of kids... although yes it does look very shiny doesn’t it? Paint on walls was Auro last time and was going to choose a F&B casein distemper for the walls next... more colours to choose from. That’s ok I think Ivor? Previous layers would have been standard paint.
Yes I am very guilty of a run on the magazines of late! Thought it was good to get some views from here as well before I end up with the new battleship grey

 

[Abi Cott]

Maybe look at the options for bringing some colour in with you accessories. That lampshade really pops on the neutral background. If you have an urge for sage green, maybe the table decor would be an area to look at and make it feel more "designed" it also has the advantage of being easy to update when the colour palette changes.

 

[Gothichome]

I have to agree with the others, it looks fine as is. I think if you replace the crocks with granite ware or antique copper pots and pans, and hang a few bunches of herbs above the range you will have your very own magazine cover.
Ron

 

[Pennyviz]

I've got flags too in one of my rooms that some bright spark sealed with a varnish type product some years ago and are now delaminating in quite a few places. So my advice would be to do the bare minimum and if it ain't broke don't fix it ……

 

[Hazelbarn]

Thank you for that Pennyviz... sounds like less is more on these.