The Genius Kitchen Trend We're Stealing From the Brits

Imagine a traditional English country kitchen and you're likely picturing a cozy, warm space with a large stove, maybe a skirted sink, and lots of pieces of furniture—an island, a hutch, maybe a freestanding shelving unit—in lieu of a wall of cabinets and feet of counter space that most of our kitchens have today. If that's a romantic and idyllic picture in your mind, you'll love the modern take on kitchen "furniture" the Brits are still using, with cleaner lines and better storage space than its cottage-dwelling predecessors.

English furniture maker deVOL specializes in kitchen design, and one look at their Instagram feed will have you planning a renovation of your own. Their designs are simple with an emphasis on sophisticated details, and as a whole create a beautiful space worth all of your double-taps. One piece many of deVOL's kitchens include is a large freestanding cabinet. It adds the cozy feel of a kitchen that has furniture in it (in the same way an antique hutch or farm-table-as-island does) but feels seamless and intentional in the space because it's made in the same style and color as the rest of the kitchen cabinetry.

Many of the cabinets serve as pantry space and even house microwaves or other small appliances, a genius solution for hiding less-than-beautiful but necessary kitchen tools. But another common style is the curiosity cabinet, which features glass doors, for storing the things you do want to show off or keep within sight.

WATCH: The Hack That Will Give You So Much More Space in Your Kitchen

If your kitchen is in need of extra storage or you've been looking for a piece of furniture to complete your space, take a nod from the Brits and consider a custom freestanding piece that matches the cabinets you already have instead of an accent item. The result will be the perfect mix of country cottage and streamlined, modern kitchen.