Martin and Shirlie Kemp’s contemporary country utility room is "refined elegance" at its finest and it’s so easy to recreate a similar look in your home.
When it comes to the key kitchen trends of 2024 so many of them can also be applied to your utility room, including statement lighting and natural influences. Having a place where laundry and other work can be done away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of your home is something many of us dream of and for Martin and Shirlie Kemp this is a reality. The Spandau Ballet musician and Pepsi & Shirlie singer have shared so many glimpses inside their gorgeous Hertfordshire house over on their Instagram home account which is managed by Shirlie.
The couple have been renovating their Victorian property and the utility room is one space that is now finished to perfection. Martin and Shirlie Kemp’s utility room took centre stage in a social media post back in April where it had been styled for spring, complete with flower-filled vases and plenty of other decorative items.
Get Country Kitchen Inspiration
This beautiful hand-painted vase is a lovely way to emulate Martin and Shirlie Kemp's kitchen décor with a twist. Crafted from stoneware, this is sure to add a touch of detail and make a statement in any room.
Whether or not you want to serve freshly-baked cakes on it or just use it as a display piece in your kitchen, this is a lovely addition to your home. It's dishwasher and microwave safe and has a slightly weathered finish.
Perfect for storage, whether you want to put sweet treats or tea bags inside, this large glass jar is a practical home accessory. The metal lid and ribbed sides add a touch of detail and this would look lovely on your shelves or worktop.
Crafted from mango wood, this board has a practical handle and is great for serving everything from charcuterie to cheese. Alternatively, just place it on your worktop or shelves to add a rustic charm to your home.
This woven basket is not only incredibly affordable, but also a brilliant organisational solution for your home. Fill with whatever you like and use the handles to hang on a variety of things or else just position carefully on your surfaces or shelves.
This dishwasher safe, oven safe dish is perfect for cooking hearty meals with as well as for displaying on your counter top. It has a polished finish and a ripple design that is very delicate and subtle.
The same principles apply in a utility room as when you organise a kitchen and the white-painted wooden cupboards provided plenty of storage. On top of the matching white marble worktop, however, the couple clearly love adding countryside charm with home accessories. They’ve brought a sense of the outdoors indoors with their unpainted wooden shelves and echoed this in the frames of the various paintings they’ve got on display.
Each of the shelves is filled with ornaments which create a cosy, rustic feel and according to Woman&Home’s Digital Lifestyle Editor, Tamara Kelly, this room is the epitome of "contemporary country style".
"This utility room design is a dreamy vision of contemporary country style with a ceramic butler sink sunk into the very pale grey cabinets topped with a durable marble countertop," Tamara explained. "The country charm is then echoed through the thoughtfully placed accessories including the tiered cake stand, soup tureen and Delft-style floral vases filled with delicate pink roses."
The roses are likely from Martin and Shirlie’s own garden as they’re known for their passion for gardening and have also shared plenty of floral snaps on their home Instagram account. The pink adds a splash of colour that brightens up the room and Tamara believes that the framed artwork adds more traditionalism to the space.
She said, "The ornate picture frames add a vintage touch, that feels in keeping with the more traditional look - the whole set-up is a masterpiece in refined elegance. Personally, I might be wary of the frames positioned that closely behind the sink, it looks lovely but I'm not sure how practical that is in reality - it's perhaps a water-damage scenario waiting to happen."
Whether or not you display pictures so close to the sink like them, Martin and Shirlie clearly have an eye for the details and their utility room is full of them. They’re not afraid to switch things up either and before their recent spring refresh, they had a lot more natural wooden accents.
In January they had a set of wooden serving boards on display as well as woven baskets on the shelves. Illuminated in the light from the pendant lights, they gave a rustic feel to Martin and Shirlie Kemp’s utility room and provided handy extra storage if needed.
