10 ways to make your kitchen feel ‘old money’

Making your home feel ‘old money’ is all the rage but what exactly is this interior trend? The look is to fill your home with timeless items, natural materials, and accessories that reflect good taste and travels.

The timeless aspect is perhaps the most important. Old money honours styles that have never gone out of fashion. In fact, if something is considered ‘fashionable’, it probably isn’t old money. 

One room getting an old money glow up is the kitchen. It’s here where some of interior design’s most transient trends show up…and date. Worktops with glittering speckles and slab-front cabinets? Although they can have instant impact, their appeal is rarely enduring.

An old money kitchen is one that still looks stylish and elegant 10 or even 20 years after it was installed. Success revolves around relying on the best classic staples money can buy, rather than jumping on the latest Instagram trends.

If you’re in any doubt how to create an old money kitchen, these 10 ideas will keep you on track.

1. Stay away from gloss: not only are high-shine, glossy surfaces tricky to keep clean, they don’t fit the old money aesthetic. Opt for matt and eggshell paint on cabinetry. These low-sheen but durable options achieve the understated finish old money demands. 

2. Prioritise natural materials: the bones of an old money kitchen are solid, not showy. Great options include terracotta or flagstone floor tiles, solid wood worktops, porcelain wall tiles and wooden cabinetry. 

3. Choose muted colours: don’t be tempted by the bright and sometimes very bold ‘colours of the year’ – they’ll create an imbalance in an old money kitchen. Refined options that won’t overwhelm include Farrow & Ball’s Setting Plaster, Edward Bulmer Paint’s Water Glass, Paint & Paper Library’s Wattle II and Little Greene’s Pearl Pale.

4. Pay attention to metallic finishes: chrome, satin nickel and matt black will look out of place in an old money kitchen. Instead, opt for brushed gold or antique brass when choosing taps, light fittings and handles. And on the latter…..

5. Always add handles: handles are part of the appeal in an old money kitchen, becoming style statements in their own right. Adding handles isn’t simply enough, however: the style has to be just right. Opt for long bar, T-bar or cup/shell handles, spherical knobs and even latches and cremone bolts.

6. Add glass display cabinets: old money kitchens look especially classy when fine glassware and crockery are displayed behind glass. Reeded glass can upgrade the look even further but if you want to add internal lighting, ensure it’s using traditional bulbs and not strip LEDs.  

7. Don’t be a show off: grandiose collections, such as elaborate coffee stations and busy bar areas, will look out of place as old money speaks quietly. If possible, create a larder or breakfast pantry, where the doors can be closed for neatness, and consider a ‘grogg’ tray in the hallway or dining room.

8. Be discreet with appliances: from hulking great American fridge freezers and air fryers to washing machines and dishwashers, most appliances look better when they’re integrated into the cabinetry or hidden in utility rooms. Exceptions include Agas and other classic range cookers, very unobtrusive toasters or La Marzocco coffee machines.

9. Choose a beautiful sink: while sleek kitchens lean towards undermounted, stainless steel sinks that don’t spoil the clean lines, old money is about upfront quality and substance. A hand-fired butler or Belfast sink will be practical and pleasing to the eye. 

10. Adds polish with fine details: ornately-framed oil paintings make unexpected but exquisite accessories in kitchens, as do antique copper pans and small collections of Delph pottery. Always exercise restraint, however, and don’t overcrowd an area. Fresh flowers never fail in an old money kitchen. Small urns, antique ceramic jugs and rustic stone vases filled with cottage garden flowers will finish the look.

Need a bigger kitchen or fancy a project where you can apply the old money look? Get in touch. We can sell your current property and find you the perfect new home.