London couturier Anna Valentine was a ballet dancer before becoming a designer. And with her former business partner, Antonia Robinson, she deftly made her mark in the fashion world by dressing Camilla Parker Bowles in flattering dove gray silk (take a look) for her 2005 wedding to Prince Charles.
Known for her quietly cerebral and refined approach to design—she says she takes her influences “from the fluidity and elegance of dancers’ costumes, the pared-down simplicity of Scandinavian design, and the flattering rigors of Japanese-style draping”—Valentine, now solo, has gone on to outfit a number of royals and recently introduced her own ready-to-wear line. But what caught our attention is her magically ethereal-looking kitchen.
Photography courtesy of DRDH.
The look of the rooms, from pale palette to window height to herringbone wood floor, was inspired by the turn-of-the-20th-century paintings of hushed interiors by Danish artist Vilhelm Hammershoi. The trestle table and rustic stools, however, are a 21st-century casual-elegant twist. (For similar designs, consider Russell Pinch’s Oak and Walnut Imo Stool and Achille Castiglioni’s Leonardo Dining Table, both from the Conran Shop.)
Go to Kitchens to see more of our favorite designs, including:
- 13 Favorite Minimalist British Kitchens
- Steal This Look: A Star London Chef’s Kitchen
- A Refrigerator-Free Kitchen
N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on November 19, 2015.
Have a Question or Comment About This Post?
Join the conversation