Specializing in 18th-century kitchen craftsmanship applied with 21st-century verve, Plain English has been on our radar for a good while. (See, for instance, A Kitchen Inspired by a Windswept Island, A Subtly Splendid Kitchen with a Grand Walk-In Larder, and A Kitchen for the People, Courtesy of Prince Charles.)
But we’ve always had to admire the UK company’s work from afar?until now. Its former creative director Julian Bly “came over prospecting for gold in May,” he says, and now heads Plain English’s new US office. Based in NYC, his mission is to translate the Plain English way Stateside (and already has kitchens in progress in Brooklyn, Greenwich, Phoenix, Austin, SF, and LA). All the cabinetry is made to order at the company’s farm estate in Suffolk, then shipped here (prices average $1,800 per linear foot). Here’s our favorite project from the fall catalogue, and for more inspiration, visit Plain English’s just-unveiled new website. Photography courtesy of Plain English.

Above: The design is a study in subtle contrasts. An extended backsplash of Carrara marble is paired with white walls and exposed industrial beams. Carrara marble was also used on the counters and the island is topped with more dramatically veined arabescatto marble. (N.B.: In the US, counter materials and appliances are sourced locally.)
The pale herringbone wood floor is offset by cupboards painted Jack Black and the island in Lamp Bla...