The inside of an Aga gets very hot indeed. And quite right too. That’s the idea! But because range cookers are insulated and keep all that lovely heat inside, the exterior stays fairly cool. Which means your range cooker can become a fabulous canvas for creativity.
Some people love the minimalist look, sleek and cool with no clutter. Others prefer their kitchen, which is after all the heart of the home, to be cosier and more welcoming, a family space filled with personality, colour and verve. If you’re the latter, why not make your range the centrepiece of the kitchen, beautifully decorated for a unique look?
Agas and Rayburns are made of enamelled cast iron. Because enamel presents a smooth, shiny, non-porous surface you need to use oil-based paints. Luckily there’s a wide choice. Hammerite comes in standard and dimpled finish, in a vast range of stunning colours from metallic purple, green and metallic gold to scarlet and bright blue. Craft enamel paints are also excellent, especially because they come in tiny, weeny tins so you don’t have to lash out a small fortune on litres of the stuff. Ordinary household gloss paints are perfect too: as a general rule the better the quality of the paint, the better the finish.
If you’re not artistic yourself, commission someone who is. They’ll be able to either come up with designs for you to choose from, or bring your ideas and inspirations to life.
You can decorate the front and sides but obviously, because there’s a lot of heat concentrated on the top, it’s best to leave the top surface alone! You can create a design that wanders randomly across your range, for example a lyrical, sinuous floral or plant design. You can take a modernist stance and create abstract patterns, swirls and curls. Or even reproduce old Masters if you like! You can either enhance or disguise the shapes already inherent in your range, squares and rectangles. Make a subtle finish with blues on blue, reds on red or greys and purples against a shiny black surface. The decorative possibilities are only limited by your imagination.
Our personal favourite is an Aga we saw decorated with dozens of beautiful butterflies, in pastel pinks and blues, greens and oranges, delicately fluttering across the cooker’s sides and front to break up its otherwise solid pale blue faces. Delightful, unique and colourful, durable and easy to clean.
