A reconfiguration and fresh colour scheme have brought new life to this once dark and dreary kitchen
It's now flooded with natural light
Nicola and Phil fell in love with this house as soon as they saw it, with the exception of the kitchen, which they instantly disliked. ‘It was so dark, and it was located in the centre of the house. Plus, the rough stone floors didn’t work with three very young children toddling around. It just wasn’t a comfortable or inviting space to be in,’ says Nicola, who knew it would need more than a few kitchen ideas to transform it.
The couple had previously worked with interior designer Lucy Burt from Nest Interior Design on other rooms in the house, and they loved her style, so they were keen to get her involved in their kitchen makeover, too. ‘I was lucky to find Lucy via a mix of Google searching and social media, and then she recommended kitchen designer Francesca Quansah from Design By Helium to us, and we loved her portfolio, too.’
Lucy and Francesca came up with a plan that would completely transform the back part of the house, taking it from dark and dingy to open and light.
‘The previous owners had done an extension, but they used it as a lounge/dining area,’ explains Nicola. ‘The house came with a huge integral garage, so we decided to knock through the back third of it to give us much more space to work with. It also meant the existing bifold doors could become part of the kitchen, allowing a lot more light in. We went for an open-plan kitchen-diner/living area.’
Determining the kitchen style, colour, and finish was a collaborative process. ‘Lucy and Francesca had a great understanding of how we wanted the space to look and feel, while keeping in mind the practicalities of living with three children and a puppy. We wanted the kitchen to look great, but it also needed to be durable,’ says Nicola.
There were tricky areas to navigate, Nicola recalls: ‘The house had difference levels – the kitchen, outside decking and the garden, plus the ceiling pitched in two areas, which made lighting more challenging. The only regret was not adding blinds or an awning as although I adore the south-facing light, it can get very hot in the summer.’
The project took around six months, but the result is a beautiful, functional space that the family spend most of their time in. ‘The boys have their breakfast together at the kitchen island each morning, and we have the doors wide open all summer long – it really is the hub of the house now.’
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