An Awkward Kitchen Shape

The Project

Una and Pat bought this house with their young family and spent many happy years bringing up their children in this home. Now their children have grown up and moved away, it was time to update the house to fit their new lives and refresh their style.

Awkward Space

They had already undertaken some large projects years beforehand, adding a wrap around extension that linked their kitchen and garage together, whilst providing a dining room and utility space. However, by keeping the original kitchen, guests were squeezed passed the chef by the door, shown through the utility room before sitting down for their meal in a room that felt quite isolated from the rest of the house. It was clear that the flow just wasnt working.

By taking the rather radical step of knocking through an old window that had been blocked up during the extension, we could move the doorway towards the centre of the house and create a much better flow between the rooms.

Zoning

At first Una was worried that she would be getting a much smaller kitchen as it was now fitting into the utility room. However, she didn't worry long as we carefully zoned each area, putting the sink and hob in the brightest areas of the room and the storage in the darker, higher traffic areas that had been in the old kitchen.

To make sure that this space worked efficiently, we acted out everyday tasks to make sure that everything was going to be in the right space for THEM.

Colours & Materials

Because we used a local cabinetmaker to turn plans into reality, Una had an almost unlimited choice of doors to choose from. As a keen amature artist, she had a great eye for colour but she was even braver than I had expected. I love the smoked woodgrain door that she chose for the base units. To keep the bright and calm feel, we paired it with a soft grey door on the wall and tall units and also used it on the plinth to create a floating feel.

Una and Pat used a new worktop material called Compact Laminate which is only 12mm thick and is a brilliant new affordable solid worktop. We also used it as a splashback behind the sink and hob for a practical and striking finish.

Supporting Local

Because we used a local cabinetmaker, they could add some great twists that we couldn't have had from buying off the shelf. There is actually a hidden cupboard in the area going through the arch, a handle would have been a hip bruiser so we used a secret push to open mechanism instead.

They also took that extra care when making the units, if you look carefully on the drawers, you will see the same grain runs down all three drawers which is beautiful.

something similar would cost around £15K