After downsizing from a big home to a two-bedroom flat, it wasn’t a scarcity of area that was the issue for this home-owner, however quite the shortage of sunshine. With a kitchen that was positioned in the course of the flat with just one small window, the area felt very darkish and gloomy earlier than.
‘The foremost problem with the flat was that the kitchen was plonked proper within the center subsequent to the lounge which made each rooms really feel cramped,’ says the house proprietor. ‘I knew that the one approach of fixing the issue was to take the dividing wall down in-between.’
The kitchen earlier than
The small kitchen with it’s single window felt darkish with a scarcity of sunshine coming in, which wasn’t helped by the dated kitchen items, navy tiles and black worktops.
On the opposite aspect of the kitchen wall was a small lounge with doorways and home windows that lead out to the backyard, so the house proprietor’s plan of pulling down the wall and creating one giant open-plan kitchen-diner and dwelling area made excellent sense.
The kitchen now
With the dividing wall between kitchen and lounge eliminated, the area is now reworked, with a brand new open-plan kitchen format that features a eating space and dwelling area past that. Gentle now floods all through from each side and the modern white kitchen solely provides to the sense of spaciousness.
‘Knocking two areas into one was a significant venture, but it surely’s given me the sunshine, brilliant kitchen that I craved,’ says the house proprietor.
‘Gentle-coloured items, which had been timeless and funds aware had been on my want record from the beginning and I discovered this contemporary white kitchen, which was good. I’ve had granite worktops previously, however was anxious they’d be too costly, so I used to be thrilled to find how a lot laminate worktops had come on – these had been virtually 1 / 4 of the worth!’
Get the look: Chilcomb items in porcelain with brushed stainless-steel impact chunky D handles, £3,700; Caldeira Compact laminate worktop, £750; and toughened glass splashback, £130; all Howdens
Scandi-style flooring
The kitchen flooring within the authentic kitchen was a pine-look laminate with an orange tinge which had undoubtedly seen higher days.
‘As a result of I used to be going to make the area open-plan, it actually needed to be one ground all through,’ add the house proprietor. ‘So I selected a Scandi-style distressed wood-effect laminate with a gray wash to it. It’s a good suggestion for a heavy-duty space like a kitchen and it appears to be like sensational.’
Get the look: Signature Brushed Oak flooring in Gray, £31.49sq m, Fast-Step
Co-ordinated color scheme
The color scheme was already determined to some extent, due to the blue velvet lounge couch concepts and brilliant blue rug that the house proprietor had purchased together with her from her earlier property.
‘I moved out to stick with a good friend for 5 weeks whereas the wall was taken down and the kitchen fitted, however I struggled with the wall color within the new area. Initially I considered Farrow & Ball’s Inchyra Blue, however the check patch was far too darkish and made the area really feel dingy. The room’s northeast dealing with, and I attempted a number of others earlier than visiting their store and going with their suggestion of Dix Blue, which I like.’
Get the look: Partitions painted in Dix Blue trendy emulsion, £56 for two.5l, Farrow & Ball
Built-in home equipment
When it got here to home equipment, the house proprietor opted for a brand new oven and hood, together with a brand new sink and faucet.
‘I purchased an virtually new fridge-freezer with me from the outdated home, in addition to a dishwasher and a plug-in hob, which had been all in good situation, and I made positive they fitted into the kitchen plan.’
‘There wasn’t actually room for a dishwasher within the new kitchen, with out encroaching into the dwelling area, however I labored out that I may put the washer within the airing cabinet within the rest room and slot the dishwasher in. It makes just about no noise, and it’s one you possibly can programme to come back on at evening, so it’s all clear once I rise up within the morning. ‘
Compact eating space
‘I already had two plain black chairs that I would purchased years in the past, so I looked for an identical black desk,’ says the house proprietor. ‘I wished a spherical desk with a drop leaf high so it could possibly be pushed up in opposition to the wall when it was simply me – after which opened out to seat as much as six once I had company.’
‘It’s a very nice spot to sit down and eat, and the portray of sheep above the desk jogs my memory of the Lake District the place I’m from.’
Get the look: Drop leaf desk in black, £225, Habitat
Darkish accents
‘I’ve acquired metallic touches across the room, and I didn’t need a wood desk to conflict with the gray flooring, so the black end provides to the economic really feel.’
‘I intentionally selected a paint that may be wiped down simply and received’t mark, and within the difficult space behind the hob added a toughened piece of glass.’
Storage necessities
‘In an open-plan kitchen you possibly can’t afford to have an excessive amount of stuff on present, so I deliberate for all the things to be hidden away behind cabinet doorways.’
‘I couldn’t bear to have an enormous chunky bin on present in a small kitchen, in order a part of the design I made positive that there was a pull-out one behind a door.’
Washing-up space
‘Good high quality sinks and faucets are all the time value paying additional for and I acquired a sink and a half to have the ability to do two issues without delay.’
Get the look: Mythos MYX sink, £469.96, and Krios J spout faucet, £247.96, each Franke
Assertion rug
Get the look: Oro Geometric rug, £109, Dunelm, Bayla gold LED steel linear ceiling mild, £180, Habitat
The fabulous blue and cream rug is an actual assertion piece that ties the color scheme of the 2 areas collectively.
‘I couldn’t be happier with the outcome and am loving my brilliant new kitchen – it’s precisely what I wished.’
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