‘IT’S A MIX OF CLASSIC WITH INDUSTRIAL TOUCHES’ A fantastic light-filled family kitchen-diner
A new extension made it possible to create a fantastic light-filled family kitchen-diner
Ann-Sophie Purtell, 37, and her husband Brent, 36, a garden designer, live in a 1930s three-bedroom home in Coulsdon, south London with their daughters, Josephine, six, and Annabel, four
Why did you choose this house?
We moved here from Fulham in west London six years ago, when I was pregnant with my daughter Josephine. We thought we might find it too quiet after being more central, but here we have the South Downs virtually on our doorstep and we love to get out into the countryside. Plus, with the addition of the new extension, we now have a lot more space for our money.
Describe what it was like to start with…
The house was a typical 1930s three-bedroom semi, pebbledashed and with a garage to the side. We started by knocking down the garage and building a two-storey extension to create a bigger kitchen and more bedrooms. In extending to the side we’ve doubled the size of the house, but it entailed a year of building work while we lived off frozen pizza!
Did you use an architect?
Yes, we knew the general layout we wanted but hired an architect to make drawings and transfer our ideas into something the planners would accept, and that a builder could work to. Luckily, planning permission was quite straightforward – no one objected.
Does the new layout work better?
It does. Now the kitchen is at the back of the house overlooking the garden. There’s also a new double guest bedroom with an ensuite bathroom at the front. Upstairs, we have our main suite and a new family bathroom for the girls.
How did you decide on the style of the kitchen?
After looking at lots of home interest magazines and online for inspiration, we made a moodboard of everything we liked and took it to our kitchen fitter, who gave us a brochure with styles to choose from. We matched things up with what we wanted, opting for units by Mereway Kitchens.
You’ve gone for quite a classic look…
It’s a mix of traditional New England Shaker-style units in soft grey, and more contemporary retro-industrial touches, such as the white Metro tiles and globe filament light from Rowen & Wren. The zinc-topped dining table and matching bench have a rustic look and the Tolix-style dining chairs we found at Made go perfectly with it. Was the flooring a difficult choice?
At one stage we had 15 different samples laid out on the floor! In the end we went for semi-polished tiles from Italy. We chose them because they have a slight shine but aren’t too glitzy.
Why did you include a mural?
We found a company online called Surface View, which has a licence to reproduce hundreds of artworks from museums around the world. We picked this sailing image from the National Maritime Museum because the colours match the kitchen. It’s something different to look at and it’s better than staring at a plain wall. Everyone thinks it’s been painted on but it’s actually printed onto silk in four sections. We gave the company our wall measurements and they sent it back to us for hanging by a specialist.
What do you like most about the kitchen now?
I’m very happy with the mural – I think it looks pretty cool. And
I love the island, which has an overhanging oak breakfast bar that gives it a more asymmetrical, bespoke look.
See Brent’s garden designs at purtellparker-smith.com