‘WE WANTED A CONTEMPORARY LIVED-IN FEEL’
Reclaimed and rustic touches create a relaxing family vibe in this redesigned London kitchen
Technology manager Cathy Otty, her husband David Telford, a technology analyst, and son Buster, three, live in an Arts & Crafts semi in southeast London. They wanted to create a family-friendly space that made the most of the garden
Why did you decide to take on this project?
The idea was to balance the number of bedrooms – three upstairs – with more living space downstairs, as we both enjoy entertaining. It’s an old house, with a downstairs bathroom off the kitchen. We hated having the bathroom/toilet so close to where we were eating and wanted to move them further apart. We’d just had our son, too, and knew we needed to create more space.
What was the starting point of the scheme and how did it develop?
We worked with interior designer Emilie Fournet who suggested a layout that would make the most of the light as well as bring the garden in.
Both of us liked the idea of ‘modern rustic’ and gave Emilie a few things we wanted to factor in to the design, such as our Ercol sofa, exposed brickwork and two favourite pieces of art. The aim was to create a space that feels contemporary, but lived in and calming.
Who made the decisions on an accent colour?
Emilie suggested the green and leafy colour scheme. We wouldn’t have thought of using the dark Studio Green by Farrow & Ball ourselves, but immediately loved the idea and how dramatic and modern it felt. Strong White and French Gray, also from Farrow & Ball, balance out the dark and bounce a lot of light around the long room.
How did you pick a builder and how long did it take?
A friend recommended the builder and the interior designer, who then managed all the tradespeople. We liked the fact the building company manager and designer were women and we’d seen their work at our friends’ houses and liked what they’d done. The building work and interiors took five months – seven months from the planning application.
Tell us about your budget…
We had quotes from the builder and interior designer and then what was left over we used for the decor, which came to about £10,000. Emilie had a hard job managing what we wanted and sticking to the
budget. We often had to have conversations about trade-offs – even then, we spent more than we had! All in all it cost close to £80,000.
Did you need planning permission?
We built within the Permitted Development measurements – a four metre extension is allowed for semi-detached buildings (now six metres) but we did have to notify the council and get building control to sign off on it. Electrics and gas certificates were also needed.
What did the work involve and were there any issues?
As we were adding 24 square metres to the back of the house, it was quite a big job and there was a lot to think about. The patio had to be modified so the flow could carry naturally from the house into the garden. The extension is north-west facing but luckily there are no houses or trees blocking the light. There were issues with the party walls, which meant that for half of the extension we wouldn’t be able to have a straight wall for the whole length of it. We cheated a bit by creating a deeper recess for the fridge-freezer and evened out the rest with a fake wall to avoid losing too much space. Another consideration was that we wanted a green roof above the extension so we made sure there was enough support for the extra weight.
How did you decide on storage and space issues?
Open shelving and a walk-in pantry were on our wishlist, and we needed somewhere to hide the washing machine/tumble dryer.
Emilie made it all happen and suggested where to place everything.
Did you make any changes as you went along?
The original idea was for the high up, slit window on the left-hand side to be a picture window. We were concerned, however, that it wouldn’t have a good view and no plants would grow down the side of the house, so Emilie changed it and now we enjoy the light without privacy concerns or maintenance. The boiler had to be relocated, so we built it into a cupboard that is also used for storage and utilities. On the kitchen unit side, open shelves were chosen instead of wall units for a more individual look, so we had to make sure the pantry would have enough storage. There’s a breakfast station in there too.
Does the colour scheme create balance in the room?
Definitely. Having just three colours simplifies the overall feel of the space. Ultimately, we wanted the colour scheme to frame the view of the garden as you come in, but avoid a tunnel-vision effect that would make the kitchen too cold. We also painted the exterior in Studio Green.
‘Having just three colours simplifies the overall feel of the room’