‘Extending gave us a spacious new kitchen’

After eight years, Arleta and Mike Cloud decided it was high time to enlarge their kitchen for a more practical layout

A side return extension gave this home a more practical layout

With sons Max and Phillip having moved out to go to university and just 14-year-old Oscar still living at home, expanding the kitchen was by no means essential for Arleta and Mike. However, the couple were keen to establish a more ergonomic layout that would allow the family to move freely throughout the space.

SMOOTH SAILING Arleta took a practical approach when it came to the plans. ‘I would imagine myself taking something out of the oven and having a clear surface to place it down on,’ she says, ‘so a kitchen island was one of my must-haves.’ The couple brought in Plus Rooms (plusrooms.co.uk) to handle the design and construction. The plans were soon given the green light under Permitted Development and works progressed without a hitch, too, thanks in large part to Plus Rooms’ organised approach. ‘The builders stuck to the schedule,’ says Arleta, ‘and it was finished bang on time.’

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED Despite adding just 12sq m, flow in the kitchen-diner has dramatically improved. The extra space came in especially handy when Max and Phillip moved home again in March 2020. Arleta has no regrets about adding the kitchen island, either. ‘We can’t imagine the kitchen without it.’

WHAT I’VE LEARNED “If you have your heart set on an idea, you shouldn’t give up on it. For me, that was the kitchen island. I may not be a professional designer, but I knew that was something I needed to incorporate

ARLETA AND MIKE USED TO TAKE A CHAIR OUTSIDE TO ENJOY THE ‘DEAD’ SPACE IN THE SIDE RETURN NOW THE COUPLE BENEFIT FROM EXTRA SPACE IN THE KITCHEN, AS WELL AS A SEAMLESS LINK TO THE GARDEN

THE ISLAND, ONE OF ARLETA’S MUST-HAVE FEATURES, IS TOPPED WITH A HARD-WEARING QUARTZ SURFACE

A ROOFLIGHT CHANNELS LIGHT INTO THE SPACE AND THROUGH A GLAZED DOOR INTO THE LIVING ROOM