HEART OF THE HOME

Rachel Barlow’s newly-extended kitchen-diner provides ample space to relax, entertain and play in the home she shares with her husband and two children

‘We knew we wanted to make our mark on the house when we moved in. However, we were expecting our first child so we prioritised doing what we could quite quickly and saved the big work until after the baby was born. Two babies later, it was obvious the kitchen was the pinch point. It was so narrow you couldn’t fit a proper table in. We went backwards and forwards between the kitchen and sitting room checking on the kids and watching pots on the boil, and we rarely had people over – it felt too chaotic.

‘We wanted a big kitchen-diner so we could cook and keep an eye on the kids at the same time. We’re west-facing so we wanted big patio doors to enjoy the sunny afternoons. I was keen on having an island with the hob looking out onto the garden so I could prep tea while watching the kids play. We based the layout around that and designed it ourselves.

‘As well as a side-return extension, we reconfigured the downstairs layout, shortening the living room and adding a utility and downstairs toilet. We didn’t want to extend out to the back, partly because it would impede on next door’s view and light, so we decided to take a little space from the rest of the house to make the kitchen bigger.

‘The work was more straightforward than we thought. The build team boarded up the kitchen and accessed the site via the side of the house, so while it was cold, it was safe for the kids. The project has changed the way we live in the house completely – there’s so much more space and it feels much less claustrophobic trying to cook and entertain. We got what we wanted: an indoor-outdoor space where we can all be together while doing our own thing. We have no complaints – we’re so glad we did it.’

COSTS & CONTACTS

Project cost: £60,700

Design: Plus Rooms, 0800 917 7127, plusrooms.co.uk