‘it was a total family effort’
Emily enlisted the help of relatives to transform her dark and dingy kitchen
As a first-time buyer, i was looking for an affordable doer-upper. this house was in a really awful state, but having lots of my family, including my mum and dad, in the building trade put me in a great position.
I had masses of expertise on hand to sort it out, and everyone rallied round to help me achieve my vision on a budget.
Making a start
The house had been empty for months and was a complete mess inside, but the high ceilings, big rooms and amazing light flooding in at the back all really appealed. At first I thought I’d keep the dining room and kitchen separate, but the kitchen was small and too dark, so knocking down the dividing wall was an obvious move. The kitchen worked best in the corner, leaving space for a table, and I knew I wanted a breakfast bar with stools, because I love having friends over for a glass of wine or a coffee and a chat.
Design decisions
I like modern and vintage looks, and I prefer angles and straight lines to curves. Top of my wishlist were the metro wall tiles. They’re not too expensive and it’s easy to create interesting effects. They also fit in with the clean, functional vibe I wanted. Brick was another must-have material for that industrial edge, and I was thrilled that we could re-use the bricks from the dining-room wall to build the breakfast bar. I fancied patchwork-style floor tiles and I set my heart on solid oak worktops and chunky, open wooden shelves for easy storage. I’d decided on plain white units, and I had to watch costs to afford those luxury wooden worktops! Mum and Dad recommended B&Q kitchen furniture, which they’ve fitted before, and I picked up well-priced cupboards that were perfect. I found my appliances and flooring there too. Sourcing so much from one store