ELLE Decoration (UK)

KATHARINE ROBERTSON, business developmen­t manager

A Victorian house in New Brighton on the Wirral is home to Katharine, her husband and their three sons.

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Our old galley style kitchen was a nightmare with the boys, especially when they were little. We couldn’t cook as a social activity – somebody went in and food came out! Cooking is something to do in a shared way and that informed aspects of the design, like having the island with the hob facing outwards.

We worked with Howard and Hugh of H Miller Bros on the design and they’re an amazing pair. They’re trained architects, so they’ve got a good feel for how something’s going to work in real life. It’s a south-facing room, and it was important to make the most of that lovely seaside light with tall, fully glazed doors.

The big, light-stained oak drawers look like they’re floating because the kickboards are quite far back; it makes it feel more spacious. The run of cabinets is finished in Farrow & Ball’s ‘School House White’ – it’s a nice, chalky finish. The round handles are hand-turned and stained a dark brown, almost black – they’re based on the volume knob on a vintage amplifier.

For the floor, we went with ‘China Blue’ vinyl from The Colour Flooring Company. The shade reminds me of the sea because it’s got that blue-green feel to it. They did the drawers in the same lino – it’s nice to have that little bit of colour. The lights are Muuto’s ‘Ambit’; there was a bit of playfulnes­s in having the blue and pink together.

The splashback is actually quite distinctiv­e because it’s cork. It’s nice to be able to pin things up on it, especially when the kids bring home their latest artistic creation! Howard and Hugh had this idea of having an ‘appliance garage’ for the toaster and the kettle. It’s a drawer that comes out and you slide it away, leaving the countertop clear.

Howard had done some really good renderings, so we had a pretty good idea of what it was going to look like but, up close and personal, it’s just so beautiful. It has turned out even better than I thought. hmillerbro­s.co.uk

‘It was important to make the most of that lovely seaside light with tall, fully glazed doors’

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