Wren helped us keep harmony in the kitchen
Singer and actor Duncan James moved home so his mum, Fiona, wouldn’t be on her own during lockdown. The only problem was her shabby kitchen. Wren stepped in to help design a new one they both love
To keep his mum company in the first lockdown, former Blue star Duncan James decided to move into the Shepperton home he bought for her. ‘I moved in when lockdown happened so she wasn’t alone, and I haven’t actually left!’ he says.
They’ve always loved cooking together, so it brought back happy childhood memories. ‘Ever since I was a little boy, Mum always made nice food, and as I’ve got older I like to cook as well,’ he explains. ‘Because we’ve been living here together during the pandemic, we’ve both enjoyed cooking together.’ Duncan’s mum, Fiona, agrees. ‘It’s been an important part of getting through lockdown. It’s really been a highlight,’ she says.
While Duncan has loved being at home, it wasn’t all plain sailing, as he wasn’t a fan of his mum’s kitchen. ‘I had a real issue with the kitchen, I just hated it! So, I phoned my friend Kieron Richardson, who was in Hollyoaks. He’s got a really nice kitchen and I found out it was from Wren,’ Duncan explains.
THE LATEST TECH
Having decided to take the plunge, the only question was: how to get a new kitchen designed and fitted during lockdown? Duncan and Fiona were thrilled to discover that they’d be able to design their kitchen from the safety of their own home with Wren Kitchens, via video conference. ‘We had a lovely designer called
Zac,’ says Fiona. ‘He was very tolerant with us, I have to say. He was great – and great fun!’
Choosing their perfect design was simple thanks to the 3D computer layout. ‘It was incredible,’ says Duncan. ‘Because the kitchen was already fully laid out on a computer, we could see in 3D what it was going to look like, so then it was just a question of what type of cupboards should we have or what kind of worktops should we have and so on.’
HAPPY COMPROMISE
With the layout finalised, they just needed to choose the fixtures and finishes, something that proved tricky due to a few differences of opinion between mother and son. Luckily, though, Wren’s designer helped them decide on something they both liked – and Fiona won out in the end. ‘We squabbled a bit about what type of door handle Duncan wanted and what I wanted,’ says Fiona. ‘So, Zac just put the door handles on the kitchen, so we could actually see. Of course, we decided to go with mine!’
While the look of the kitchen was a collaborative effort, Duncan really came into his own with the appliances. ‘I’m a bit techy so I’m really into my appliances,’ he explains. ‘I really like Neff because they have this oven called a Slide and Hide, that’s such a great space saver.’
SAVVY SOLUTIONS
Duncan enjoyed adding clever storage solutions, too. ‘We have what we call Duncan’s little snack cupboard,’ says Fiona, ‘There’s this handle that you pull down and it’s got two shelves that rotate out. Because I’m not very tall, it’s great because I can reach everything – it’s really handy.’ That’s not the only feature Fiona is a fan of, jokes Duncan. ‘What she really likes is the double wine rack!’ he laughs.
The kitchen also needed to cater to another family member – Duncan’s ‘half sister,’ Fiona’s dog, Lula. ‘It was really important for my mum to have an area for Lula in the kitchen; Lula’s den,’ he says. ‘Wren came up with this wonderful idea,’ enthuses Fiona. ‘It’s a little cubby hole under the units, where she can sleep and I can store all her dog food as well. It works perfectly.’
EASY AS 1, 2, 3
Despite a few minor squabbles along the way, one thing Duncan and Fiona definitely agree on is that they couldn’t be happier with their new kitchen. Even with the lockdown, they found the whole process, from the initial design to the finished kitchen, a total breeze. ‘We couldn’t have gone with a better company,’ says Duncan. ‘The service, the way they fitted it, the designing of everything on computer during the pandemic, everything was just so smooth and effortless.’ Fiona agrees: ‘It worked out extremely well. I think we’re very fortunate.’