‘TWO DECADES ON, MY KITCHEN REALLY NEEDED AN UPDATE’
Geometric touches in a monochrome scheme
Alison Davidson, an interiors journalist and stylist, lives in a 1930s detached house in Surrey. She had been gradually renovating the house, room by room, and finally decided to tackle the kitchen.
Describe the room before you changed it…
When we first moved into the house, the kitchen had dark brown wooden units, beige laminate worktops, two boilers on the wall, a red lino floor and some awful patterned tiles. We couldn’t live with it, so although we’d spent all our money buying the house, we managed to scrape enough together to freshen it up.
What happened next?
As we were on a tight budget, we had to be inventive, so rather than buying completely new units, we decided to keep the carcasses and just replace the door fronts, the work surfaces and the wall and floor tiles. We also installed a range cooker and moved the boilers.
Why did you decide to renovate again now?
I had lived with a bodged kitchen for 20 years. I rushed it at the time, so I was never really satisfied with it, and I just decided to bite the bullet and completely redo it from scratch. Also, the doors kept falling off the hinges, the floor was cracked in places and the sink under the window hadn’t worked for years.
Where did you start?
As an interiors stylist, I look at gorgeous kitchens every day, so you would think it would be easy for me – but there are so many choices! I also had a budget to work to – I’d cashed in some savings, so I only had a limited amount to spend. I looked at lots of options, but eventually decided to go with Howdens nearby. I knew I wanted handleless units, so that narrowed it down for me, and I finally chose Howdens Clerkenwell range in dark grey with a matt finish for the base units, and a run of white wall units above on one side. I thought about having units on both walls, but I hadn’t had them in the past, so I didn’t think I needed them. Also, as it’s a galley kitchen, I didn’t want it to feel too closed in.
What was the next step?
Once we’d worked on the design together and made a few changes, I could have left everything to Howdens – but I’m far too picky for that! I then shopped around for appliances, flooring and wall tiles myself. Making choices was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Lots of things date so quickly, and I didn’t want something that everyone else had and was all over Instagram.
You had some set ideas about appliances…
The one thing I definitely wanted was an American-style fridgefreezer, which seems a bit odd when I live alone most of the time, but it was my indulgence – I love using the water dispenser and getting ice for my gin and tonic! I also knew I wanted an eye-level oven and microwave, which meant there was a big gap where the range cooker used to be – perfect for deep pan drawers. I kept the hob and extractor on that wall, so it could vent outside. After doing some research, I opted for an induction hob. This one cleverly ‘talks’ to the extractor hood, so once a pan starts boiling, the extractor fan automatically comes on – it’s so cool!
How did you decide on the flooring and wall tiles?
I really wanted orange on the walls and spent a long time deliberating on colour, but then worried I’d get tired of it. In the end, I decided to go down the monochrome route, thinking I could always paint the wall orange if I wanted to at a later date. I found the black-and-white patterned tiles at Mandarin Stone, and I’d always wanted metro tiles too, so I used those on the other wall and around the sink – I think they complement each other perfectly.
Are you pleased with how the kitchen has turned out?
With my job, you’re always looking ahead to what’s next – but yes, I’m very pleased with it. It did take me a long time to get used to it, though – especially to remember where I put everything!
‘Renovating the kitchen has made it much more efficient, lighter and brighter – easier to clean and to keep clean too’