‘OUR TIME-WARP KITCHEN IS NOW FIT FOR THE FUTURE’ A large and light-filled room in a Victorian home

Taking down an unused chimney revealed a bright, open-plan space

What was your vision? We wanted a light-filled open space that flowed from the hallway and had room for the children to play. The back of the house gets sunlight all afternoon and evening and we wanted to make the most of that. We were after a fairly modern backdrop where we could layer up textures, materials, colours and antiques to create our own unique kitchen-diner.

This was just one room you were renovating… Yes. The kitchen was part of a whole-house refurb, and the structural work required nine steel beams and columns from the ground floor up to the roof. The rotten windows were rebuilt as wooden sashes and the room was completely replumbed, rewired and replastered. The biggest challenge, though, was removing the central chimney stack that serviced the old kitchen and sitting room behind.

Did it all run smoothly?

Not exactly! It got off to a rocky start due to issues with building regulations and the party wall. It took six months to get the project started, during which we lost our builder. In the end, Tom took the project management on himself, having had some experience renovating our shop.

How did you juggle the project with work?

We worked around our business, so if the shop was busy we couldn’t do as much on the kitchen.

Describe your style…

We don’t follow trends; our approach is to buy what we love. We’ve got things from France and Turkey that don’t necessarily go together according to ‘the rules’, but that doesn’t matter to us.

Is there anything you’d do differently?

The cement tiles. The recommended sealing process for them didn’t work and, with underfloor heating, they’d be expensive to replace.

Are you pleased with the results?

It was a huge challenge, but having our dream kitchen makes it all worthwhile.

OUR SOURCEBOOK Antique pieces Agapanthus Interiors agapanthusinteriors.com Units Arlington arlingtondesign.uk Antique Spanish reclaimed wall tiles Bert & May bertandmay.com Floor cement tiles Cement Tile Shop cementtileshop.com Paint Little Greene littlegreene.com Furniture Normann Copenhagen normann-copenhagen.com Building On The Brink Studio onthebrink.studio

WORKTOP Corian provides a sleek, seamless finish

‘The old kitchen was a narrow space with 1960s cupboards and a Belfast sink built into the brickwork. Between the kitchen and former sitting room was a big chimney and fireplace taking up a huge amount of space.’

Zoë Rigby and Tom Feeney, owners of Agapanthus Interiors, share this three-bed Victorian end-terrace in Manchester with their children, Arthur and Walter

STORAGE Crockery is stored in the drawers of a cleverly angled island WALLS Exposed brick gives an industrial feel that works well with the subtle shade of the units ACCESSORIES A collection of metal trays from Turkey creates a cohesive theme PLANT LIFE Greenery adds character and vibrancy ZONING A colourful rug delineates a separate area in the open-plan space