‘It’s the sociable family kitchen I’ve always wanted’
A new light-filled space has become the focal point of this home
‘The original kitchen was done in the 1990s and was previously in another part of the house. It had low ceilings and not much daylight, and the layout just didn’t work for us.’
What were you aiming to achieve in your new kitchen? Lots! We moved it to another room and then knocked down walls and the ceiling through to the loft to create height. We also added windows to bring in more light.
Did you have a clear idea of your aims?
Yes, I had quite a long wishlist – I knew I wanted a pantry and enough bins for all the different kinds of recycling. I was also keen to have lots of built-in display shelving for all my favourite crockery and other bits and bobs. Next, I wanted a boiling water tap, a large freestanding fridge-freezer and also quartz worktops. It was important to me to have a different style of kitchen than we had in our old house – not because I didn’t love the previous one, but because it would be a shame not to use this opportunity to go for something different.
This was one of the reasons I chose British Standard – the cupboards arrive primed so you can paint them in any colour you want, and then repaint them later if you fancy a change.
Were there any challenges?
Well, the pandemic certainly threw a few spanners in the works, but overall there wasn’t anything else major that went wrong. It was a challenge to fit in everything on my lengthy wishlist but the British Standard designer came up with lots of options to make it work. I still haven’t decided on a splashback or the island lamps, but I’ll get to those one day.
What’s your favourite part of the space?
The height, the big windows and the display shelves. This room didn’t have any windows before and now it has so much natural light, which I love.
How has the new room changed family life?
We learned to make sushi together during the pandemic, which has been a fun way to spend time with each other – and our sushi has come a long way from the first attempts. I love to invite friends over. I’m all for simple one-pot dishes – Finnish fish soup is a family favourite. I’ve been using the kitchen table as my home office desk, so I do spend most of the daylight hours in here.
Susanna Hawkins, a photographer and editor, lives in a 1960s detached house, once a split-level bungalow, with her husband Paul, their two children and Ebba the cat