Made in Yorkshire

Alison and John Stansfield wanted to update their kitchen without sacrificing the unique character of their Victorian home. The solution was to reposition the room and knock down a supporting wall

Alison and John Stansfield created their dream family kitchen

Faced with a six-foot-wide galley kitchen occupying a former pantry, Alison and John Stansfield knew exactly which room of their double-fronted Victorian home to tackle first. ‘It had a tiny north-facing window and 1980s pine units with only enough room for the chef, who was isolated and forgotten,’ explains Alison, who moved from a modern bungalow in a neighbouring village with husband John and sons Harry and Dan in 2011. Creating a new kitchen in the former breakfast room and knocking it through to the front room seemed the obvious solution, as it allowed light to flood in through the south-facing bay window. Alison took responsibility for hiring the tradespeople needed for the project. To knock down the supporting wall between the two spaces and install a steel beam, she drafted in a builder who lives on the same street.

‘We wanted to save and reuse as much as possible while creating a good family space with a relaxed country feel that had multiple uses,’ says Alison. The couple removed the 1980s gas fires and opened up the fireplaces for a range cooker and wood-burning stove. The old lintels that had been lowered by previous occupants were reused in the garden as seating. ‘And we were so pleased to discover some Yorkstone flags buried beneath the tarmac drive, which were repurposed as a hearth for the log-burner,’ she adds.

Keen to preserve the building’s character, the couple replaced modern radiators with cast-iron ones and had reproduction Yorkshire sliding sash windows installed, too.

However, the project wasn’t without its challenges: mismatched coving had to be replaced to make the two spaces tally up, and when Alison and John discovered that the kitchen floor tiles were sitting directly on earth they had to lay a new concrete floor and add insulation. ‘It wasn’t much fun having wheelbarrows full of cement brought through the front door,’ says Alison.

After hunting around for a kitchen design that would suit their Victorian home, the couple opted for painted units by Neptune from Aberford Kitchens & Interiors. They ordered these before they’d even moved in, and picked the wall colour used in the showroom’s café. ‘As the house needed rewiring and replumbing to replace the old lead pipes, we had to work out where the kitchen cabinets would go very early on,’ says Alison. ‘I really wanted a large freestanding central island and range cooker, as well as a concealed fridge and freezer behind tall larder units.’

Not afraid to get her hands dirty, Alison tackled many jobs herself including stripping the internal doors and window panelling, decorating throughout and upcycling junk yard furniture.

She has also enjoyed discovering the building’s history. ‘I love displaying pieces with a story, like the clay pipes and ink pots we found in the garden,’ she says. ‘We also unearthed an old butler’s bell, which we plan to reattach to the wall.’ Another discovery was the wording Repapered by R. Bywater, 1933 under layers of wallpaper, and a rolled up copy of The Selby Times along with a farthing from 1907, when the staircase was changed. ‘Our builder did the same and has signed his name to carry on the tradition.’

Ultimately, the renovation took longer than expected, spanning five years. ‘Every time we started something, another issue would crop up, like finding an old disconnected boiler that nobody had bothered to take out,’ explains Alison. ‘The enormity of the project struck home and what started as a kitchen renovation enveloped the whole house. Other things kept taking priority, like the bathrooms and children’s bedrooms. It was only when the oven door fell off in the old kitchen that we were pushed to finally finish it!’

Now the couple are relieved to put down their paintbrushes and enjoy the fruits of their labours. ‘I love my kitchen and I’m still in love with the colours,’ says Alison. ‘The only thing I’d do differently is have pan drawers instead of normal drawers. I’m not a big cook but I love hosting Sunday dinner and my sister-in-law often brings round a big pot of curry for us all to share.’

The space comes into its own at Christmas, too. ‘We place the tree in this room so presents can be opened in front of the log-burner while we make coffee and prepare dinner,’ she adds. ‘The logburner is definitely my favourite part - it feels like it gives you a hug!’