The granite weighed a ton and took TEN men to carry it
Mike Robins, 46, a property developer, wife Lilian, 47, a full-time mum, and children Daniel, 13, Charlie, 11, and seven-year-old Freya (pictured) live in a £1.5 million sixbedroom Georgian villa in scotland.
MIKE SAYS: I knew what we were getting into when we planned our dream kitchen — it would have been naive to think we could do it for less than six figures.
We set out to create a ‘statement room’, so we employed bespoke kitchen company Sculleries of Stockbridge.
It’s all about detail. The floor-to-ceiling bespoke units are solid walnut with recessed metal hinges, unlike the usual protruding metal brackets you see.
The dark wood is in keeping with our 200-year-old home. The island is made from the same walnut, and we have a dining table and chairs in walnut and leather.
Our windowsills are made from the same granite as the island top. We went to choose the granite from suppliers. It’s so heavy — it literally weighs a ton — that it took ten delivery men to carry it in. The walls are painted in Farrow & Ball Bone.
The Gaggenau hob, which looks like a giant iPad, is an induction plate — the first of its kind in Britain. You can place any number of pans on it and set individual temperatures beneath them.
Our pride and joy is the £2,700 Gaggenau coffee machine. The steam oven has also transformed how we prepare vegetables — they come out crisp and fresh. And the hot water tap, which at 98c is enough to make a cup of tea without boiling a kettle, has the wow factor for guests.
We created a laundry room at a cost of £18,000. As we wanted our dalmatian to be relaxed, too, we made him a bed inside a cabinet in there, which he loves.
I appreciate we’ve spent what must seem like a lot of money. But if you’re looking at a £1 million house, you expect the kitchen to go with it. Hopefully, if we ever sell, buyers will love it as much as we do.