‘We bagged a great bargain’
Being in the right place at the right time meant that Hayley could buy her dream kitchen at a knockdown price
From the moment i first saw this house i fell in love with it. the garden was big enough for a family and the interior had loads of potential,’ says hayley. ‘however, it needed to be totally updated and the dated kitchen was crying out for a complete overhaul. the original space was painted lilac and had a cold slate floor with just one window to let in the light, so it was a dark and unpleasant room to be in.
I’m a stay-at-home mum and wanted the house to have an inviting space where we could all spend time together while I cooked dinner, but instead the girls would come home from school and sit in the living room where I couldn’t see them. So the kitchen had to take priority.
Forward planning
We chose an architect who had already worked on similar properties in the area as we were confident he’d know what would work well within the space. He recommended building out to the side return which added an extra 1.5m to the room, and our builder suggested knocking down a connecting wall to a small utility to add more space and light. The layout of the kitchen came together quite naturally as we already knew we wanted the cooker and tall units running along the back wall with an island opposite. This would then leave space for a family dining table and a reading corner, and we could put doors to the garden along the side wall.
Managing budgets
I had quite a clear vision of how I wanted the new kitchen to look. A decorative brick wall was my ‘must-have’ design element, though I worried it might be expensive, but our builder suggested using brick slips, which were easier
and cheaper to install than a new wall. I’d also seen a lovely peacock blue kitchen that I thought would complement the brick beautifully, but the quote was too high and I also had concerns that the colour might date. Then, while searching online, I came across the Wren Shaker kitchen in Midnight Blue, which Mark and I both loved, and which I thought might realistically stand the test of time better. We worried that it might still be pricey but when we went to enquire we couldn’t believe our luck as it was included in the Black Friday deals and all the units were half price. That left money over for the flooring, and although we still had to be careful with our budget, we found a local contractor who gave us a great deal on the parquet-effect planks.
Hard work
I can truly say it was hideous living in the house during the works with two small children. There was dust and rubble everywhere, and the small front room became our only area for eating, relaxing, playing and socialising. We had a microwave for cooking and initially only a cold water tap in the utility for washing up, and we didn’t have a full working kitchen for about five months. I ended up going to bed with the kids at 8pm most nights to get away from it all and looking back I don’t know quite how we managed.
Styling the room
I was originally going to choose copper hardware to contrast with the blue kitchen units, but I wanted something less trend-driven. We decided to go for a more classic look, choosing stainless steel accessories such as the oversized Wayfair anglepoise-style lamp and the chrome pendant lights, which really finish off the room. The space is now just perfect and I can’t imagine ever having to change it.’