SO MUCH BIGGER!’
Placing units across the back wall and changing the layout has opened up Lila’s galley kitchen and added useful storage
After living in a series of rented flats in north London, where I was brought up, I was keen to buy my own place and managed to save for the deposit,’ says Lila. ‘My dad’s an estate agent, so he’s got a real handle on the local property market. My parents were up for an investment opportunity, so we went in together to buy the flat. It has nice big rooms, but it had been rented out and was incredibly dated and tired.
The beige and brown melamine kitchen was an original from the 1980s when the flats were built and it was in a real state.
Making plans
It’s a typical galley kitchen so you can’t go too wild, but the layout could easily be improved. I was pleased that things were so bad the whole lot had to go. I went to several high-street kitchen companies, but Howdens stood out for quality, and they had some good ideas. I wanted to get rid of the overhead cabinet by the window and they suggested units along the back wall and an integrated extractor, plus moving the fridge-freezer to the end of the room and putting it in a housing.
First steps
I picked grey units in a style I felt was timeless as I’m not planning to change things and if I was to sell in the future, they’re not controversial. Because the units were grey, I chose a light worktop with a pale grey marble effect.
I had a maximum budget of £5,000 for everything, including labour. Luckily my parents are great Diyers and they’ve taught me some skills so I knew we’d save on some of the trades. I actually came in under budget as we did all the tiling ourselves as well. The cooker and hob had been replaced fairly recently, so I kept those, plus brought my
fridge-freezer from my last flat. I decided on a mini wooden dining table, which my dad and I constructed ourselves from a piece of oak worktop – it was surprisingly easy. You do have to be careful with measuring up and stain the wood the colour you want to help preserve it. I managed to find stools in a similar oak, and I’m so pleased with them as they also have black metal legs, which matched the kitchen style I was looking for. They were miles better than the high back chairs that were there previously and a real bargain at just £20 each.
Flooring solution
The original grubby lino was ripped up the moment I moved in, and I’d decided on tiles for the floor as they’re easy to run a mop over. With the splashback tiles I kept it fairly safe, just going for white metro tiles and pepping them up with grey grout, but having been so sensible with the units, I wanted to do something a bit cooler with the floor. I fell for the patterned tiles the first time I saw them and because everything else is plain, they really work and give me the wow factor.
Bringing in colour
Although we have plenty of greenery nearby, the flat doesn’t have a garden, so I wanted to try and bring an outdoor feel to the kitchen. I went for one green wall, a sage green to tie in with the grey units, rather than a lime green or something that was too dark and would close the room in. And it was essential to replace the huge, slatted blind at the window, which was so heavy you could hardly move it! I found a lovely delicate fabric with green foliage in a roller blind that mirrors the wall.
Finishing touches
To tie in with the green wall, I treated myself to a big shop for accessories in green and pink, which are a solid combination. It took in everything from cups to tea towels. I love being in the new space – it’s everything I wanted!