Interiors Inspired by New York
Maxine Brady used copper accessories and bold floor tiles to add a touch of transatlantic glamour to her new kitchen
When I moved into my new home in Brighton, I was desperate to tackle the kitchen,’ says Maxine. ‘It was overcrowded, with wall units and an old boiler that took up lots of space.
Before work began, my boyfriend Jonathan and i visited new York and loved the coffee bars and markets in Brooklyn, which became the starting point for my kitchen design. they looked stylish but functional, and hard-wearing. When i got home, i started collating my design ideas, looking to introduce copper accents and a bold floor.
Before we could start, the old boiler had to be taken out. We got British gas to install a new one upstairs, leaving us with more space to play with. We sold the old kitchen online and stripped back the room.
our builders knocked out a new window in the far end wall and put in a damp course. Moving just one window instantly brightened the kitchen and gave us views of the garden. once the room was plastered, underfloor heating was put in and geometric floor tiles laid. We saw lots of patterned tiled flooring in new York, which inspired the 3d design.
it took two weeks for the plastered walls to dry in time for the units to be fitted. our kitchen designer, from hehku heavenly spaces, came up with an ingenious design, which managed to fit in all our appliances, including a dishwasher, fridge freezer, washing machine and a slimline pull-out larder for all our spices.
We needed to squeeze so much into the space and it was tempting to put units on
both sides, but it wouldn’t have made it the social area it is now. With clever planning, everything fits in.
We covered two walls up to the ceilings in metro tiles with dark grey grout and painted all the other walls white to keep the room looking fresh.
i couldn’t find any handles i liked so Jonathan made copper ones using plumbers’ piping. i love them, as they are unique to our room. Wall units would have closed in the space, so he also made shelving out of scaffolding planks and copper piping, to keep the room feeling light. next, we shopped around for accessories.
now it’s finished, we really enjoy being in there. it was so grim at first, but we’re really proud of our kitchen. i can’t wait for our first party here, so we can dance on these tiles!’