‘I put a lot of thought into the lighting’
Statement chandeliers add impact and a soft background glow to Donna’s renovated Victorian home
Fortunately, the bones of Donna Ede’s three-bedroom Victorian house in Bromley, South London, were in good shape when she bought it five years ago, but it definitely needed work. ‘We knew we’d have to redecorate it from top to bottom and I wanted to restore some of the period features,’ she says. So, she set about painting, panelling walls and doors, and finding furniture, fittings and accessories that were in keeping with the age and style of her home.
Although her previous kitchen looked great, it was too small and Donna’s heart was set on building an extension. She wanted it to include new cabinets, a range in the chimney breast, an island and seating area, plus a downstairs cloakroom and utility room. After the necessary permissions were obtained, work began at the start of 2021. It was finished that summer – exactly four years after Donna had moved in.
At the heart of the new space is an elegant Shaker-inspired kitchen, painted in Farrow & Ball’s James White and Minster Green. This room houses a large island and opens into a cosy snug. The area is flooded with light by day thanks to skylights in the pitched roof and Crittall bi-folds leading out to the garden. By night it’s warm and inviting, with several sources of light making it bright enough for cooking, eating or simply watching
TV. All the bulbs are warm white, which ramps up the cosiness factor.
‘I knew it was important to plan lighting from the outset,’ says Donna. ‘The downstairs was rewired and the ceiling in the original part of the kitchen was pulled down, so all the cabling is hidden. I love a statement light so choose two identical pendants that hang low over the island, but are high enough so that we don’t bump our heads.’ There’s also discreet undershelf lighting that shines down on the worktops and a decorative neon lamp in the snug, but the most eye-catching of all is the frosted glass and chrome chandelier above the sofa. They might look bespoke, but the lights were all very affordable. ‘I did lots of research and had a strict budget – none of the fittings cost more than £300,’ says Donna.
Once the kitchen was finished, she painted the dark sitting room walls in a yellow-based neutral stone shade and fitted a beautiful bubble chandelier.