This was a large space with a badly laid out kitchen.  When my clients moved in, they knew it didn’t work for them and couldn’t wait to renovate it into a space to suit their needs.  With a small daughter, cats and dogs this new kitchen needed to work on many levels.  The biggest issue was the size and having to go far to get anything and if you forgot something you’d have to go back, there was lots of going back and forth.  Coming back from walks was a mess with boots and dogs, the existing French doors were narrow.  Being north facing it was dark even though there were loads of windows which added to the coldness.  This kitchen was either super cold in the winter or sweltering in the summer.  All these points had to be tackled.

We looked at layout, lighting, insulation, heating types, materials and window specifications all so important in making this space work.  There was an existing pantry which my clients loved and had to stay, they wanted to stick with an Aga so we changed the old inefficient oil Aga to a new electric one in Dartmouth Blue.  They also asked that the fridge and freezer should be separate and to be built in and both full height with ice making facilities in the freezer.

It was decided that plumbed underfloor heating should go throughout, no radiators and insulation to all external walls along with grey powder coated aluminium windows.   This ensured the heating solution and keeping this large kitchen warm would be paramount.  After loads of discussions on layouts and trying to stop too much toing and froing we decided on a central island only with built in fridge and freezer either side of a beverage station.  Next to the Aga we housed an electric oven and a steam oven with full height cupboards bookending the appliances.

The colour palette worked from the Dartmouth Blue of the Aga.  We combined this with a complimentary dark blue on the island joinery with a pale grey on the walls and full height units.  We found a fabulous granite which seemed to combine all these colours in a lovely swirling organic pattern and being 2m x 3m it was enormous.  We needed to use the builders Manitou to carry it as close as we could get it to the island and it then took 10 men to lift it into place, I couldn’t watch this bit.

In the breakfast room area, we decided to add a really interesting wallpaper by Pierre Frey depicting loads of hand drawn Shaman heads.  It managed to pull everything together and add a focal point when you entered the kitchen.

We built a connecting walkway between the kitchen and the now new games room.  We had glass walls facing the patio and a glass lantern to the ceiling to get lots of natural light in.  By adding this walkway in it now meant the original outdoor cellar steps came inside.  We decided to leave the flagstone steps exposed, so cleaned them up and left them as is.

The games room was originally and old storage area and not utilised well, so we knocked through and opened up the space with stack back doors, air hockey and pool tables along with a 70” TV and seating area.  The space is now used all the time and has been a huge success.