Dream House Dining Room
Warm wood and natural textures give this kitchen an informal style.
Renuka Venkatraman, 36, her husband Karthi Mowdhgalya, 39, and their children, Tara, five, and Neel, three, moved into their 1980s home in Chiswick, London, in 2011. They renovated the house from top to bottom, moving into rented accommodation during the three-month project, which included building a side return extension to house their new kitchen-dining room.
Holly Jolliffe
BEFORE
Action plan: Apply for planning approval, gut the whole house, build side return extension, fit kitchen units and island.
This was a huge project...Yes, it's the first house either of us has owned as we've always rented. When we started our search we soon realised that every property we viewed had something we wanted to change, so we decided to create a home that would perfectly suit us and our growing family. This house needed a complete overhaul so it was the ideal starting point.
Holly Jolliffe
Did you have problems getting planning permission?As we're in a conservation area we had to submit professionally prepared plans and drawings for every little thing, including putting up a picket fence and changing the shape of the privet hedge! It took 13 months to get the go ahead for the side return extension.
What were your priorities for your new kitchen?We definitely wanted an open-plan kitchen diner. Before the renovation I'd end up alone in the kitchen cooking and we'd eat in the sitting room in front of the TV. A few things were non-negotiable; Karthi was keen to have an island unit, while I had to have a range cooker. We both wanted an American-style fridge, and storage was absolutely critical. Also we cook a lot of Indian food and needed separate cupboards for spices and Indian groceries.
Holly Jolliffe
Holly Jolliffe
You had some help with the design...Our architect recommended a local kitchen designer, Hylie from Imaggio Interiors, and she drew up plans. Once we'd decided on the layout she advised us on the details such as the shape and size of the units, the number of drawers, pullout larders and overhead cabinets, to make the space really work for us. We had an amazing project manager, Vala, who's also our next door neighbour, and she helped us with the overall design aspects of the renovation and worked with Hylie to source specific items such as the worktop.
Tell us about the style of the room...We knew we were going to opt for modern white units with a matt finish that would stand the test of time. However, it was also important to me to include some wooden elements to inject warmth and prevent the room feeling too clinical. The final touches, such as the wooden stools and contemporary pendant lights, have brought the look together, while the combination of calming tones and warm textures has given the space the laid-back feel we were looking for.
Holly Jolliffe
Did you have to jettison any ideas?Initially we wanted a marble worktop but we thought it would be too high maintenance, so we compromised and had marble wall tiles instead. We also ditched the idea of a wooden worktop on the island, as we were worried it would get damaged around the sink area, so we added wooden shelves to the side to tie in with the wall cupboards.
Are you pleased with the result?We love it! It's a pleasure to cook here now as I can still be with the children while they're playing nearby, or share nibbles and a glass of wine with friends if they're over for dinner. I'm also thrilled with the storage; you can never have enough in my book! We've filled every inch with a drawer unit or a pull-out larder. In fact, once the units were installed around the fridge, we found we had a bit of a gap so our builder suggested we put in a wine rack. Needless to say it's used frequently!
Holly Jolliffe
Is there anything you'd have done differently?Next time we'll pay more attention to our choice of floor tiles. When we first walked on them barefoot they felt freezing and it took a while to get used to their texture. We probably should have thought about installing underfloor heating for colder mornings.
HOUSE BEAUTIFUL SAYS...
A mix of subtle colours and natural wood finishes gives the kitchen a feeling of calm but it still has plenty of impact.
WHAT IT COST
Kitchen units £8,500 | Worksurface £3,000 | Floor tiles £1,188 | Appliances £5,950 | Wall tiles & splashback £554 | Bar stools £507 | Pendant lights £1,125
Total = £20,824
From: House Beautiful magazine
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io
Source: https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/renovate/homes-makeovers/news/a731/modern-open-plan-kitchen-storage-dream/
