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Kitchen Tour: A Colourful Kitchen-diner With a Smart Utility Room
Joyful colour and plenty of daylight make this kitchen-diner in a 1930s house a wonderful space for a young family
The back of this 1930s house was the opposite of open and well-functioning when the owners first moved in. A series of small rooms, including an awkwardly laid out little kitchen, made the home feel cramped and impeded garden views.
Claudia Urvois’ redesign on the same footprint is a masterclass in maximising space, with clearly zoned areas slotted together perfectly within a light, open room connected to the outdoors.
Claudia Urvois’ redesign on the same footprint is a masterclass in maximising space, with clearly zoned areas slotted together perfectly within a light, open room connected to the outdoors.
This ‘before’ photo, taken from the same spot as the previous image, shows how bitty and dark the original space was. “There was an unusual arrangement at the back of the house, with small rooms added piecemeal, including a conservatory, which wasn’t really being used,” Claudia says.
This ‘before’ plan shows the series of small rooms, which were not only inefficient, but blocked garden views. Claudia used the same footprint to rearrange the kitchen-diner, moving the utility from the back to a slice of space she carved out behind the dining area (more of which shortly).
Claudia created one open room on the same footprint, giving it a pitched roof. “The owners saw the pitched roof on my house and how it makes the space feel so much bigger, so they asked for that,” she says.
The angles also contribute to the excellent light in the new room. “The space faces north, so the windows on the back and sides, plus the two angled skylights, allow the sun to come in at different times from different directions,” she says.
Electric lighting can be tricky with a pitched roof, so Claudia planned ahead. “We asked the builders to make sure the side panels of the skylight were reinforced, as we were going to have a lot of tension pulling on that wire to hang three heavy glass lights,” she says.
Kitchen walls and ceiling painted in Soba, Paint & Paper Library. Rug, Claudia Urvois.
The angles also contribute to the excellent light in the new room. “The space faces north, so the windows on the back and sides, plus the two angled skylights, allow the sun to come in at different times from different directions,” she says.
Electric lighting can be tricky with a pitched roof, so Claudia planned ahead. “We asked the builders to make sure the side panels of the skylight were reinforced, as we were going to have a lot of tension pulling on that wire to hang three heavy glass lights,” she says.
Kitchen walls and ceiling painted in Soba, Paint & Paper Library. Rug, Claudia Urvois.
The rich yellow velvet sofa next to the sliding back doors is a nice spot to relax and maximises the new connection to the garden.
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The cabinets are painted in a deep forest green. “The wife is from New England in the US and really wanted units in Hunter Green, which seems very New England to me,” Claudia says. “I suggested mixing in the oak, otherwise it would just have been a big block of green. I also like the [fact the oak creates a] gap between the tall cabinets.”
Claudia has maximised every inch. The units are mostly standard, but, because it’s a sloping roof, the top cupboards were custom-made. They’re small inside because of the slope, but still offer some useful storage.
Similarly, there’s an extractor fan in the two cupboards above the hob, but Claudia made use of the space that was left. “When you open the doors, there are four very slim shelves in front of the extractor that hold herbs and spices,” she says.
Kitchen, Such Designs; painted in Hunter Green, Benjamin Moore. Pendant lights, Retrouvius. Boiling-water tap, Zip.
Claudia has maximised every inch. The units are mostly standard, but, because it’s a sloping roof, the top cupboards were custom-made. They’re small inside because of the slope, but still offer some useful storage.
Similarly, there’s an extractor fan in the two cupboards above the hob, but Claudia made use of the space that was left. “When you open the doors, there are four very slim shelves in front of the extractor that hold herbs and spices,” she says.
Kitchen, Such Designs; painted in Hunter Green, Benjamin Moore. Pendant lights, Retrouvius. Boiling-water tap, Zip.
The reason there are open shelves to the left of the hob run is because there’s a steel column behind them, and Claudia wanted to make use of the shallow space. “The couple like entertaining and they use these shelves as a bar,” she says.
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Make the challenge of finding the right people for your project easier by searching the Houzz Professionals Directory.
The worktop and splashback are robust quartz in a crisp speckled white; they introduce a cooler note amid the warm shades.
Worktop and splashback, Silestone. Handles, Superfront.
Worktop and splashback, Silestone. Handles, Superfront.
An upholstered bench seat maximises the dining area. Behind this wall, Claudia has fitted a utility room and cloakroom.
Banquette material, Kvadrat. Cushions, Teshio and Tide.
Banquette material, Kvadrat. Cushions, Teshio and Tide.
The doorway into the new kitchen-diner has been taken right up to the ceiling and a pocket door fitted, so there’s a good view of the garden right from the front door.
Behind the green cabinet doors here is an American-style fridge-freezer. The white understairs cupboards provide more storage; the tall one is for coats, while the angled one holds awkward items such as scooters and skateboards.
Behind the green cabinet doors here is an American-style fridge-freezer. The white understairs cupboards provide more storage; the tall one is for coats, while the angled one holds awkward items such as scooters and skateboards.
The flooring in the kitchen-diner is terrazzo. “Originally, I wanted to do a dark green border around it,” Claudia says, “but the owner wanted to keep it simple.” There’s underfloor heating to ensure the room feels cosy.
The door on the right leads to the utility room and a cloakroom beyond. When designing this wall to create the utility, Claudia factored in some little shelves. “They’re for cookery books, as the shelves next to the fridge are mostly for drinks,” she says.
The door on the right leads to the utility room and a cloakroom beyond. When designing this wall to create the utility, Claudia factored in some little shelves. “They’re for cookery books, as the shelves next to the fridge are mostly for drinks,” she says.
The owners wanted a good utility room. “They had a lot of appliances they wanted to use, but not necessarily in the kitchen,” Claudia says. So she included shelves with plug sockets for the popcorn machine, rice cooker, blender and so on.
“They like to make cocktails but don’t like the noise of the blender when they have friends round,” Claudia explains. “We made it a nice space so they’d be happy for friends to come in while they’re making drinks.”
The cupboard on the left contains the manifold for heating, but Claudia has designed it so brooms and so on can be attached to the inside of the doors. The vacuum is stowed in the first cupboard on the right; the far cupboard contains the boiler and hot-water tank.
The cloakroom, which is visually linked to the kitchen via a swathe of deep green, has a rich blue concrete basin.
Utility room walls and woodwork painted in Sand III, Paint & Paper Library. Top of cloakroom walls painted in Breakfast Room Green, Farrow & Ball.
“They like to make cocktails but don’t like the noise of the blender when they have friends round,” Claudia explains. “We made it a nice space so they’d be happy for friends to come in while they’re making drinks.”
The cupboard on the left contains the manifold for heating, but Claudia has designed it so brooms and so on can be attached to the inside of the doors. The vacuum is stowed in the first cupboard on the right; the far cupboard contains the boiler and hot-water tank.
The cloakroom, which is visually linked to the kitchen via a swathe of deep green, has a rich blue concrete basin.
Utility room walls and woodwork painted in Sand III, Paint & Paper Library. Top of cloakroom walls painted in Breakfast Room Green, Farrow & Ball.
The cupboard next to the stacked washing machine and tumble dryer contains a fold-out ironing board (seen here during the renovation without its cover).
It wasn’t just the inside that felt like a hotch-potch of add-ons, the view from outside was a jumble, too.
Now, the extension has simple, pleasing lines and a uniform pale surface that blends with the original house. Sliding doors make the existing decking part of the space for summer entertaining.
The owners are delighted with the transformation. They were lovely to work with, Claudia says, adding, “The outcome shows the joy we had.”
Tell us…
What do you like about this transformed space? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
The owners are delighted with the transformation. They were lovely to work with, Claudia says, adding, “The outcome shows the joy we had.”
Tell us…
What do you like about this transformed space? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Who lives here? A family with two primary-age children
Location Kensal Rise, north London
Property A 1930s house
Kitchen-diner dimensions 31.5 sq m
Designer Claudia Urvois of Claudia Urvois Interior Design
Photos by Taran Wilkhu
The new kitchen-diner feels open, sunny and warm, with a soaring ceiling and a playful palette. Part of the reason the owners chose Claudia to revamp it was her eye for colour. “I don’t push if clients don’t want loads of colour, but this would have had a different mood in neutrals,” she says.
The greens, yellows and pale lilac are complemented beautifully by natural oak.
Bar stools; chairs; dining table; white chair (in the foreground), all Another Country. Artworks, Rise Art.