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Kitchen Tour: A Light and Welcoming Hub of the Home
Clever design adds flow and functionality while natural textures bring warmth to a family’s kitchen-diner
Sometimes patience pays off, not least when the architect you want to hire is busy. It certainly did for the owners of this beautiful farmhouse, who came back to their professional a year after making the initial contact. When they first found architect Lydia Robinson of Design Storey on Houzz, she was working on another project. “They’d seen a cottage we’d worked on while browsing Houzz and liked the style,” Lydia says.
A year later, following an unsuccessful experience with another architect, they got back in touch with Lydia, who then got started on transforming their home. It was worth the wait, as Lydia managed to create a stunning, cosy and functional new space for the couple and their two children.
To see more great projects where the homeowner found their professional via Houzz, take a look at our Born on Houzz series.
A year later, following an unsuccessful experience with another architect, they got back in touch with Lydia, who then got started on transforming their home. It was worth the wait, as Lydia managed to create a stunning, cosy and functional new space for the couple and their two children.
To see more great projects where the homeowner found their professional via Houzz, take a look at our Born on Houzz series.
The kitchen redesign was part of a bigger project, which included some work upstairs and a new garden office/spiritual room. A previous extension was knocked down and a new version built on the same footprint.
It was in this space that Lydia located the new kitchen and dining room with the idea of bringing in more light while maintaining a connection to the rest of the house and the garden room.
A new wide door into the living room ensures there’s a diagonal flow from there into the kitchen. Similarly, the garden room can be viewed from all parts of the dining room and kitchen area.
It was in this space that Lydia located the new kitchen and dining room with the idea of bringing in more light while maintaining a connection to the rest of the house and the garden room.
A new wide door into the living room ensures there’s a diagonal flow from there into the kitchen. Similarly, the garden room can be viewed from all parts of the dining room and kitchen area.
The new L-shaped room is north-facing, so Lydia could afford to include plenty of glazing without the risk of it overheating. The dining area is positioned in the flat-ceilinged part of the room, while the kitchen is located beneath an airy pitched roof with oak beams.
Rooflights bring in extra daylight, and a window above the sink looks out to a kitchen garden at the side of the house.
A vintage wooden cabinet stores tableware and adds to the cosy feel of the space.
Kitchen cabinets; sink; dining table; dining room pendant light, all deVOL. Chairs, clients’ own. Rug, Kiliim.
More: How to Avoid an Extension That’s Too Hot and Too Bright
Rooflights bring in extra daylight, and a window above the sink looks out to a kitchen garden at the side of the house.
A vintage wooden cabinet stores tableware and adds to the cosy feel of the space.
Kitchen cabinets; sink; dining table; dining room pendant light, all deVOL. Chairs, clients’ own. Rug, Kiliim.
More: How to Avoid an Extension That’s Too Hot and Too Bright
This exterior view shows the home’s new addition. A pitched roof is covered with reclaimed tiles from the old extension and the new building is clad in oak.
“We didn’t want the extension to clash and be too contemporary, so we added a copper roof to the flat-roofed part to tie it in with the brick,” Lydia says. “Its quite subtle, as we wanted it to feel low-key.”
As well as the glazed sliding doors, there’s a wooden back door that provides easy access to the dining room from the driveway.
“We didn’t want the extension to clash and be too contemporary, so we added a copper roof to the flat-roofed part to tie it in with the brick,” Lydia says. “Its quite subtle, as we wanted it to feel low-key.”
As well as the glazed sliding doors, there’s a wooden back door that provides easy access to the dining room from the driveway.
The extension is level with the patio, so a French drain (a trench filled with gravel) was installed around the outside to prevent water penetration.
The owners chose a farmhouse-style dining table and added a mix of vintage chairs – already owned by the couple – for an informal, eclectic feel.
Sliding glazed doors provide a mainly uninterrupted view to the garden and office room. “They wanted the main house to relate to the outbuilding, so we used the same detailing on both,” Lydia says.
Sliding glazed doors provide a mainly uninterrupted view to the garden and office room. “They wanted the main house to relate to the outbuilding, so we used the same detailing on both,” Lydia says.
A large island forms the hub of the kitchen, while a combination of low cabinets and tall units surround it.
“We wanted the kitchen to feel open as you entered from the hallway, so we put low cabinets towards the front and hid the tall units along the back wall,” Lydia says.
This bank of tall cabinets consists of a dresser, a pantry and a double fridge-freezer.
Bar stools, Cox & Cox.
“We wanted the kitchen to feel open as you entered from the hallway, so we put low cabinets towards the front and hid the tall units along the back wall,” Lydia says.
This bank of tall cabinets consists of a dresser, a pantry and a double fridge-freezer.
Bar stools, Cox & Cox.
Limestone flooring brings a warm, rustic look to the room, while vintage pendants add a more contemporary, industrial feel.
Limestone flooring, Indigenous UK. Pendants over island, Skinflint.
Limestone flooring, Indigenous UK. Pendants over island, Skinflint.
A fixed window at the end of the kitchen maintains that connection to the garden and means the person working in the garden office can see whoever’s pottering in the kitchen.
Lydia says the family are really pleased with their redesigned space. It was important that the kitchen still felt as if it were the heart of the home, and that’s exactly what Lydia’s design achieves.
Tell us…
What’s your favourite idea in this well-considered new kitchen and dining room? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Lydia says the family are really pleased with their redesigned space. It was important that the kitchen still felt as if it were the heart of the home, and that’s exactly what Lydia’s design achieves.
Tell us…
What’s your favourite idea in this well-considered new kitchen and dining room? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Who lives here? A couple and their two children
Location Warwickshire
Property A converted 17th century farmhouse
Room dimensions Kitchen area, 6.6m x 4.4m; dining area, 3.5m x 3.5m
Architect Lydia Robinson of Design Storey
Photos by Lawrence Grigg
The original kitchen in this country farmhouse was cosy but dark. It was located in a central part of the house and didn’t get much light. However, its position meant it felt like the heart of the home, and this was something Lydia wanted to retain for the new space.