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Kitchen Tour: Rich Colour and Texture in an Extended 1930s Home
This light, modern kitchen-diner, with its bold colours and relaxed styling, reflects the owners’ eclectic taste
Travels all over the world have given the owners of this 1930s house a love of an eclectic aesthetic, so when it came to their new kitchen-diner, they were clear about the brief. “They wanted it to be quite vibrant and have a certain energy and personality, hence the rich colours and a lot of visual texture and interest,” architect Paul Duffy of BetterPad says.
The existing extension was cramped, damp and dull. “There was a small galley kitchen that cut off the dining space from the garden,” Paul says. “The couple wanted to create a fresh, modern kitchen-diner instead.”
The existing extension was cramped, damp and dull. “There was a small galley kitchen that cut off the dining space from the garden,” Paul says. “The couple wanted to create a fresh, modern kitchen-diner instead.”
The first task was to remove an old, poor-quality extension to make way for this light-filled addition. “We took down the small existing extension and built a much higher quality, full-width one to maximise daylight and the visual connection with the garden,” Paul says.
When it came to designing the new kitchen, the owners were keen to incorporate bold colours and a relaxed style of units. “The couple are really well-travelled, and a lot of the discussions we had about the materials and colour palette referenced other countries,” Paul says. “They wanted an eclectic feel.”
He suggested modern Shaker cabinets with a combination of open and closed storage. “We also mixed up the colours and the worktop materials,” he says, referring to the oak surface on one side and the quartz on the island. “The owners were keen not to have anything repeated. They wanted it to have a bit of a patchwork feel about it, and the challenge was to tie all that together.
The key to getting the disparate elements right was a 3D model. “We did a moodboard of all the different colours and then applied those to our model to help the couple visualise it,” Paul says.
The wall is covered in brick slips to bring in more rich colour and texture.
Kitchen, British Standard. Perimeter units painted in India Yellow, Farrow & Ball. Island painted in Brompton Road, Mylands.
He suggested modern Shaker cabinets with a combination of open and closed storage. “We also mixed up the colours and the worktop materials,” he says, referring to the oak surface on one side and the quartz on the island. “The owners were keen not to have anything repeated. They wanted it to have a bit of a patchwork feel about it, and the challenge was to tie all that together.
The key to getting the disparate elements right was a 3D model. “We did a moodboard of all the different colours and then applied those to our model to help the couple visualise it,” Paul says.
The wall is covered in brick slips to bring in more rich colour and texture.
Kitchen, British Standard. Perimeter units painted in India Yellow, Farrow & Ball. Island painted in Brompton Road, Mylands.
Above the work surface, Paul fitted simple open shelves. “We decided not to have wall cabinets for a few of reasons,” he says. “With a pitched roof, the geometry of wall units doesn’t look very nice, plus we wanted the emphasis to be on that beautiful brick wall.
“The space was also meant to be full of personality and an expression of the couple’s travels,” he continues, “so they wanted to showcase objects rather than have everything hidden away.”
The owners are both passionate about cooking and dreamed of having a big range cooker. They also wanted an American-style fridge-freezer. “It’s deeper than the cabinets, so it sticks out a little bit,” Paul says. “This was the subject of a lot of back and forth, but, in the end, we decided it tied in with the vibe, which is not a super-pristine look, so the fact it sits a bit proud adds to the eclectic nature.”
There’s a gap between the fridge cabinet and the green wall to the side, which further adds to the casual, almost freestanding feel. “There’s a pelmet around the top of the cabinet,” Paul says. “We could have cut it back to sit the cabinet against the wall, but we decided not to.”
79780 Classic Deluxe range cooker in Black; cooker hood, both Rangemaster.
“The space was also meant to be full of personality and an expression of the couple’s travels,” he continues, “so they wanted to showcase objects rather than have everything hidden away.”
The owners are both passionate about cooking and dreamed of having a big range cooker. They also wanted an American-style fridge-freezer. “It’s deeper than the cabinets, so it sticks out a little bit,” Paul says. “This was the subject of a lot of back and forth, but, in the end, we decided it tied in with the vibe, which is not a super-pristine look, so the fact it sits a bit proud adds to the eclectic nature.”
There’s a gap between the fridge cabinet and the green wall to the side, which further adds to the casual, almost freestanding feel. “There’s a pelmet around the top of the cabinet,” Paul says. “We could have cut it back to sit the cabinet against the wall, but we decided not to.”
79780 Classic Deluxe range cooker in Black; cooker hood, both Rangemaster.
There’s quite a lot of room around the dining table, but the couple were keen not to have this as a lounging space. “They didn’t want to forget about the main front reception room,” Paul says. “Even before the pandemic, they both worked from home a lot. Often, one will work at the kitchen island and the other at the table, so they didn’t want casual seating in here, as they like to go through to the front room to relax.”
The original back reception room is marked by the RSJ. The spot where the sideboard sits is the original alcove next to the chimney breast, half of which is in this room. The team sectioned off the other half of the reception room to create a slim utility, which runs behind this back wall and is accessed from the hallway.
Masters chairs by Philippe Starck for Kartell, available at John Lewis & Partners.
The original back reception room is marked by the RSJ. The spot where the sideboard sits is the original alcove next to the chimney breast, half of which is in this room. The team sectioned off the other half of the reception room to create a slim utility, which runs behind this back wall and is accessed from the hallway.
Masters chairs by Philippe Starck for Kartell, available at John Lewis & Partners.
This little sideboard could have been made to measure, it’s so perfect in the former alcove. “The couple had several pieces of furniture and artwork they’d collected and kept in storage,” Paul says. “They said they’d only wanted to bring it out when they’d done up the house and had a nice space to display everything.”
Ready to find a professional to renovate your home? Look no further than the Houzz Professionals Directory, where you can see past projects and read client reviews for pros in your area.
Ready to find a professional to renovate your home? Look no further than the Houzz Professionals Directory, where you can see past projects and read client reviews for pros in your area.
The wall that surrounds the patio doors has been painted in the same dark green as the rest of the space. “When that was first brought up in conversation, my immediate reaction was that it wasn’t the right thing to do,” Paul says, “because normally you’d paint that brighter to avoid a clash with the brightness from the windows. However, applying it on the 3D model, we realised it looked pretty cool and it works really well.”
The quartz island worktop has grooves carved into it to form a draining board. The tap is brushed brass.
The engineered oak flooring, laid in a herringbone pattern, adds to the palette of warm materials and texture.
Walls painted in Studio Green, Farrow & Ball. Home Choice Herringbone Engineered European Rustic Oak flooring, UK Flooring Direct. VOS Single Lever Pull Out sink mixer in Brushed Brass, JTP. Twin Track sliding doors, Express Bi-folding Doors.
The quartz island worktop has grooves carved into it to form a draining board. The tap is brushed brass.
The engineered oak flooring, laid in a herringbone pattern, adds to the palette of warm materials and texture.
Walls painted in Studio Green, Farrow & Ball. Home Choice Herringbone Engineered European Rustic Oak flooring, UK Flooring Direct. VOS Single Lever Pull Out sink mixer in Brushed Brass, JTP. Twin Track sliding doors, Express Bi-folding Doors.
Thanks to the excellent planning and execution of the project, Paul and the team finished before the baby arrived. The couple were absolutely thrilled with the finished scheme and have since recommended Paul to friends.
“They were cool, hands-on and excited,” he says. “It was a really nice collaboration.”
Tell us…
What do you like best about this kitchen-diner? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
“They were cool, hands-on and excited,” he says. “It was a really nice collaboration.”
Tell us…
What do you like best about this kitchen-diner? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Who lives here? A couple who had a baby on the way during the renovation
Location South Norwood, south London
Property A 1930s end-of-terrace house
Kitchen dimensions 5.3m x 5.8m
Architect Paul Duffy of BetterPad
It’s fair to say there was a bit of time pressure on Paul with this renovation. “The couple not only had a baby on the way, they were trying to save money, so they stayed in the property during the [whole house] renovation, and ended up briefly living in the outhouse at the bottom of the garden!” he recalls.