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“Calm, grown-up, but also practical and works for the whole family” was the brief for this elegant kitchen-diner-snug
The foundations had been laid, but this five-bedroom detached family home near Portsmouth was yet to be built when interior designer Sarah Craddy of SLC Interior Design first visited.
The owners found Sarah on Houzz, where they were drawn to her use of colour and sophisticated, understated style. They put their trust in her and gave her a fairly open brief: key wants were that the kitchen had to be blue and the dining area had to seat 10. Other than that, it needed to provide a peaceful sanctuary and be child-friendly enough to work well for the couple’s two young sons.
The rest they left to Sarah, who worked closely with the architect and cleverly tweaked the original plans in order to add a generous utility room and home office. Throughout, she also kept accessibility and flexibility in mind to allow for future lifestyle changes.
To see more great projects where the homeowner found their professional via Houzz, take a look at our Born on Houzz series.
The owners found Sarah on Houzz, where they were drawn to her use of colour and sophisticated, understated style. They put their trust in her and gave her a fairly open brief: key wants were that the kitchen had to be blue and the dining area had to seat 10. Other than that, it needed to provide a peaceful sanctuary and be child-friendly enough to work well for the couple’s two young sons.
The rest they left to Sarah, who worked closely with the architect and cleverly tweaked the original plans in order to add a generous utility room and home office. Throughout, she also kept accessibility and flexibility in mind to allow for future lifestyle changes.
To see more great projects where the homeowner found their professional via Houzz, take a look at our Born on Houzz series.
On the kitchen side of the island there are two dishwashers, an undersink cupboard and a cupboard housing the tank for the Quooker tap. On the other side, behind the brass bar stools, there are doors concealing 300mm-deep cupboards.
There’s plenty more storage, too. Full-height pantry cupboards flank the double ovens, while more wall and base cabinets complete the run, which has a wine cooler at the end. On the left, beneath the hob worktop, there’s copious drawer space.
The island has a deliberately small sink, since there’s a larger one in the pantry. “It’s good for dumping the dishes out of sight when you have people over,” Sarah says. “This one is for food prep for family eating at the island during the week.” The worktops are quartz.
Leicht Verve-FS kitchen in Midnight Blue, Controlled Interiors.
There’s plenty more storage, too. Full-height pantry cupboards flank the double ovens, while more wall and base cabinets complete the run, which has a wine cooler at the end. On the left, beneath the hob worktop, there’s copious drawer space.
The island has a deliberately small sink, since there’s a larger one in the pantry. “It’s good for dumping the dishes out of sight when you have people over,” Sarah says. “This one is for food prep for family eating at the island during the week.” The worktops are quartz.
Leicht Verve-FS kitchen in Midnight Blue, Controlled Interiors.
The large room has space for the much-wanted 10-seater dining table, as well as a generous snug area.
Find and hire a local kitchen designer on Houzz.
Find and hire a local kitchen designer on Houzz.
Sarah designed this bank of oak veneer storage in the snug. “We didn’t want a big media unit,” she says. “Again, it could have felt imposing and that didn’t fit with the brief.”
Instead, she created a 4m-long piece of joinery, behind which sits a linen-look-wallpaper-covered media panel that runs floor to ceiling and is edged in oak, referencing the sideboard.
“We needed something there for the eye to land on, so it wasn’t just the television you were staring at,” Sarah says. Also detracting from the screen are the steam-bent oak wall lights and floor lamp.
The couple were keen on incorporating rich colours throughout. “The owners liked jewel tones, but because of the location and the brief, I suggested softer versions,” Sarah says. “So rather than bright orange, we’ve gone for rust and, elsewhere, soft teals and sage, all quite muted. Where they live is very leafy and green, so it was about picking up autumn’s oranges, the soft greens of spring, the blues of summer… It means the whole colour palette is sitting in its surroundings year-round.”
Wall lights and floor lamp, Tom Raffield. Sofa, Camerich.
Instead, she created a 4m-long piece of joinery, behind which sits a linen-look-wallpaper-covered media panel that runs floor to ceiling and is edged in oak, referencing the sideboard.
“We needed something there for the eye to land on, so it wasn’t just the television you were staring at,” Sarah says. Also detracting from the screen are the steam-bent oak wall lights and floor lamp.
The couple were keen on incorporating rich colours throughout. “The owners liked jewel tones, but because of the location and the brief, I suggested softer versions,” Sarah says. “So rather than bright orange, we’ve gone for rust and, elsewhere, soft teals and sage, all quite muted. Where they live is very leafy and green, so it was about picking up autumn’s oranges, the soft greens of spring, the blues of summer… It means the whole colour palette is sitting in its surroundings year-round.”
Wall lights and floor lamp, Tom Raffield. Sofa, Camerich.
The generous hallway has the same flooring as the kitchen, which you can see through the double doors. But Sarah employed a subtle design trick to differentiate the spaces.
“We wanted a seamless run throughout the ground floor, but the tiles are in a straight lay in the kitchen, pantry, boot room and utility, while in the hallway they’ve been laid at 45 degrees to create a chequerboard pattern. We’ve also added a border around the edge and a brass trim to elevate that space while keeping continuous flooring running through those more public spaces in the house.”
The door on the right leads to a cloakroom. The room on the left is a games room, and the door on the left is a coat cupboard with bespoke joinery inside.
Rug, Ruggable. Bouclé ottoman, Sweetpea & Willow. Pendant lights, J Adams & Co.
“We wanted a seamless run throughout the ground floor, but the tiles are in a straight lay in the kitchen, pantry, boot room and utility, while in the hallway they’ve been laid at 45 degrees to create a chequerboard pattern. We’ve also added a border around the edge and a brass trim to elevate that space while keeping continuous flooring running through those more public spaces in the house.”
The door on the right leads to a cloakroom. The room on the left is a games room, and the door on the left is a coat cupboard with bespoke joinery inside.
Rug, Ruggable. Bouclé ottoman, Sweetpea & Willow. Pendant lights, J Adams & Co.
The floorplan shows how the kitchen fits into the ground floor layout. The utility room (shown below) and home office sit in what was originally to be a double garage. Sarah saw different potential for the space and a new garage was subsequently built elsewhere.
This also allowed Sarah to flow the pantry, boot room and utility together and create generous circulation space with adaptability in mind. “We ensured each space not only meets the client’s current needs, but also anticipates future lifestyle changes,” Sarah says.
Since Sarah also did the rest of this large house, it really was a massive project, but one that ran more smoothly thanks to Houzz Pro tools, which she loves using. “I use everything,” she says. “It’s brilliant and really well thought out.”
At the start of the project, she used Houzz Pro Selection Boards. From these, the owners were able to accept or reject Sarah’s product suggestions.
She also used the Proposals tool to cost everything up, meaning she could send the owners a link to a page detailing the pricing and quantities of products within the Houzz dashboard.
“Once they approve that, it generates their invoice,” she says. “Also, within Houzz you can confirm payments, so I’d use that tool, which sends a receipt.”
This also allowed Sarah to flow the pantry, boot room and utility together and create generous circulation space with adaptability in mind. “We ensured each space not only meets the client’s current needs, but also anticipates future lifestyle changes,” Sarah says.
Since Sarah also did the rest of this large house, it really was a massive project, but one that ran more smoothly thanks to Houzz Pro tools, which she loves using. “I use everything,” she says. “It’s brilliant and really well thought out.”
At the start of the project, she used Houzz Pro Selection Boards. From these, the owners were able to accept or reject Sarah’s product suggestions.
She also used the Proposals tool to cost everything up, meaning she could send the owners a link to a page detailing the pricing and quantities of products within the Houzz dashboard.
“Once they approve that, it generates their invoice,” she says. “Also, within Houzz you can confirm payments, so I’d use that tool, which sends a receipt.”
In this view out of the kitchen, you can see straight through to the pantry, the boot room and, at the far end, the utility room.
More: How to Start a Kitchen Renovation
More: How to Start a Kitchen Renovation
Here you can see the view looking from the boot room through the pantry and towards the kitchen.
On the right-hand wall of the pantry there’s a full-height freezer, then floor-to-ceiling pantry storage and cupboards.
On the right-hand wall of the pantry there’s a full-height freezer, then floor-to-ceiling pantry storage and cupboards.
A sink and more storage are on the opposite wall. Sarah tied the blind to the rusts and blues elsewhere.
The boot room is colourwashed in inky blue. “This paint is almost an exact match for the kitchen cabinets,” Sarah says. “It has a lovely red undertone to it, so no matter the light, it always feels warm.”
Brass hooks, an oak shelf and white woodwork and ceiling tie it to the rest of the ground floor. There’s a glazed exterior door facing this view.
“Here, I wanted the colour to signal a change of space,” Sarah says of the reversal of the blue and white. “I wanted to make it the opposite of the other rooms, to create somewhere that gives you a warm welcome rather than feeling as if you’re walking into a utility space.”
Walls painted in Dulux 17BB 08/104, Dulux Trade.
Brass hooks, an oak shelf and white woodwork and ceiling tie it to the rest of the ground floor. There’s a glazed exterior door facing this view.
“Here, I wanted the colour to signal a change of space,” Sarah says of the reversal of the blue and white. “I wanted to make it the opposite of the other rooms, to create somewhere that gives you a warm welcome rather than feeling as if you’re walking into a utility space.”
Walls painted in Dulux 17BB 08/104, Dulux Trade.
It’s all white in the utility room, which is a very generous 6.5m x 3m. “The length is the width of a double garage,” Sarah explains.
It contains two full-height broom cupboards, two full-height storage cupboards and the boiler.
Blind fabric (here and in the pantry), Romo.
It contains two full-height broom cupboards, two full-height storage cupboards and the boiler.
Blind fabric (here and in the pantry), Romo.
The room has two washing machines and two dryers, stacked. These are to the left of the sink, in the tall cupboard seen above.
Sarah also designed a system for laundry: each family member has their own basket behind these semi-open doors, with two spares. “You can go in and just throw in your laundry,” Sarah says.
The artwork in the entrance hall pulls together the colours of the house.
And what do the owners think of it all? “They absolutely love it,” Sarah says. “They’ve said it perfectly aligns with their original goal to create a home that offers a calming sanctuary alongside functional spaces for the whole family.
“The open-plan living area has helped to create a real sense of togetherness, they told me,” she says, “and hosting their first family Christmas there was truly special.”
Painting, Soya Contemporary Art.
Tell us…
What do you like best about this contemporary family kitchen-diner? Let us know in the Comments.
And what do the owners think of it all? “They absolutely love it,” Sarah says. “They’ve said it perfectly aligns with their original goal to create a home that offers a calming sanctuary alongside functional spaces for the whole family.
“The open-plan living area has helped to create a real sense of togetherness, they told me,” she says, “and hosting their first family Christmas there was truly special.”
Painting, Soya Contemporary Art.
Tell us…
What do you like best about this contemporary family kitchen-diner? Let us know in the Comments.
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Who lives here? A couple and their two young sons
Location Fareham, Hampshire
Property A detached new-build house with five bedrooms and five bathrooms
Room dimensions Around 9.6m x 7.3m
Designer Sarah Craddy of SLC Interior Design
Project year Completed in March 2023
Photos by Martin Gardner Photography
The blue, white and gold theme in the kitchen runs through the entire house, the rest of which Sarah also designed. It’s a subtle nod to the home’s location, which is not far from the sea.
This is the view you see when you come in from the garden and that’s what Sarah considered when designing this part of the kitchen. “What I didn’t want when you walked in was to have a run of imposing dark blue units on that back wall facing you. I wanted to keep it fresh, clean, light and open,” she says. “So instead we went for a plastered-in extractor hood with oak shelves either side and then brass accent lights above, tying in with the stools and tap.”
The open section is sandwiched between a dark blue full-height fridge on the left and a blue-framed glazed door leading to a pantry on the right. The double doors on the far left lead to the hallway.
Bar stools, Gillmore. Pendant lights, Gallery Direct (trade only). 120cm sq Bottega Caliza porcelain floor tiles, Porcelanosa.