Dazzling terrazzo and contrasting colours have given Emma Hoyle an uplifting scheme
Feature JANE CRITTENDEN Styling MARISHA TAYLOR Photography JAMES FRENCH
MULTICOLOURED REFURB
WHAT DID YOU DISLIKE ABOUT THE OLD KITCHEN?
Nothing had been done to my 1950s terrace since the 1980s! I put up with the tiny galley kitchen and its claustrophobic cupboards for over ten years as I was saving up to renovate the whole house and do a loft conversion.
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR INITIAL PLANS?
I wanted to include a cloakroom and utility, and to knock through to the dining room because I like entertaining. Darren Oldfield and Rita Farrell from Darren Oldfield Architects in London are great examples of why you should use an architect – they came up with ideas that had never occurred to me. Darren’s corner window-seat sketch for example was amazing, and a great solution as I didn’t want bifolds across the back.
HOW DID YOU GAIN THE EXTRA SPACE?
Extending by three metres meant I could afford to lose a little space at the back of the room to create a loo that’s accessible from the hallway. There’s an opening through to the living room on the other side and a utility cupboard for my washing machine and dryer.
DID YOU ALWAYS PLAN A BRIGHT SCHEME?
I wanted bold colours as the décor everywhere else in the house is more muted. I had seen one of Pluck’s kitchens on a TV design show, and absolutely adored their big larders and painted plywood style. I was even more delighted to find they are in Brixton, which is local to me.
HOW DID YOU CHOOSE THE DOOR COLOURS?
I spent some time debating over whether to have a blue or green kitchen, and Pluck advised adding another pop of colour. We began exploring a different shade on the plinths and inside the cupboards. I went for blue and salmon as I really liked their pink shade, Ritzy, which led to a whole cupboard in it, a larder in London Plane, with Atlantic Blue everywhere else. Pluck were brilliant and so collaborative.
WAS IT TRICKY TO BLEND ALL THE SURFACE MATERIALS?
Terrazzo flooring looks fun but I thought I might get bored with it. At Diespeker & Co’s marble yard, I couldn’t believe it when I found a worktop slab in the cupboard colours. I downplayed the floor with polished concrete and fell in love with the Moroccan mint green tiles – it was a risk to add anoth
