RENOVATION
KITCHEN PROJECT
A STATEMENT ORANGE RANGE COOKER WAS THE STARTING POINT FOR SIMON AND JOANNA’S EYE-CATCHING NEW KITCHEN
PROJECT DETAILS
Simon Changer, his wife, Joanna, and their children, Dylan, 19, Amelia, 17, Elliott, eight, and Beatrice, five.
A kitchen refit in a five-bedroom Victorian terrace in west London.
APPROX £37,000
THE PROBLEM
The old space was lacking colour and didn’t suit the family’s needs any more
THE SOLUTION
‘In 2002, my wife bought a two-bed maisonette. We added another floor to it in 2013, then installed a plain, off-white kitchen. Later, we bought the ground-floor flat, too, with plans to turn it into a kitchen-dining room. We wanted the new space to feel like a cosy bar, and were inspired by Soho House and Riding House Cafés in London. The Main Company (maincompany. co.uk) took our design and realised it, and even though it’s bespoke, it was the most reasonable quote we got. The starting point was the mandarin-coloured oven, and then we saw a bright orange window and decided to order some sliding doors in the same shade – we had a bit of a wobble when they turned up, but we’re so pleased with the final result, functionally and aesthetically. The kitchen is the focal point of the house, and we use it all the time.'
FOCUS ON
Make your room feel peaceful and calm…
n Open-plan spaces have many advantages for family life and entertaining, but all those hard surfaces can end up being echoey.
With a little careful planning, it’s possible to ensure peace and quiet…
n Dress your windows with sound-muffling curtains or specialist blinds, as large areas of glass can act as a bouncing-off point. A thickpiled rug on a tiled floor will help absorb noise, too.
n Consider wooden or sliding screens if there are lots of family members sharing the space, to help diffuse noise levels, especially if there’s a television area. n Large, flat walls can amplify sounds. Installing cladding is a simple way to reduce this effect. They work most effectively in close proximity to the source of sound. Cork is an affordable option, or ready-made wooden wall panels are easy
