When we moved into the house almost three years ago, the kitchen was always “the big project”. It was the one we’d think about once we’d tidied everything else up and paid for practical but annoyingly less exciting things like composite doors…
I wrote about it just after the foundation work had started – here – and now, endless dust and clock watching later, we are officially finished. Oh, and we got married somewhere in between, too! It’s taken four months and around £30k, but we now have a much bigger, more open space that gives us an extra living area and will hugely improve our lifestyle.
The builders started on the foundations in late December, and the shell was airtight by mid-March. We were SO excited when we arrived home to see that the bi-folding doors had been fitted. And again when, three days before the wedding, we came home to working taps and dishwasher. It was almost the best thing in the world when you’ve been washing up in the bath for several weeks. After that, it was a bit of a waiting game, as various workmen came along to fit the flooring, then the skirting boards, and then to fix the final snags.
Here’s a reminder of where we were and where we are so happy to be now:
When we moved in…
When work started…
The worst bit… (see that plank of wood behind the insulation? That’s what separated us from the Beast from the East)
Now…
So we’re now pretty much back to normal – PHEW – having painted everything white (for now), hoovered up the dust and somehow kept the cat sane.
We’ve moved an armchair into the corner, for post-work chill time, and our mackerel and mussel paintings have joined it to create the start of a washed out blue theme which so far gets the thumbs up:
There’s still plenty more to do, but it’s cosmetic and can be done with a little less urgency and a little more time for saving. On our list:
– Wall tiles – most likely white metro or hexagonal tiles with dark grey grout;
– A feature wall. Controversial, this one. We don’t often go for wallpaper (AKA HASSLE), but with plain white units and white walls, we need a subtle point of interest. The AMAZING pineapple wallpapers I fell madly in love with don’t really fit the subtle brief, sadly, and they will most likely look dated by next year. There’s still the option of papering, but it will be something far more simple that can fade effortlessly into the background;
– A new table. I love ours, but with the wood effect flooring and cement worktops, it feels like a clash of textures. It will also be a chance to go slightly larger or extendable, so we can have more guests round. Or just serve ourselves more food 🙂
– Statement side plates. As a certified dessert girl, the idea of whipping out some extravagant plates to serve up a big fat cake just feels right. The animal plates below are top of my list, and would team up perfectly with the gorgeous elephant teapot that is already waiting for them by the kettle!
Lovely items from: Luna table, animal side plates (set of four) and elephant teapot, all from John Lewis; Dom plant from Ikea; Wallpaper from wallpaperdirect.com.
The Decorator 