Before & after: A joyful sunny yellow kitchen makeover
A small, cramped space lacking in functionality has been reimagined as a bright and bold kitchen that works for the entire family. The key to creating a design that ticks all the boxes? Finding the right team...
Who lives here
Iris Maor, a documentary producer, lives with her husband Edward and two teenage sons in a Georgian semi-detached house in south London.
Before
‘It was initially a compact kitchen with a separate dining room. We liked the design but there was not enough worktop or storage space, and the doors out to the garden didn’t let much light in,' says Iris.
Where did you start?
IM: We found ourselves cooking a lot more at home and realised the kitchen wasn’t great for it. It lacked storage and was too dark. We consulted with interior designer Zoe Murphy of Stealth Design, who created four possible layouts. We went through them in detail to decide on the final plan. This process really helped us understand what mattered to us.
What drew you towards yellow?
IM: We knew we wanted a colourful space. I had my heart set on an orange kitchen, as it’s my favourite colour, but Edward wasn’t so keen so we compromised on yellow. Zoe and I then worked on the overall palette. I found a wallpaper that I loved the colours of – though not the design – and it inspired the overall scheme, incorporating deep blue, green and lavender.
How did you find working with Pluck?
IM: They were wonderful. We had a proper dialogue with them – they looked at the plans, made comments and gave clever suggestions about how to utilise tricky corners. Their team was genuinely invested in the project. For example, when we weren’t keen on the two shades of yellow available in their catalogue, they sourced three other samples especially for us. When I didn’t like the finish of their open shelves, they suggested using cupboard carcasses with no doors, which have a different finish. It worked perfectly.
Did the process run smoothly?
IM: The project was in gestation for a long time, partly because of Covid. In hindsight, that was a good thing – by the time we started, we’d considered every option. The actual work took four months. The kitchen was completely stripped and major building work was required as we removed some internal walls. We had fantastic builders from All4House. There wasn’t a problem they couldn’t solve and they were always trying to create the best possible results.
Are you happy with the final result?
IM: We love it. It’s been 10 months since the work was finished, and we still look at our kitchen and can’t quite believe we have such an amazing space. Everything about it works – the layout, the storage, the appliances, the light that comes in from the outside. Spending time in the kitchen is great now and has made a big difference to our quality of life.
SOURCEBOOK
Kitchen cabinetry, Bora hob, Franke sink and tap, all pluck.co.uk
Worktop, totaltops.co.uk
Tiles, domusgroup.com
Bosch dishwasher, johnlewis.com
Lighting, marset.com
COSTS
Kitchen cabinetry £32,000
Hob £2,200
Sink and tap £670
Worktop £3,000
Tiles £1,500
Dishwasher £780
Lighting £1,000
Total = £38,450
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