Before & After: 'Thanks to our new kitchen, we didn't have to move'
Extending a narrow galley kitchen to create a more family-friendly room was the perfect solution for one couple. With two children, they needed more space but didn't want to move as they loved the area. They enlisted Olive & Barr to design a new kitchen, and then installed and painted it themselves. As a result, they have a much-loved, stylish space, which they're rather proud of.
Who lives there
Andy Phillipson, a creative design manager, lives in a three-bedroom Victorian semi-detached house in Hertfordshire with his wife Sarah, their twin boys Noah and Ruben, and Bea the springador.
Before
'The layout wasn’t practical for family life – with two reception rooms knocked into one, a galley kitchen and a lack of storage, we were tripping over ourselves,' says Andy.
Why did the project come about?
AP: We bought this house in 2012 and did an initial fix, including plumbing, electrics, plastering and painting. There was a galley kitchen and a bathroom beyond, so we knocked through and moved the bathroom upstairs. With two children, we still found we needed more space but didn’t want to move as we love the area; we decided to create a bigger kitchen/diner by extending into the side return and out to the rear. Designed by Whitebrick Studio, it’s brick-built with aluminium patio doors, and we added two large skylights to boost light.
What was your vision for the kitchen?
AP: Solid wood, handmade units with plenty of storage, a pantry cupboard, and an island. Our previous worktops were wooden, which took a lot of work to maintain, so this time we went for hardwearing quartz. Sarah really wanted a larder cupboard, and this led us to Olive & Barr. We visited the Clapham showroom, and designer James really helped to bring our vision to life.
Any must-have features?
AP: I was determined not to have wall units and looked for ideas for open shelving above the cooker on Instagram and Pinterest. I’m not a fan of overhead extractors either, so we decided on a gas hob with an integrated downdraft. We also really liked the idea of keeping some of the brickwork exposed; the builders tapped it here and there with their hammers to give it character and make it look like it’s always been there! And a pink island was on Sarah’s wishlist.
How did you choose the colours?
AP: We gravitated towards green from the start. Having practically thrown buckets of white emulsion all over while doing the first fix, we wanted this next phase to be more colourful and tie in with our collection of mid-century furniture. We must have tried 20 samples until we settled on Farrow & Ball’s Sap Green, pairing it with Fruit Fool for the island.
Are you pleased with the result?
AP: Proud as Punch – especially as I installed the kitchen myself and Sarah painted it. I’m very handy, and we knew that to get our dream kitchen within our budget, we’d have to do it ourselves. The vision had been spinning around for almost a year thanks to Covid and planning delays, so to see it come together has given us a great ‘look what we achieved’ feeling.
OUR SOURCEBOOK
Architect, whitebrick.studio
Kitchen units, worktop and sink,www.oliveandbarr.com
Paint,www.farrow-ball.com
Hob and oven, www.neff-home.com/uk
Fridge freezer,ao.com
Coffee machine,proespresso.co.uk
Tap, abiinteriors.co.uk
Lighting, various including coxandcox.co.uk
Flooring,madeofwood.uk
Bar stools, furniturevillage.co.uk
Table, chairs, sideboard, all vintage
Radiator,radiators4u.co.uk
COSTS
Kitchen cabinets and paint £20,000
Worktops £4,000
Sink £250
Appliances £4,800
Tap £180
Lighting £1000
Flooring £5000
Bar stools £450
Radiator £750
Glazed doors £7500
Total = £43,930
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