Whilst most of my creative projects involve paper, glue, baking or clay, there’s one big – nay, HUGE, project keeping me busy in the background, and that’s the renovation of our new house; a crumbling yet beautiful pile that we moved into just before Christmas. We were looking for somewhere big and vaguely unkempt, where Harry could run amok without it mattering, and where adventures could be had and memories created over many years. My husband saw it first, and it’s a testament to the magic of the house that he, ever practical and sensible, was captivated. Windows rattled, mice fled for cover, plaster dust quietly settled around us but still, we decided, it had to be ours. Madness, of the very best possible kind…
So here we are, 6 months in and with no money left, neat fingernails a distant memory and a complete and profound happiness about having found Home. Our first big project was to convert the formal living room into a family kitchen/dining space, where we now spend almost all of our waking hours. This is what it looked like before:
And now after…
The room – like the rest of the house – has some beautiful features we were keen to keep, like the panelling, bay windows and ornate coving from when the house was built in the 1750s. We had an imprint made of this, so we could continue it around the new in-built range cooker and cupboards. A lime-washed, engineered oak floor replaced the old pink carpet (you can see now where all our money has gone…), and is living up to the promise of being hard-wearing and resistant to everything a two year old can drop on it. Much of the space in the l-shaped room was under-utilised before, as the previous owners had understandably clustered sofas round the fireplace and left the far end alone. Instead, we added our main kitchen area here, working with Martin Moore to design a layout which maximises the space, and centres around a large Cook’s Table and chairs which we perch on whilst dinner bubbles away on the stove. (Alright, alright I confess; whilst dinner pings in the microwave).
And after….
The fireplace (below) was original to the property but very ornate and rather too heavy with bunches of grapes and dancing maidens for our taste; we replaced it with this simple yet majestic stone surround slate hearth, and retained the original backplate. The fireplace is an object of fascination for Harry, who is convinced the chimney is home to a family of owls, ever since I hooted down from an upstairs fireplace when he was standing below.
By the time we’d finished the kitchen and floor, our collective money boxes were nearly empty, so we bought these two dressers relatively cheaply and painted them to tone with the kitchen at the other end. Random objects gathered at junk sales and flea markets over the years have finally found a home on top (I knew that 3ft wide vintage Ukranian dough bowl would look good somewhere…), and our mismatched white china is stored inside. Our melamine Disney plates and chipped mugs are still around, of course, we just hide them in our new cupboards..
Finally we added a squashy cream Chesterfield sofa in the bay window; the perfect place to read Sunday papers (though the relaxed reading of newspapers is a distant memory, in truth). Cream sofas may seem like another act of insanity, but this one is steeped in industrial strength stain-guard, which so far is doing a magnificent job.
So; Phase 1 is now complete, and the memories of months of rubble, chaos and the Electrician-Who-Fell-Through-The-Ceiling are rapidly fading and being converted into cheery anecdotes. The electrician, I hasten to add, is fine; he stepped off a beam upstairs and went straight through the lathe and plaster ceiling below; fortunately a lifetime of eating Cornish pasties for lunch ensured he simply became wedged between joists and suffered an uncomfortable hour in mid-air, and mid-floor, whilst reinforcements – and a ladder – arrived.
OH WOW!!! that looks absolutely stunning!!! Good job!!!
Wow, your remodeled room looks absolutely gorgeous! Getting really envious here… And as for the no money left part – I’d say it was money well spent!
Lovely! You did a wonderful job. I especially love the floors, stove & the openness of the room.
Thanks Melissa for the lovely comment! We love the openness too, as does my young son Harry who worked out immediately that the dining table and cook’s table essentially form islands in a giant racing track, which he can complete on his ride-on fire engine at great speed. I fear for my new skirting boards *gulp*
What a beautiful kitchen space. Truly a dream! Well done!
This is a brilliant post. I love Interior design and I think what you have done is beautiful. I can’t wait to see more pictures when you renovate the rest of the house.
Thanks Susan for the lovely comment; our next project is the hallway which we’re halfway through, so stand by; our long-awaited rest from renovation was very short indeed!
If this is your kitchen, I can’t wait to see how you transform the rest of your home. You’ve done a beautiful job. Simply stunning.
My husband fell through our floor when we were renovating our kitchen. Every renovation needs one of those memorable stories!
Gorgeous!! I wish you could remodel my home – I’d pay you
The afters are so awesome!!! What a transformation – love the floors and the paint colours – and those large windows – I’m jealous!
Love love love your new everything! Seriously, it seems magical! Good for you guys – $ well spent! Bravo from the USA
It’s beautiful; light and airy and full of a sense of space and peace. And good lord it’s tidy! Please, please tell me you tidied it for the photos and it doesn’t look like this all the time! But seriously, time and money and hard work has reaped it’s rewards for you – what a perfect space.
Thanks Gillian – and yes, you’ve got me nailed; open a single cupboard in the kitchen and any number of random objects are likely to come tumbling out from where they’ve been packed tight to preserve the aura of calm; old habits die hard
Amazing. Seriously gorgeous. The before pictures really take the transformation over the top. Two thumbs up!
Looks beautiful!
Wow this is an amazing transformation! I love love love it!!!
Wow what a beautiful & calm space.
I officially have kitchen envy. Do you mind me asking where your old school style radiator is from? Is it original to the house or from a reclamation yard or a repro? We currently have no roof (just started a loft conversion) and I would like to put these in the new loft room when it’s done. In truth, i’d really rather have a reclaimed one, but am nervous of the possibility for issues/cost/technicalities of matching up old radiator to new pipework etc and difficulty in sourcing them. Yours look great and in white too which is what i’m after so would be hugely grateful to know. Thanks and if my loft looks half as good as this i’ll be very happy. x
Hi Bex – ours is actually original to the house; mercifully they were left untouched, and although they clank and bang ominously they look beautiful and throw out loads of heat. I’d suggest having a look at LASSCO for reclaimed and restored originals; I think they also guarantee them for a while after sale. For new ones, somewhat astonishingly, trade specialists Screwfix have a good range of repro ones that generally come in bronze or gunmetal finishes but can be spray painted in any colour later – we’re looking at these for a couple of our upstairs rooms… good luck with the loft!
Wow, this is unbelievably beautiful. I’m so jealous of your house from the 1750s. We don’t get much of that over here in the States, and none of it out here on the west coast. You are incredibly talented and I can’t wait to see more of your projects!
Thanks so much Beth! And yes, we’re very lucky to have so many period properties here in the UK; they may creak and disintegrate and have walls too thick for wifi to penetrate but they certainly have character! Thanks for stopping by and for taking the time to comment…
Your kitchen is amazing. I love the light fixtures, they are such statement pieces but blend in beautifully. I can’t even imagine how much work the redo was, but it sure resulted in a beautiful space.
It’s beautiful. I love your rug underneath the table.
I am just curious where the original kitchen in the house was and what happened to it. I’m sure that will be saved for future posts. This is fascinating and lovely! Thank you for sharing with the world.
Hi Char, good question! The house is half of one original huge manor house, so – despite its size – only has half of the original rooms, and the kitchen-as-was now belongs to our neighbours. The house was divided into two just after the war, having been used as a military hospital during WWII. When we bought the house it had a relatively small galley kitchen at the opposite end of the house which we’ve now ripped out; and yes, I’ll show some pics in the future of what we do with the space and how it looked before/after! Thanks for visiting
Wowzers!!! You can be very proud for sure.
absolutely stunning! What a great transformation!
AMAZING !!! stunning transformation. I am in love with everything. Great job, would love to know more abt the paint you used for the walls & the kitchen cabinets (my jaw is still on the floor) Bravo.
Hi Sosa, thank you so much! For the walls we used Farrow and Ball Estate Emulsion paint, in a colour called Shaded White which we’ve used all over; in different lights it looks anything from a soft grey to a muted taupe or pale green – a great neutral without being bland. The units are painted in shades from a British company called the Paint and Paper Library (Stone II and Stone III); we went for an oil-based finish to be a little more hardwearing. Not sure where you live but F&B paints are available in Britain and North America, and tend to be used by the National Trust in England for redecoration of its stately homes – not cheap but a beautiful palette.
Insanely gorgeous! I love it! And maybe pastry eating isn’t so bad, apparently it can save a life! I think I’ll help myself to a cupcake and drool over your kitchen!
This is BEYOND amazing! You did a beautiful job and it is one of the most soothing kitchens I have ever seen redone! I absolutely love all the finishes you chose. What a wonderful place to share as a family and make memories in. Congratulations to you!!
I am in awe of anyone living in such a fabulously modernly gorgeous house such as this, it looks AMAZING! You’ve done a great job renovating it to your taste and I love the original features like those big windows, just gorgeous.
Thanks Kate, we fell in love with the windows and the ceiling height too when we first saw the house. The only not-inconsiderable-downside is that EVERYTHING (curtains, blinds, shutters, window panes, you name it…) that comes in standard sizes is way too small and has to be made to order at vast expense… I now have a nervous tic that is triggered by anyone whispering ‘custom made’ or ‘artisan’..
WOW. The transformations are totally jealousy-inducing. What a gorgeous makeover!!
Amazing transformation (and I am drooling over your floor)! Can’t wait to see more. It makes my 1888 Victorian (in Pennsylvania) look new. We switched our Dining Room (the largest room in the house) and Kitchen 6 years ago and have never looked back.
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Gob Smacked. Its gorgeous!
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I can’t even begin to describe how impressed I am with the whole reno.
Also…I’ve nominated you for the “Seven Things About Me” blogger award. You can accept or decline. Go to my page to see how it works.
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Simply delicious! I love your transformation. Similarly, doing up our Victorian house which was converted into flats. Turning it back into a house (child friendly of course as we have two girls 3 & 6) tearing down walls and going broke… But I LOVE your engineered lime washed oak flooring. Pray tell me where you sourced it from. Oh, love love love the hallway transformation too! Those tiles with the mini harlequin patter, amazing.
Hi Samantha, thank you! And I wish I could see your home, it sounds like an amazing project – and a daunting one at times I’m sure! Our floor is by Kahrs and is their ‘Artisan Oak Linen’. I can’t remember what it cost (traumatic memory loss no doubt), but we both agree it’s our favourite thing in the whole house, ever. Hopefully once we’ve found a few more pennies to rub together we’ll have it in other rooms too…
I am truly inspired… Does your chimney cooker hood depth extend all the way out to the depth of your range? It is difficult to judge as you have the shelf. I looked up the kahrs and am waiting on my sample. My kitchen is a gutted shell, but might one day soon resemble yours…
Your kitchen is sooooo fab! I love it! Can I be very nosey and ask where the kitchen units are from?
This is amazing, so beautiful! I am wondering about your countertops. Would you consider sharing the brand & color? I love them with the cabinet color!
It’s Melbourne calling… You have a wonderful home and the luckiest young man in the northern hemisphere. From fairy doors to pirate chests to hanging bird treats, I can’t show my two boys your blog or they’d ferret out their passports, nick my credit card and be on the next plane over. Heck maybe I’ll come myself and just hang out in your kitchen! Looking forward to losing myself in more posts… Ann x
Ann, that made my day! (and made me laugh, on a very grey and drizzly day here..). My brother has just emigrated to Melbourne so I’m being regaled with tales of sparkling bright sunny days and the beach lifestyle – I think your boys are safe for a while yet
. Thanks for taking the time to leave such lovely feedback – it’s brilliant to receive…
Hello Kate,
Canada calling! I love everything about your kitchen as well! From someone who remembers having an eight month old climbing through piles of sawdust during our renovations, I can relate to your posts. In the past, we have gutted an old house, moved another old abandoned house to a new location, then renovated it, and now live in a fifities house with an addition that we added to it. It has all been worth ever effort we made. My question is, where did you get the fabric for your “you are my sunshine” pillows? Is it a stencil? I NEED to do this for two great nieces, to remember their grandma ( my sister). The song has a family significance. Your son is lovely, and lucky, by the way.
Peg
Thanks Peg! The cushion was actually a gift so I cannot claim any credit here… Looking at the tab, it’s by Sugarboo Designs, a US business which appears to sell through wholesalers. If you google ‘You are my sunshine pillow’ you’ll quickly see images of it – it’s made from stone wash linen, which feels quite heavyweight and is a lovely natural colour instead of being bleached white. You’ll quickly find a supplier, but the ones I’ve just found charge around $150-$200 (eek!) so it’s definitely worth trying a DIY. I’ve found some useful tutorials for stencilling cushions on Pinterest in the past, which advocate using fabric paint with a dry brush and a taped-in-place stencil… Linen would be ideal I guess as it won’t stretch or slip. Good luck!
Your kitchen is beyond gorgeous! It totally fits my tastes. Can I please move in?
You’ve given a soul to this room. The old and the new are mixing and matching close to perfection. The bay windows, the ornate coving and the floor are beautifully enhanced. The soft and close to nature colors let the eyes peacefully looking at every details.
Wonderful job!
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Hi Kate,
I love your home and so many wonderful ideas, it is really beautiful! What is the industrial strength stain guard you used on that sofa? I need to get my hands on some…
Kate
What a gorgeous kitchen (and a fab blog)! We’re currently restoring an old victorian house and the kitchen is on our to do list over the next couple of months… I love the colours you’ve used. Can I ask what colour you used on the walls?
Hi Kerry, thank you! The walls (and in fact all the doors and woodwork) are in Shaded White estate emulsion by Farrow & Ball. We’ve used it all over the house and it’s one of those colours that looks different in different lights, but gorgeously mellow. Good luck with your project…
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My mother just forwarded me your website, and now that I’ve already read through nearly every post, my little toddler is probably going to wonder if he got a new mummy! Very inspired here; we spent a happy morning making homemade Play-Doh and dusting the kitchen in the process. May I ask where your beautiful dining table came from?
Hi Kate, what a fantastic kitchen reno, I may or may not have missed if you commented on your table but I would love to know where I could get the same table from?……its just right in so many ways,
Warmly Sandra
Hi Sandra, thanks so much for your comment! The table came from http://www.johnlewis.com, about 5 years ago – I’m not sure if they still make it, but good luck with the hunt. We love it because it’s a gorgeous ‘cool’ oak – it has a kind of white oiled finish which is very forgiving and seems to absorb all kinds of knocks and scratches too…
Many thanks for the reply, it’s so much appreciated….
Hi Kate, sent a question about your kitchen table but I forgot to pass onto you my email address for any of your return comments……..hence the second post here, thanks Sandra
Amazing! Pls let me know the brand of the dinning room ceiling light: I love it!!!!
Thks
Hi Katie, thanks! Its a pendant light by Original BTC, available from http://www.johnlewis.com in the UK or various suppliers in the US / RoW. It also comes in a set of 7 pendants if you wanted a bigger one..
You’ve done a remarkable job with the final stylings and furnishings. The end result is simply breathtaking.