Kitchen Transformation

The Heart of the home...

If you know me, or follow me on Instagram, you will know that over the past 18 months we have been ripping our house apart and putting it back together again. I am about to share my favourite part of the project and probably the biggest transformation of the whole house, the kitchen. 

When we first viewed the house I fell in love with it and one of the main reasons (other then the hallway, which I'll probably share with you when it's complete) was the kitchen. That last statement may surprise you when you see some of the before pictures...

The kitchen was very small and hadn't had any work done to it in about 20 years but I could see huge potential. Throughout this whole renovation I've always been able to visualise the exact end result, something which my partner in crime struggles with. I can honestly say on the first viewing I could see how it would look today.

This picture of the dining room was taken on the day we moved in. This room had always been used as a living room by the previous owner but I've never lived with the lounge at the back of house and it wouldn't of made any sense with the plans I had in mind.

So what happened first? We toyed with the idea of extending the kitchen out into the garden but a similar thing was done at my dad's house and the dining room became redundant so I really didn't feel it was necessary. I wanted to make sure we were using all of the space downstairs efficiently before we added any extra space and I think living with it how it was originally for 9 months, really helped us to visualise how we would use the space best. So... no walls were built but walls sure came down!!!

When I look back at these particular pictures
 I can't believe how far we have come!!!

                                                 

When that wall came down it just flooded the rooms with light. The house is south facing so we get sun on this part of the house all day long and I just love it!

We worked really hard with the builder to make sure he understood what we wanted from the space... a nice big open plan space, a social space! We had new windows and french doors fitted. The doors open up into the garden and they are never closed during the warmer days.

Next came the units. Our builder advised us really well with regard to units and fixtures and we ended up with a kitchen from a company called Four Seasons. The quality of the units are really great and I just love the colour. The builder tried to talk us out of a wooden worktop due to the maintenance they require but I wasn't having anything else and who minds oiling it every so often when it looks so beautiful. 

So here is the finished product....

I love it so much!

It really is a dream space and exactly what I thought we could achieve on that first viewing. It looks so much bigger then it was even though nothing has been extended. 

I especially love the details that have been added afterwards, that was the fun part. Like the Garden Trading pendant lighting above the breakfast bar. The dresser and the table (which I'll blog about in the future) tie the two rooms together so beautifully. 

I also love this modern take on a Belfast sink...

I have a bit of an obsession with Emma Bridgewater, you may have noticed. 

We couldn't have a real Belfast sink due to the location of the dishwasher but I think this is a great alternative.

                       

        

Oh and not forgetting my cute little pantry, which I had to work really hard  at saving, (the other half didn't have the vision for it) is one of my favourite features  of our 1920's house. 

So that's it, the heart of the home all done! 

Sorry if that was a bit of a long post and you lost interest, but it one of our proudest achievements throughout the whole renovation as it is such a great space to use. We both love it to bits. 

I hope you find some inspiration if you're about to tackle a kitchen refit, and I'm happy to answer any questions if you think I maybe able to advise you on your project.

Amy x