'We wanted to create a haven for our family that felt warm and inviting'

Family is often the guiding force behind a renovation project – after all, we all want a home that lets us relax and spend time together.

For many households, the motivation for a kitchen renovation is to create a space where family and friends can gather to share a meal and where children can play or do homework while their parents cook.

In order to create their dream family kitchen, Olive and Hugo Guest – with the help of designers at Neptune – sought to transform a former stables into a spacious kitchen-diner.

Designing the perfect kitchen

‘We wanted to create a haven for our family that felt warm and inviting,’ says Olive Guest. However, their home, Glebe Stables, was a long way from this vision when she and her husband Hugo took over the property in 2020.

‘Until the 1950s it had been the stables for the Georgian vicarage, Glebe House,’ Olive explains. ‘In the 1980s, Hugo’s parents had turned it into a residential outbuilding – the hay loft was transformed into two bedrooms, while the old stable beneath became the garage with a very small kitchen area. Where our new kitchen extension is now had once been the pig sties.’

Extending the space

In order to achieve their dream, Olive and Hugo planned the two-storey extension to create a new light and spacious traditional kitchen, plus two new bedrooms and a bathroom above.

‘We live in an area of outstanding natural beauty so planning can be lengthy,’ says Olive. ‘It took around two years to get planning permission for the extension and another year for the build.’

An island was a must-have

One essential element of creating their dream family-friendly kitchen was a multi-purpose island.

‘Not only would it provide space for us to prep, but also somewhere for family craft projects and for the boys to play. They are four and two years old, and we love cooking with them – baking biscuits, rolling out pasta – and generally getting very messy,’ says Olive.

‘Having a large kitchen island space as well as a little seating and dining area means we can all live, play and work together in a way that doesn’t feel like we’re all on top of each other.’

Creating an Italian-inspired kitchen

When it came to cabinetry, the solid oak and painted timber of Neptune’s Henley kitchen was the perfect fit. Its classic country kitchen style and the exposed wood of the base units complemented the original Georgian building while embracing warm kitchen colour trends brought much-needed character to the extension.

‘We love how kitchens in Italy have happy colours and lots of character, and we wanted to bring some of that to our home,’ says Olive. ‘We also get inspired when we’re out on walks with the boys at the local beaches. We love the oranges and patchwork of greens of the unique cliffs along the nearby Jurassic coastline, and it led us to pick the warm terracotta shades.'

'There is also a postbox-red boat that sits on the beach at Branscombe, and we love the idea of having a bold pop of red somewhere, which inspired the colour for the red island.’

The space was completed with a subtle chequerboard terracotta kitchen flooring. ‘It was a real labour of love – I hadn’t quite appreciated it would need six coats of sealer, but it was worth it,’ says Hugo.

Adding lights

For artist Olive and chef Hugo, natural light is essential, both for their creativity and work.

Having windows on three sides of the kitchen certainly brightens the room and the eye-catching green frames contrast with the walls and emphasise the natural light.

Softer golden kitchen lighting ideas provided by lamps, wall lights and glass pendants add to the atmosphere and illumination. Understanding how to plan kitchen lighting is essential in winter – it will transform a cold dark space into a warm and cosy spot.

Living the dream

‘Previously, we didn’t spend much time in the kitchen as there was not enough space,’ explains Olive. ‘However, our new kitchen-diner has surpassed all expectations – we’re always gathering in here now as a family.'

'We feel very house proud and have a long list of friends to invite over for our Christmas celebrations.’