‘Being in the kitchen was like a punishment, now we love it'

When Richa and Arjun were expecting their first child, they wanted to swap their open-plan flat for ‘a new-build house with lots of doors.’

After six years and now with two daughters, the thought of undertaking a kitchen renovation that would let them embrace open-plan living became very appealing. ‘Being in the kitchen was like a punishment when everyone else was having fun outside or watching TV in the lounge,’ says Arjun.

With everyone together at home during lockdown, that sense of disconnection grew and the couple hired an architect to reconfigure and extend the kitchen. ‘I wanted a sociable family-friendly kitchen where the kids can be in the same room, and a nice space for when my parents visit from India,’ adds Richa, who documents their renovation project @our_spreadsheet_reno.

Maximising the space

‘With a north-west-facing space, we wanted to maximise light so opted for a gable roof with roof lights, large sliding doors with triangular windows above and openable oblong windows on the side. Our architect’s 3D models were great at showing exactly where the light would come in at different times of day,’ says Richa

The couple agreed on a fixed price for the build. ‘It meant putting down a 30% deposit and we sourced each element individually and to save us money. This meant months of pre-orders to ensure items coming from all over the UK and Europe arrived in time,’ says Richa

'We did consider moving out during the build but the costs didn’t add up. Staying put turned out to be the best decision.'

Choosing the kitchen

When looking for kitchens, the couple steered clear of high-street options. ‘I wanted something a bit different,’ says Richa.

‘We opted for a Second Nature Shaker kitchen in a custom green colour. The colour helps bring the outdoors in and goes with the mustard colour scheme I had in mind,' says Richa. ‘We considered a navy blue kitchen but then decided green would be warmer and work better with the warm-toned LVT floor.'

Richa and Arjun chose the stylish radiator to supplement the underfloor heating. The anthracite grey colour was matched to the sliding doors and the paint on the exposed ceiling beam.

Designing the perfect space

'Our new kitchen is super-practical and functional in terms of kitchen storage, with lots of drawers which are easier to organise. Before there were lots of high-wall cupboards, but now everything is accessible,' explains Richa.

'I wasn’t keen on having wall cupboards as we didn’t need any more storage and I didn’t want a chunky cupboard look under the gable roof, so our builders made a bespoke wooden shelf.’

‘Granite sinks are pretty bombproof and easy maintenance, so we went for an undermount granite XL sink, which is sleek yet functional,’ says Richa. Another benefit of granite is that it is one of the best kitchen sink materials for hard water areas.

‘The brushed brass tap from B&Q is one of my key splurges,' admits Richa.

The large kitchen island is Richa’s favourite part of the space. ‘There was a perfect moment the other day; I was cooking with the sliding doors open, the sun filtered in through the roof lights, my husband was reading at the island and the kids were playing Monopoly on the window seat. It made me think – this is what we worked so hard to achieve.’

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