The Fairhurst’s are in their early fifties, are very young and trendy with three children in their twenties, two sons are working with dad in his building company, their daughter a professional dancer and not forgetting their huge fluffy dog! They all work long hours and are a happy sociable family with a house full of laughter. They love to be together and have been dreaming of a new kitchen for many years in this listed terraced house.

Their kitchen had baffled them as such an unusual shape, planning made them keep the low sill sash window from the dining room into the new structure. They just couldn’t work out how to address this corner with the narrow space and low sill.

Their budget was 30k with a few tricks we managed to stick to this.

The wish list included the usual appliances but had to have a kitchen that hid the messy breakfast stuff as they all rush out the door in the mornings. The finishes must hide finger prints and doggy tail marks. They wanted a twist in the materials and design as the property is so old, they absolutely didn’t want a cheesy shaker kitchen it had to be contemporary and crisp.

They were basically lost and needed help; I decided an island would give them the social centre piece, a relaxed place for them to chat and share meals. Then created an area for the ovens that would sit in a feature wall with niches allowing me to get the best use out of the long wall with the glass roof. I wanted to use mirror wall units that would add a unique style; they make the narrow area look twice the size, the glass roof looks doubled and a general feeling of space achieved (they are above eye level so you don’t see yourself just the feeling of space). The niche wall for the ovens helped to stay on budget as they built this all themselves to my drawings.

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The fridge and breakfast unit work hand in hand, making this all in a step or two for quick easy breakfasts. The materials are textured and forgiving in a busy house with three builders and a dog. This kitchen stays looking the same no matter how much use it gets. It is hard to describe all the reasons this works so well for them but within 30 minutes of seeing the plans and visuals they just ordered having visited four other kitchen designers and tried to do it themselves they said I got it in my first shot they didn’t change a thing! The lower worktop under the window adds character and space to spread out when cooking, moving the oven allowed for plenty of worktop around the sink. The materials work with the property, textures blends with the old brick, the Mirror units add a feeling of glamour and space. These units have gaps below so they can be opened and closed without touching the mirror.

Agreed budget value for this project was £29,978.19

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