Green Eyed Girl, Claire Wainwright joins us this morning sharing her kitchen transformation. Personally I can’t think of a more stunning place to have a morning cuppa.
We bought our house in 2012 after falling in love with its large Edwardian proportions and central location. Saying it was a doer-upper is a bit of an understatement as we have spent much of our time since renovating!
The previous owners told us they hated the dark, dingy space kitchen space. They couldn’t see the potential; but we could! My goal for this space was to transform it in to a bright white, light-filled open plan living space. We basically had to tear the whole thing down, including an old extension, and rebuild it. We found lots of *delightful* problems along the way including a chimney breast that had been knocked down and left unsupported hiding under a false ceiling. The house could have fallen down!
The whole kitchen was designed to be a social space. We were lucky to be able to include a large island that is the focus of the room. I like to cook, so it was important for me to have the hob in the island so my husband and I can chat when I’m cooking without me having my back to him. We also included a wine fridge, a window seat, built in speakers that link up to a Sonos system and seating at the island to make it the perfect entertaining space. We have had more than a few late nights with friends and family dancing around the kitchen!
I knew I wanted a painted kitchen with bespoke options such as an oak-lined larder cupboard. We found a local cabinetry maker than could do it within our budget (and much less than the big kitchen brands) and worked with him to design every detail including the bespoke beading on the doors. To keep it light, we painted the main cupboards Little Greene Tusk and the island Dash of Soot – i’d really recommend Little Greene for kitchens as it hasn’t chipped or marked at all. The worktop is Silestone and it is brilliant – I can chop directly on it, put hot pans straight on to it and wipe up staining foods like turmeric with ease. Our industrial bar stools from Cult Furniture give a but of edginess and I added in a cook-book shelf wall using picture shelves from Ikea which we cut to size.
For the dining area of the room we knew we wanted a stand-out dining table. We found the perfect one whilst in Bali. Basically, we just picked out a large hunk of wood in a shed-like ‘factory’ and they created a table and bench out of it and shipped it to the UK. It is such a talking piece in the room. The chairs around it are replica Eames Eiffel chairs.
I am really into Scandi style at the moment so I have created a gallery wall with monochrome Scandi prints that sits just above the dining table. They are from Olive et Oriel and David Ehrenstrahle. The living area of the room still needs a bit of work, but just now we have a couple of sofas, cosy blankets and plenty of cushions. The large round mirror was a must-have piece for me and was a bit of a splurge from
. I love this room so much I spend all my time in here and rarely sit in the living room.
For more of Claire’s beautiful home then check out her blog and Instagram and in the meantime steal her impeccable style below.
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Photography by Claire Wainwright
Article source: http://rockmystyle.co.uk/claires-sociable-kitchen/#foobox-1/4/Claires-bright-white-kitchen-and-scandi-dining-for-RMS-1.jpg
