A 'sloppy' kitchen, with sticking cupboard doors and cracked floor tiles, has been transformed into a modern, monochrome cooking space packed with the latest gadgets.
Who lives here?
Alison Davidson (@alisonaddingstyle), an interiors journalist and stylist who lives in a 1930s detached house in Surrey, is renovating her home piecemeal, room by room, eventually tackling the kitchen.
in front
Alison's kitchen, with doors coming off hinges and cracked floor tiles, had been a haunting for her for 20 years. She admits that she rushed it the first time around and was never happy with it. This time, she was determined to create a cooking space she would cherish forever.
What Alison's kitchen used to look like
Please describe the room before you changed it…
advertisement: When we first moved into our house, the kitchen had dark brown wooden units, beige laminate worktops, two boilers, red linoleum flooring and horrible patterned tiles. We couldn't survive like that so, even though we'd spent all our money on the house, we managed to scrape together some money to update the kitchen.
What happened next?
advertisement: A tight budget meant we had to get creative, so rather than buy an entirely new unit we decided to keep the main unit and just replace the door fronts, work surfaces and wall and floor tiles, we also installed a hob and moved the boiler.
Why did you decide to renovate again now?
advertisement: I had lived with an incomplete kitchen for 20 years. I was in a rush at the time and was never satisfied, so I decided to take the plunge and start over. The door kept coming off its hinges, the floor was cracked in places, and the sink under the window hadn't worked for years.
Where did you start?
advertisement: As an interior stylist, I see beautiful kitchens every day, so you'd think it would be easy for me, but there are just too many options. I also had to work within a budget. I was drawing down some of my savings, so I only had a limited amount to spend. I looked at a lot of options, but ultimately decided to go with my local Howdens. I knew I wanted units without handles, so that narrowed down the options, and I finally chose the Clerkenwell range from Howdens. The base units are dark grey with a matte finish, flanked by a white wall-mounted unit on the top of one side. I considered mounting units on both walls, but I'd never done that before, so I didn't think it was necessary. Also, it's a galley kitchen, so I didn't want it to feel closed in.
Alison chose an oven at eye level for easy cooking.
What was the next step?
advertisement: We worked out the design together, made some changes and could have just left it all to Howdens, but I'm not that picky. Then I shopped around for appliances, flooring and wall tiles myself. It was a lot harder to choose than I thought it would be – a lot of things would go out of style quickly and I didn't want something that everyone else had and was all over Instagram.
I had a preconceived notion about home appliances…
advertisement: One thing I definitely wanted was an American style fridge and freezer. It might seem a bit odd as I usually live alone but it was my luxury. I love using the water dispenser and buying ice for my gin and tonics! I also wanted the oven and microwave to be at eye level, which meant there was a big gap where the range cooker was, perfect for a deep pot drawer. The hob and extractor fan would go on that wall, allowing it to vent to the outside. After a bit of research I opted for an induction hob, which cleverly “communicates” with the extractor hood so that the extractor fan comes on automatically when a pot starts to boil. So handy!
The 'smart' extractor detects when a pot is boiling on the induction hob below and switches on, saving energy. The induction hob also saves energy as it only heats when a pot is placed on it.
How did you decide on the tiles for the floors and walls?
advertisement: I wanted the walls to be orange, so I explored colors for a long time, but was worried I'd get bored of it. In the end, I decided to go with monochrome, knowing I could always paint it orange later. I found some black and white patterned tiles in Mandarin Stone, but I've always wanted metro tile, so I used metro tile on the other wall and around the sink. I think the two go together perfectly.
Are you happy with the results in your kitchen?
advertisement: My job requires me to constantly be on the lookout for what's next, and I find it very satisfying, but it took me a long time to get used to it, especially remembering where I put everything.
Before and After
Source Book
cost
- paint £23
- Kitchen unit £9070
- Worktop 2000 pounds
- Flooring £204
- tile £647
- Sink and Faucet £954
- Home appliances £4118
- boiler £1274
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