LUXURY LIVING
A family home in the Ribble Valley was completely transformed when the owners removed internal walls to create a large open plan luxury living space. Photography: Vanessa Fry
Paul, Kate and their family have lived in their semi-detached home in Old Langho for more than 15 years. Last year they decided it was time for a new kitchen, which resulted in the total transformation of their ground floor living space.
“I had a vision of what it could look like but I wasn’t sure it could be done as we had to take down a number of walls,” explains Paul, who with Kate had visited a number of kitchen companies before contacting Katie Green at Heart of your Home Kitchens.
“We looked at the website and we were really impressed by Katie’s designs,” says Paul.
Katie visited Paul and Kate’s home to discuss ideas and explain how the couple’s dream kitchen could be created: “We had a small snug which used to be a study but since we moved in we’ve never really used it. It was quite literally a total waste of space.
“We knew that if we knocked walls down and opened up the space to create a large open area, we had the square footage to create the kitchen we had always envisaged. I was concerned that we wouldn’t have enough wall space for the kitchen units and I couldn’t visualise it but that’s where Katie came in.”
When Katie went to visit Kate and Paul she reassured them that what they had in mind could indeed be done. She showed them a portfolio of her work to give them an idea of what could replace their old kitchen. As Paul explains: “We loved our old kitchen but we agreed we wanted to start again and totally re-design it.
“We liked the idea of Shaker style cabinets but hadn’t decided on colours. We definitely didn’t want a dark colour because the area doesn’t get a lot of natural light. However, Katie explained that if we opted for white worktops, a darker colour could work well.”
After taking dimensions, Katie invited Paul and Kate to her beautiful showroom in Waddington where she showed them her proposed design.
“Wow! It was just one big wow,” recalls Paul. “When we could actually see the new kitchen space on screen and move around the room it was amazing! It was the first time we could see how our new kitchen would look without the walls. We could see the units and Katie could even show us inside the cupboards – she was really thinking ahead of us.”
The designs that Katie came up with sparked more ideas, bi-fold doors and the creation of a bench against a wall, with storage underneath, which would be ideal for the couple’s children to store wellingtons and walking boots.
“Katie was brilliant. She would come up with different options for every suggestion that we made. I thought Katie maybe considered that we were being a bit awkward as we changed our minds quite a lot but she was totally understanding and very patient.”
Once Paul and Kate had chosen the cabinets and the colour it was time to call in the builders: “Katie was happy for me to use my own builder but he wasn’t able to start straight away which wasn’t a problem for her. Once work started Katie kept in touch regularly to see how things were going. She called every time a wall was knocked down to check the dimensions,” adds Paul, a DIY enthusiast, who removed the old kitchen himself.
Once that was done, Katie’s expert fitter Matt stepped in to install the cabinets in elegant Mornington Graphite, with classic dark nickel cup handles and worktops in White Quartz.
Neff appliances were installed including a hide and slide oven along with a combination microwave, induction hob with extractor above, fridge freezer and a Quooker boiling water tap.
“Katie gave us the option of a Quooker tap in black and a black sink. I liked the idea of the black against the white worktop, so we went for it and it looks stunning! Every step of the way Katie gives you different options.”
As the couple wanted their new kitchen completed by Christmas, time was tight as Paul recalls: “The kids were worried that we wouldn’t be able to have a Christmas tree but Matt assured me it would be done. Katie recommended a decorator and Matt finished on the Friday before Christmas and came back on the Saturday to do all the final checks. The lights over the island were fitted the day before Christmas Eve so we did it!
“Christmas in our new kitchen was very special. Katie was brilliant! She kept in contact throughout the installation and if we had any questions she got back to us straight away. We are thrilled with our new kitchen!”
Heart of your Home Kitchens
Backridge Farm Business Centre
Twitter Lane
Waddington BB7 3LQ
01200 444540
heartofyourhomekitchens.co.uk
