Bold and beautiful

Style advice Three simple tricks to try in your own home

ACCESSORIZE

The white walls and tiles allow for fun and cheery accessories. The spaghetti artwork from Frowzy Prints shows that this isn’t a kitchen that takes itself too seriously. ‘There are so many similar kitchens out there, but it’s easy to put your own stamp on them with accessories,’ says Nikki. ‘It’s a great way to have fun.’ The lamp, from houseof.com works perfectly with the colourful plant pots. ‘I like to have things out on the worktop. Since the walls are quite plain, it helps the space feel cosy.’

BRING IT BACK DOWN TO EARTH As the house is a fairly standard build, Nikki and Luke didn’t want to go too over the top. ‘It wouldn’t have felt authentic,’ Nikki explains. ‘To balance the bright colours, we went for matt black and white fixtures and fittings throughout, including the switches, sockets and the white sink and tap. We also tried to use low-cost materials, like the concrete worktop. But, of course, it had to be colourful and this pale pink design was perfect.’

GO FOR IT! Nikki personalised the IKEA kitchen units by spraypainting them in a vibrant blue by Mylands paint. It was a bold choice, but the risk has clearly paid off. ‘It’s surprising how far you can push boundaries with interiors,’ says Nikki. ‘I often doubt that a certain idea will work, but then I give it a try and it always does. The worst thing you can do is hold back. Things can always be changed, or you can start over. Just be careful not to fall for too many fads and make sure you shop around for things that make you smile.’

Style idea

Add detachable legs to furniture for flexibility

As the dining table had to be long and thin to fit into the space, Nikki and Luke made one themselves. They also opted for bench seating, meaning they can push the table closer to the wall and tuck the bench underneath, keeping the walkway free

‘Would I do it again? Absolutely. I loved the whole process and I can’t wait for our next project’ MY EXPERIENCE

We lived here for two years while we saved up for our dream kitchen. Once the works started, we had to move out for a bit as the house became a building site. We rented down the road which saved us money in the long run as the contractors could work faster.

I knew I wanted a few pink items, including a pink concrete worktop, the little pink handles and the pink geometric wallpaper. I wanted something really uplifting, which this kitchen definitely is. It took a while to commit to going all blue as I thought it might be overpowering, but the white floor, tiling and walls balance it out. Luckily, Luke loves bright colours as much as me.

This house came with a lot of baggage, and we really wanted to finish everything to a very high standard and to give it a whole new look. We finished the project on time, but over budget, so we rent the house out as a shoot location to try and make some of the extra costs back. Our kitchen is now big enough to host our many nieces and nephews, as well as all our friends, which was so important to us.

All in all, the work took around six months. We were so lucky to have great contractors and we didn’t find any nasty surprises. Would I do it again? Absolutely. I loved the whole process; my favourite part was mood-boarding and sourcing all the finishing touches. I can’t wait for our next project.

My shopping list

● Veddinge cupboard doors, from £11, IKEA ● Kitchen units painted in FTT-018, £73 for 2.5L, Mylands paint ● Pink concrete worktops, £3,000, Mortise Concrete ● Hobson brass handles, £19 each, Swarf ● White Franke sink, £158, Wickes ● For a similar tap, try the Cooke & Lewis Katiki White kitchen tap, £50; White floating shelf, £10, both B&Q ● Arrows Gloss White wall tiles, £50.40 per sq m, Porcelain Superstore ● For a similar oven, try the NEFF N30 electric double oven, £699, Currys ● Wundt 2 wallpaper, £140 per roll, Quirk & Rescue ● Hübsch White plant pot, £65 for two, Connox ● For a similar plant, try the Pink Elephant Ear plant by Brazen Botany, £158, Not on the High Street ● Jake symmetrical corner sofa, £3,432, Love Your Home ● Malmros dining chair, £149 each, Cult Furniture ● Charcoal Grey Opal Disk ceiling light, £179; Pink Arch table lamp, £99, both houseof.com ● Cement and brass lamp base, £95, Oliver Bonas ● Small black coffee machine, £150, De’Longhi ● Fried egg artwork, POA, Krystal. Wong ● Wavy plant pot, £20, Proudly Potty on Etsy ● Plant print, £11, BettyCassieDjango on Etsy ● Pink concrete tray, £34.99; Pink concrete candle holder, £9.99; Pink concrete pot, £14.99; Pink concrete bowl, £15.99, all ConcretelyCo on Etsy ● Callie scalloped bowls, £22; polka dot vase, £6; marble footed bowl, £25, all Next. Turn to p144 for stockist details