‘From drab to peachy keen!’

Style advice Three simple tricks to try in your own home

SMART LAYOUT

Get clever with the layout, especially if you’ve inherited a tricky feature in your kitchen, like Laura’s fireplace alcove. Laura made the most of this space by putting her cooker inside and lining the back and sides with white gloss metro tiles to create a wipe-clean splashback. Rather than this area being a wasted space, it has now become integral to the kitchen design. If you’ve got the same issue, remember to ask your electrician to install a plug socket in a tricky area like this during the build. JUST PEACHY

Paint your space in a blush peach tone, like Laura, to add warmth to your walls and complement wooden worktops, vintage accessories and off-white units. ‘I chose this colour as it changes beautifully over the course of the day – it feels fresh and bright during daytime, then mellows into a cosy peach hue when the sun sets,’ says Laura. ‘Plus, I knew my plants would ‘pop’ perfectly with this as a backdrop!’ Remember to choose a kitchen paint for a hard-wearing finish.

MAXIMISE STORAGE

As well as providing lots of storage, open shelving makes the perfect display space for kitchen accessories. For optimum interest, Laura loves to mix vintage pieces with highstreet favourites, including buys from Flying Tiger, Primark and H&M Home. Laura found her wooden brackets in B&Q and made the shelving out of basic pine planks. ‘I painted the shelves and brackets the same as the walls, in Pink 02 by Lick, so they blend seamlessly into the space and help make my art and accessories really stand out.’

Laura’s kitchen was the biggest project in the house. She considered an extension at first, but she didn’t want to lose space in the garden. By knocking two rooms into one, she created a large space for all the family

Embrace the rustic look with wicker pendants

The space at the end of the kitchen was the perfect size for the 1930s cupboard that Laura uses as her pantry. She found the piece on eBay for £100 and painted it white to tie in with the kitchen’s light and airy feel

MY EXPERIENCE

When we moved into this house in April 2012, this area was divided into a small kitchen and an adjoining utility room. The kitchen had cheap MDF units and a fake wooden worktop. The wall tiles had been painted over and the floor was covered in tatty lino. There really wasn’t a lot to love about the space.

We saved up for two years to pay for the renovations. In 2014, we hired builders to knock down the wall between the two rooms and install bi-fold doors to the garden. We made the fireplace bigger too so we could fit in a range-style cooker. I decided to go for a Scandinavian look with IKEA units, light oak worktops and a ceramic sink. Instead of wall cabinets, we fitted shelving.

Early this year, it felt like the right time to give the kitchen a glow up. Just painting the walls and shelves in a peach tone made a huge difference. The space instantly looks more modern. We switched out the silver tap and handles for gold-coloured ones and I changed the industrial metal pendant shades to pretty rattan designs.

As a family, we use this kitchen so much. There’s always music playing, and we love to cook in here. Our kitchen has a relaxed feel, making it the perfect space for entertaining.

My shopping list

● For a similar kitchen, try the Metod units, £51 for a 40 x 37cm base unit with shelves; for a similar sink, try the Havsen two-bowl sink, £275, both IKEA ● Solid oak worktop, from £153, Worktop Express ● Brushed Gold Filtrata 4-in-1 boiling water kitchen tap, £595, Lusso Stone ● For similar flooring try Villa Gala Oak White laminate flooring, £25.79 per sq m, Direct Wood Flooring ● Victoria Metro wall tiles in Gloss White, £24.95 per sq m, Victorian Plumbing ● Walls painted in Pink 02, £42 per 2.5L, Lick ● Wooden shelf brackets, £5, B&Q ● For a similar dining table, try the Barker & Stonehouse Covington reclaimed wood dining table, £679, Fenwick ● For similar dining chairs try the Arvid dining chair, £49 each, HJEM Editions ● For a similar flour tin, try the Living Nostalgia flour tin, £16.72, Wayfair ● Crofts & Assinder Monmouth cabinet cup handles in Brushed Satin, £6.25 each, IronmongeryDirect ● Echo Number One Black wall clock, £105, Newgate World ● I Will Love You 4 Eva print, £12.50, Sooshi Chacha ● Large terracotta vase, £24.99; linen-blend roll-up curtain, £24.99; for similar pendants, try the bamboo pendant light, £69.99, all H&M Home ● Churchgate Peckleton wicker pendant, £65 each, Dunelm ● Orange bowl, £36, Eclectic Home Design ● For a similar jug, try the Rosado Pink wine carafe, £26, Oliver Bonas ● Iswik star tile rug, £85, La Redoute ● Self care print, £21, Fy! ● Tout est Magique print, £53, Hôtel Magique. Turn to p128 for stockist details