My Houzz: Gordon Ramsay Gives a Chef a Surprise Home Makeover
The celebrity chef uses Houzz to make the project happen and say thank you to a ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ winner
Mitchell Parker
30 January 2018
Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative trends, breaking news, industry analysis and humor.
Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative... More
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is known for Michelin-starred restaurants and tirades aimed at contestants on Fox’s Hell’s Kitchen, a reality TV show. Off-screen, there’s one former contestant who elicits nothing but praise from the notoriously hard-to-please Scottish chef. And that’s Christina Wilson.
Photos by Kyle Born Photography
After winning Season 10 of Hell’s Kitchen in the US, Wilson worked her way up to become group executive chef of several of Ramsay’s restaurants, including overseeing the early January opening of Hell’s Kitchen at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. As a way of saying thank you, Ramsay recently gave Wilson the gift of a renovation to the ground floor of her 1920s Philadelphia terraced house, which she bought using prize money from her Hell’s Kitchen win.
The delighted Wilson handed the keys over to Ramsay and went away for four weeks – she splits her time between Philadelphia and Vegas, where she works. Ramsay found designer Matthew Ferrarini on Houzz and collaborated with him on the design and products to furnish Wilson’s home. Ramsay and Ferrarini also got input from Wilson’s brother, Jon, and his wife, Jenny, on her style preferences.
When Wilson returned to Philly, she got to see the completed project, which includes a stunning transformation of the kitchen. Because what else would you expect from one of the world’s top chefs?
Watch now: See Gordon Ramsay’s surprise renovation of a Philadelphia terraced house
How to create and use a Houzz ideabook
After winning Season 10 of Hell’s Kitchen in the US, Wilson worked her way up to become group executive chef of several of Ramsay’s restaurants, including overseeing the early January opening of Hell’s Kitchen at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. As a way of saying thank you, Ramsay recently gave Wilson the gift of a renovation to the ground floor of her 1920s Philadelphia terraced house, which she bought using prize money from her Hell’s Kitchen win.
The delighted Wilson handed the keys over to Ramsay and went away for four weeks – she splits her time between Philadelphia and Vegas, where she works. Ramsay found designer Matthew Ferrarini on Houzz and collaborated with him on the design and products to furnish Wilson’s home. Ramsay and Ferrarini also got input from Wilson’s brother, Jon, and his wife, Jenny, on her style preferences.
When Wilson returned to Philly, she got to see the completed project, which includes a stunning transformation of the kitchen. Because what else would you expect from one of the world’s top chefs?
Watch now: See Gordon Ramsay’s surprise renovation of a Philadelphia terraced house
How to create and use a Houzz ideabook
Project at a Glance
Who lives here Chef Christina Wilson, winner of Hell’s Kitchen, Season 10
Location Philadelphia, USA
Size Ground floor about 450 sq ft (41.8 sq m); entire home about 900 sq ft (83.6 sq m), with 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom
Designer Matthew Ferrarini of Ferrarini & Co Kitchens & Interiors
Who lives here Chef Christina Wilson, winner of Hell’s Kitchen, Season 10
Location Philadelphia, USA
Size Ground floor about 450 sq ft (41.8 sq m); entire home about 900 sq ft (83.6 sq m), with 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom
Designer Matthew Ferrarini of Ferrarini & Co Kitchens & Interiors
Before: For a story about a renovation of a chef’s home, it makes sense to start with the kitchen. Wilson thought it had good cabinet space, but wasn’t set up for how she likes to cook at home. For example, her KitchenAid stand mixer wouldn’t fit anywhere in the existing space, so she kept it in the basement, lugging it up when she needed it.
The small window and offset door to the right limited the reach of natural light into the rest of the home.
The small window and offset door to the right limited the reach of natural light into the rest of the home.
After: Ferrarini reconfigured the kitchen so Wilson would be able to see straight through the home to the back garden as soon as she walked in the front door. Putting two glass-panelled doors in the centre of the back wall led him to a galley-style layout. From there, he knew he wanted to tuck the taller elements, such as the fridge and the pantry cabinet, on the left. That meant the right wall could be a bit airier with the range cooker and sink.
“Never in a million years would I have thought to flip the kitchen how he did, and this is what I do for a living,” Wilson says. “It’s really remarkable.”
Watch: See more of this new kitchen transformation
“Never in a million years would I have thought to flip the kitchen how he did, and this is what I do for a living,” Wilson says. “It’s really remarkable.”
Watch: See more of this new kitchen transformation
A pull-out work surface gives Wilson extra prep space. The engineered quartz worktop wraps around the wall to become storage and cocktail bar space for the dining room (shown later in the story). Wilson clears off that extra worktop area and dusts it with flour on nights when she’s rolling out dough to make fresh ravioli.
Exposed ceiling beams – the one in the foreground is original to the home – and caged bulb lights fit with the industrial style Ferrarini was going for.
Should I ditch my kitchen wall units?
Exposed ceiling beams – the one in the foreground is original to the home – and caged bulb lights fit with the industrial style Ferrarini was going for.
Should I ditch my kitchen wall units?
Wilson is used to working in commercial kitchens, so Ferrarini didn’t want her home kitchen to feel too precious. Wire mesh cabinet fronts and stainless-steel appliances help keep the look sophisticated but durable.
Is it over for metro tiles, or are they here to stay?
Is it over for metro tiles, or are they here to stay?
By chatting with Wilson’s brother and sister-in-law, Ferrarini got a sense of her style. He chose a bespoke navy blue for the cabinets and paired them with brass fixtures for a colour combination that worked well with the industrial theme. Wilson now keeps her stand mixer on one of the open shelves (not shown). Not surprisingly, the new kitchen is now her favourite area of the home.
Watch: See Wilson’s reaction to her home’s transformation
Cabinets painted in Naval, Sherwin-Williams.
Watch: See Wilson’s reaction to her home’s transformation
Cabinets painted in Naval, Sherwin-Williams.
Before: Here’s the view from near the front door. Two half walls with circular cutouts – one of which is seen here to the right – broke up the living room and dining room in a way that Wilson thought was obtrusive. The wall in front of the kitchen at the rear prevented light from spreading through the house.
After: With the half walls and kitchen wall removed, the house opened up. A fresh coat of white paint, including on a brick wall that was exposed during the demolition of the previous space, enhances the home’s natural light.
Ferrarini chose to paint the brick because it wasn’t in great shape, and he thought having such a large amount of exposed red brick would overwhelm the tight space and constrain the colour palette used in the furnishings.
“White toned it down, so visually it’s just a little treat on the eyes versus being the main attraction,” he says. A herb garden and new copper pipes stand out against the crisp, textured brick wall.
New hardwood floorboards laid vertically visually elongate the space.
What you need to know before painting brick
Ferrarini chose to paint the brick because it wasn’t in great shape, and he thought having such a large amount of exposed red brick would overwhelm the tight space and constrain the colour palette used in the furnishings.
“White toned it down, so visually it’s just a little treat on the eyes versus being the main attraction,” he says. A herb garden and new copper pipes stand out against the crisp, textured brick wall.
New hardwood floorboards laid vertically visually elongate the space.
What you need to know before painting brick
Before: Looking towards the front of the house before the refresh, you can see how the half-walls, cutouts and a small L-shaped stair landing with steps made the space feel closed in. A cupboard-sized porch took up more room than was practical. Ferrarini also noticed that the chair and sofa were just too bulky for the narrow home.
What’s more, the front room often became chilly near the windows, causing Wilson to migrate deeper into the home during winter. “It was so dark and cold, which was unfortunate, because it’s such a charming house,” she says.
What’s more, the front room often became chilly near the windows, causing Wilson to migrate deeper into the home during winter. “It was so dark and cold, which was unfortunate, because it’s such a charming house,” she says.
After: Without the porch and half-walls, the living room is able to breathe a bit more. Streamlined furniture, including a sofa in a fun teal colour, better fit the space and Wilson’s personality.
Distressed wood adds visual warmth, while a new fireplace and skirting board heating, which replaced radiators, provide literal warmth.
Removing that bulky landing at the bottom of the stairs added a small but valuable amount of square footage.
“Gordon is amazing, and I’m so lucky to work for him,” Wilson says. “I’m overwhelmed. I’ve never had such a generous gift given to me.”
“Gordon is amazing, and I’m so lucky to work for him,” Wilson says. “I’m overwhelmed. I’ve never had such a generous gift given to me.”
Watch now: See how Gordon Ramsay surprised his star employee with a renovated home
What do you think of this surprise renovation? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
What do you think of this surprise renovation? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
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:)
Wow. Love this.
My favourite Mr. Gordon..... Amazing...Just speechless...