Houzz Tours
Kitchen Tours
Kitchen Tour: An Open-plan Modern Layout with Classic Styling
Before and after photos show how three rooms have become one big, characterful kitchen, opening onto a glorious garden
The idea of mixing old and new appeals to plenty of us, but for the owners of this kitchen in the country, it meant applying a classic style to a more contemporary layout. “They wanted a modern feel but they didn’t want a modern look,” explains designer Katie Malik who reconfigured the space. “The whole idea was to open up what had previously been three separate rooms to create the feeling of flow. It was also really important to have a connection with nature – bringing the outside in – so we replaced the window overlooking the garden with bespoke bi-folding doors.” Opting for a classic Shaker look, Malik chose colourful cabinets, adding more character with tiles and fabrics. “They wanted it to feel warm and cosy instead of very traditional and heavy,” she says.
The homeowners were keen on classic Shaker-style units and Malik had set her sights on the perfect colour for this kitchen. “When I was choosing the cabinets I looked at the available colourways and this is a really interesting colour, between duck-egg blue and minty green, which co-ordinates with the worktop, the fabric and the rest of the finishes in the scheme,” she says. The range cooker was salvaged from the previous kitchen. “It just needed a good clean!”
Robin’s Egg tiles, Susie Watson Designs. Carnegie kitchen by Masterclass, Ridgeons.
14 ideas for kitchen wall tiles
Robin’s Egg tiles, Susie Watson Designs. Carnegie kitchen by Masterclass, Ridgeons.
14 ideas for kitchen wall tiles
Carpet defines the dining area which was once a separate room. “We cut the stone perfectly and aligned it with the carpet,” says Malik. The patio doors are framed with curtains in a beetle-print fabric. “It’s the kind of little detail that make a lovely connection to the outside at every level.”
Extendable dining table, Wayfair.
Kitchen painted in Strong White, Farrow & Ball.
Extendable dining table, Wayfair.
Kitchen painted in Strong White, Farrow & Ball.
Malik chose pale colours throughout the kitchen, from the paint and tiles on the walls through to the maple-wood breakfast bar and limestone floor.
The dining room had been a dark, poky space until the wall that separated it from the kitchen was removed.
Malik’s vision for the dining room was a glamorous one. It features leather upholstery, a delicate chandelier and ambient lighting provided by wall fittings.
Now directly linked to the kitchen, the dining room is painted a slightly warmer colour. This, and the carpet underfoot defines it from the rest of the kitchen.
Paint, Skimming Stone, Farrow & Ball. Italian glass chandelier, Graham & Green. Audrey wall lights, John Lewis. Safavieh Shaw upholstered dining chairs, Wayfair.
Paint, Skimming Stone, Farrow & Ball. Italian glass chandelier, Graham & Green. Audrey wall lights, John Lewis. Safavieh Shaw upholstered dining chairs, Wayfair.
At the other end of the dining room, a corner that was once a wasted space is now a comfortable reading area – the perfect spot for relaxing after a meal.
Malik sourced a buttoned chair in a classic shape (from couch.com, now out of business), upholstered in fabric that complements the dining room’s warm-but-neutral carpet and walls.
“This used to be a dumping corner with a vacuum cleaner and a little cupboard. When I did the redesign I wanted to assign some sort of function to this space and I thought it would be nice to have a little reading corner, or somewhere more comfortable to sit when someone else is having dinner.”
“Although they are a family of four, everyone has breakfast at different times so they only needed three stools at the breakfast bar,” Malik explains.
Bar stools, Shabby Store.
Bar stools, Shabby Store.
The quartzite kitchen worktop curves around into the conservatory. Maple wood has been used for the breakfast bar. “It has very little grain and is light in colour, which worked well with the rest of the palette,” says Malik.
Square pendant lights, Original BTC.
Square pendant lights, Original BTC.
“Pets are very much part of the family and the dog gate was designed so my clients wouldn’t have to shut the dogs out of the dining room when they are eating,” says Malik. Her retracting design reflects the small squares in the glass-fronted cupboards and the bi-folding doors. It’s made from the same wood as the breakfast bar.
Bespoke dog gate, Harlequin Woodcraft.
Bespoke dog gate, Harlequin Woodcraft.
A tired sofa has been reupholstered in durable fabric. The conservatory is now an appealing place to be sociable while someone else cooks.
Dwell fabric in Glaze, Ultrafabrics. Nuloom Hand hooked Alexa Moroccan Trellis Wool Rug, Overstock. Cushion fabric by Sanderson and Hodsoll McKenzie. Radiator, The Radiator Factory.
Dwell fabric in Glaze, Ultrafabrics. Nuloom Hand hooked Alexa Moroccan Trellis Wool Rug, Overstock. Cushion fabric by Sanderson and Hodsoll McKenzie. Radiator, The Radiator Factory.
The same natural limestone flooring stretches from the kitchen right out onto the patio. “My client wanted her chickens to be able to come into the kitchen – and they do!” reveals Malik.
Bi-fold doors, Country Hardwood, painted in French Gray, Farrow & Ball. Flooring, Quorn Stone.
Get some practical tips on choosing bi-folds
Bi-fold doors, Country Hardwood, painted in French Gray, Farrow & Ball. Flooring, Quorn Stone.
Get some practical tips on choosing bi-folds
The neglected garden was originally on various levels, but had plenty of potential, as Malik proved.
“For the patio, it was important to get the ground levels the same inside and out – we had to take out quite a lot of soil because outside there was a small hill there,” explains Malik. She designed a smart, spacious area for relaxing and entertaining.
There’s now plenty of room for both sun loungers and dining furniture on the patio. The smooth connection between the garden and the kitchen makes it easy to eat outside.
This before picture shows the cluttered kitchen, dominated by an island unit before the transformation. The range cooker was saved and used in the new scheme.
The old, dark kitchen was dismantled and the window was replaced with bi-folding doors, increasing the amount of light and improving the connection to the garden.
Previously, a wall partly separated the kitchen from the conservatory, limiting the amount of light that came through.
What’s your favourite thing about this newly opened-up space? Tell us in the Comments below, or share photos of your own kitchen renovation.
What’s your favourite thing about this newly opened-up space? Tell us in the Comments below, or share photos of your own kitchen renovation.
Sponsored
Reload the page to not see this specific ad anymore
Who lives here A family with two teenage boys and two dogs
Location Stow-cum-Quy, Cambridgeshire
Kitchen Dimensions 4m x 4.5m plus the conservatory and dining room
Designer Katie Malik of Katie Malik Interiors
Photos by Photovisions
After consulting a structural engineer and knocking down the walls that separated the kitchen, dining room and conservatory, the floor between the three rooms had to be levelled. “The previous kitchen had a step down and then the conservatory had been added which was yet another level,” says Malik. A square island unit had practically filled the old kitchen and this was replaced by a breakfast bar that extends from the wall into the centre of the room. “The kitchen wasn’t really wide enough to have a good-sized island so we went for a peninsular instead.”
The breakfast bar has been positioned to make the most of the new bi-folding doors which lead outside. “There’s a beautiful garden with an amazing view, but it had been completely blocked out,” explains Malik. “We put in the patio doors to allow the family to go from the kitchen to the outside really easily, instead of having to walk around through the conservatory.”
Bianco Eclipse quartzite Worktops, Eadonstone.