Houzz Tours
Kitchen Tours
Kitchen Tour: Stylish Reuse Creates a Tailor-made Family Space
It took just six weeks to turn the kitchen and living room of this empty house into a comfortable, elegant room
The owners of this Edwardian house in north-west London were pretty happy with the kitchen when they moved in, but felt it didn’t really reflect their style. Unsure quite how best to rejig it, they looked to Houzz, where they came across the profile of interior designer Jo Kaur Llogarajah of Studio JKL and liked her approach.
“We instantly connected and they were drawn to what they described as my personable approach and understanding of the home being an intimately personal space, rather than promoting a ‘house style’,” Jo says. “The family are from Senegal and wanted their heritage incorporated into the design,” she adds.
On top of her ideas for the look of the space, Jo also made a couple of small but significant layout tweaks to create a more family-friendly environment – and thanks to some judicious and sustainably-minded choices, it was all done on a tight budget, too. Check out the before and after photos below.
To see more great projects where the homeowner found their professional via Houzz, take a look at our Born on Houzz series.
“We instantly connected and they were drawn to what they described as my personable approach and understanding of the home being an intimately personal space, rather than promoting a ‘house style’,” Jo says. “The family are from Senegal and wanted their heritage incorporated into the design,” she adds.
On top of her ideas for the look of the space, Jo also made a couple of small but significant layout tweaks to create a more family-friendly environment – and thanks to some judicious and sustainably-minded choices, it was all done on a tight budget, too. Check out the before and after photos below.
To see more great projects where the homeowner found their professional via Houzz, take a look at our Born on Houzz series.
The project has some significant sustainability wins, with Jo reusing all she could. A biggie was the kitchen cabinets, which were in good condition – Jo just changed the handles.
The fridge is new, but the oven belonged to the previous owners. The sink was taken from the utility room to replace a very worn but identical one. This also, of course, helped massively to reduce the budget.
The fridge is new, but the oven belonged to the previous owners. The sink was taken from the utility room to replace a very worn but identical one. This also, of course, helped massively to reduce the budget.
This photo of the space before Jo started work highlights one of her small but significant tweaks. The solid wood worktops were not in brilliant condition, so she replaced them, meaning she could reconfigure the orientation of the island breakfast bar.
The old worktops were reused to make shelves and a worktop for the utility room.
Planning to revamp a room – or more? It’s easy to find and hire interior designers through Houzz.
The old worktops were reused to make shelves and a worktop for the utility room.
Planning to revamp a room – or more? It’s easy to find and hire interior designers through Houzz.
The island tweak allowed bar stools to be positioned on the side rather than at its end. “This meant we could better zone the living space,” Jo says. It also allowed for an additional stool.
This did mean the island cupboards were blocked off, but the family felt they had more than enough storage already – especially as Jo added the new tall, grey cupboard, a breakfast station/larder. Initially Jo thought about painting this the same shade as the other units but was unhappy with the colour-match, so instead picked a contrasting shade to tie it in with the island seating, flooring and TV unit. It creates lots of new storage where there had just been a few open shelves previously.
Greenwich cabinets in Reed Green with knurled brushed black T-bar handles, Howdens. Tribeca bar stools, Cult Furniture.
This did mean the island cupboards were blocked off, but the family felt they had more than enough storage already – especially as Jo added the new tall, grey cupboard, a breakfast station/larder. Initially Jo thought about painting this the same shade as the other units but was unhappy with the colour-match, so instead picked a contrasting shade to tie it in with the island seating, flooring and TV unit. It creates lots of new storage where there had just been a few open shelves previously.
Greenwich cabinets in Reed Green with knurled brushed black T-bar handles, Howdens. Tribeca bar stools, Cult Furniture.
These beautiful pendant lights were also already in situ, but there had originally been nine of them hanging over the island. Jo reduced the number to three and the owner sold the other six.
“The colour of the shades’ interior works well with the floor, which has a gold detail in it,” Jo says.
Lights, Tom Dixon.
“The colour of the shades’ interior works well with the floor, which has a gold detail in it,” Jo says.
Lights, Tom Dixon.
Jo created a cosy and elegant living space at the garden end of the room, to the right of the kitchen.
The previous owners had had the sofa against the wall, but the family wanted a TV in here, so Jo added the grey wall panel in the same colour as the new, full-height kitchen cupboard. It doesn’t just look good, it also hides all the cables.
Flinton Wooden Accent chair, Next Home.
Flinton Wooden Accent chair, Next Home.
The seating and floor lamp are new. “As they’re close to the sliding doors, we picked soft green shades for the rug, chair, cushions and throw to bring in the greens and blues from outside,” Jo says.
Circa teak unit, Tikamoon. Cricket four-seater sofa with footstool, Sofology.
Circa teak unit, Tikamoon. Cricket four-seater sofa with footstool, Sofology.
Jo turned the space behind the island, seen here pre-renovation, into a dining area.
Jo had a hinged-seat storage bench base made by a joiner to match the table, which is Fair Trade and made from sustainably sourced mango wood. She added a faux leather backrest and seat that was also made bespoke.
Anton solid wood dining table, West Elm. Chiswick dining chairs, Cult Furniture. Abira pendant light, H&M Home.
Anton solid wood dining table, West Elm. Chiswick dining chairs, Cult Furniture. Abira pendant light, H&M Home.
The artwork is one of the paintings brought back from Senegal by the owners. “We were able to measure up to see what size would be perfect here, and the colours we wanted,” Jo says.
Jo accessorised the shelves to the right with things the owners already had, plus a few new pieces. “We spent a day going through what they already had and went to the shops together to see what else we could find,” she says.
You can see the shelves were already there at the back of the room. “They asked about getting rid of these, but I said, ‘What else could you put there?’ They didn’t want any more concealed storage, and so they remained, with a fresh coat of paint,” she says.
This view of the dining area shows how the room connects to the rest of the ground floor. The front door is ahead.
When it came to the staircase and hallway, the owners were dubious about the floor. But Jo has transformed the whole feel of this space and made a real feature of it…
“I thought the warmth of the walnut pieces worked with the terracotta of the tiles,” Jo says, “and we picked the deep grey paint [for the woodwork] because of the darker tiles. The wife was nervous the dark colour would make the hallway really dark, too, but there’s enough light in this hallway – it can take it – plus we kept it light elsewhere. Now she absolutely loves it.”
As part of the job, Jo also smartened up the boot room.
“The cupboard and bench with an oak seat were there,” Jo says. “We just repainted them and added the panelling and hooks. We also altered the storage inside the cupboard to create suitable space for shoe and boot storage.”
This basin in the utility room is the one that now sits in the kitchen.
Jo installed new cabinetry for this room. She added housing for a washer and dryer, plus some storage. There’s also a new sink, but she retained the original tap and, as mentioned, the worktop and shelves are made from what was the island worktop.
The upstand is made from an offcut from the new kitchen worktop. “I like to minimise waste if something can be reused,” she says.
In here, the family have laundry appliances and storage, as well as a spare freezer.
Cabinets, Howdens.
The upstand is made from an offcut from the new kitchen worktop. “I like to minimise waste if something can be reused,” she says.
In here, the family have laundry appliances and storage, as well as a spare freezer.
Cabinets, Howdens.
Jo says the renovation process was helped by the use of Houzz software, which she used to create the initial proposal and a full quotation.
“What I like is that, for the furniture, the owners could go in and tick off what they did and didn’t want,” she says. “It was really helpful to be able to do it that way with them doing it in their own time just with a tick. I could then go back to certain things that weren’t ticked if I wanted to discuss them further.”
And how do the clients feel about their new home? “They were really thankful for my involvement, especially for me managing the project. They also loved all the help with ideas – and what they got in the end.”
The owners also left Jo a lovely review, in which they said they were particularly impressed with the job coming together over such a tight timeline. “The experience was truly ‘transformative’, as Jo brought our vision to life and added unexpected functional benefits through meticulous attention to detail,” they wrote. “Working with Jo was a joy; she understood our preferences, creating a design that perfectly suited our lifestyle.”
Tell us…
What do you like most about Jo’s design? Let us know in the Comments.
“What I like is that, for the furniture, the owners could go in and tick off what they did and didn’t want,” she says. “It was really helpful to be able to do it that way with them doing it in their own time just with a tick. I could then go back to certain things that weren’t ticked if I wanted to discuss them further.”
And how do the clients feel about their new home? “They were really thankful for my involvement, especially for me managing the project. They also loved all the help with ideas – and what they got in the end.”
The owners also left Jo a lovely review, in which they said they were particularly impressed with the job coming together over such a tight timeline. “The experience was truly ‘transformative’, as Jo brought our vision to life and added unexpected functional benefits through meticulous attention to detail,” they wrote. “Working with Jo was a joy; she understood our preferences, creating a design that perfectly suited our lifestyle.”
Tell us…
What do you like most about Jo’s design? Let us know in the Comments.
Who lives here? A family with three young children
Location Willesden Green, north-west London
Property An Edwardian semi-detached house with three bedrooms and one bathroom
Room dimensions Kitchen-diner, 7m x 5.3m; plus a boot room and a utility room
Designer Jo Kaur Llogarajah of Studio JKL
Project year 2023
Photos by Anna Batchelor
The owners had seen another of Jo’s kitchen redesigns on Houzz and really liked it. “They messaged me directly through the website, having seen my profile,” Jo says. “They were renting nearby and it was before they got the keys. They wanted to see what was possible.
“The brief was to create a space with more colour and pattern,” she says. “They wanted their heritage incorporated into the design and they sourced artworks from Senegal. The husband went over for work and sent photos before buying, so we could make it all work together.” The family lived out during the works and this helped Jo to get the job finished in less than six weeks from getting the brief.