Refurbishment of a suburban house into a playful, colourful home
COLOUR KITCHEN
Although new suburban homes can be practical, they can sometimes lack a sense of originality. The clients for this reconfiguration of a house near Cardiff wanted to squeeze as many moments of joy into the existing footprint as possible. Rather than extending the house, it became apparent that the space was already there albeit divided into 3 small rooms. We worked with our clients to overhaul the entire rear of the house to create a large contemporary living, kitchen, and dining space, enhancing the flow of the home.
We took every opportunity afforded to us in a compact footprint to add playful design elements: A contemporary oriel window replaces the existing window, appearing to float above the floor externally; a 'letter-box' style window between the kitchen cupboards brings natural light into dark corners; and large sliding doors replace the existing bay window, seamlessly merging indoor and outdoor living.
A thoughtful use of colour was used throughout the bespoke joinery elements which injects the clients' sense of fun into the spaces. These playful elements simultaneously conceal clutter and showcase other cherished objects.
CLIENT TESTIMONIAL
"We are absolutely delighted with our home transformation. We knew that an open plan layout would give us more usable space, but the design that Katherine delivered went above and beyond our expectations. As first-time home modifiers we had quite nebulous ideas of what we wanted, so we welcomed Katherine’s approach and methods. From the outset we felt that we had engaged someone who would take time to find out what really mattered to us.
Her knowledge was invaluable in helping us decide on important considerations, for example, we were able to make an informed choice of glazing because of the advice and information Katherine gave. The plans, which grew out of four quite different initial designs, addressed all the issues that had been identified in Katherine’s first visit. We really appreciated her detailed drawings, the ideas that she had, and the way she interpreted our own ideas. Toward the end of the design process she drew up an impression of what the new space would look like, which was very helpful for us to visualise what the finished space would be like.
Now the project is complete; our small dining room and the kitchen with dark corners and wasted space have gone, along with the snug that was a walkway to the garden. It’s all been replaced with a bright kitchen/diner and a transformed snug with a window seat. It has made such a difference to our house and we are so happy with it. Many thanks to Katherine, Sion and all the professionals who worked on the project."
Mari & Jonathan