North Hampshire Lifestyle Jan - Feb 2024
We are kicking off 2024 with a bang - with a gorgeous kitchen renovation to inspire, lots of Veganuary-friendly recipes, education and later life advice. Plus, we have nearly £3000 of prizes to be won!
We are kicking off 2024 with a bang - with a gorgeous kitchen renovation to inspire, lots of Veganuary-friendly recipes, education and later life advice. Plus, we have nearly £3000 of prizes to be won!
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CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE<br />
DESIGN PROCESS?<br />
Absolutely - we all know there are a lot of<br />
options out there for kitchens, but I knew I<br />
wanted an in-frame, painted design with a light<br />
wood grain. I came across Smile Kitchens and<br />
instantly loved the elevated styling they offer -<br />
the Hampton range caught my eye particularly.<br />
It had all the timeless styling that I was looking<br />
for, and a lovely combination of colours.<br />
I was initially a little concerned by the lack of<br />
a showroom, but I needn’t have been. After a<br />
discovery consultation where I listed my must<br />
haves, my designer Corinne got to work on<br />
rendering that with my space dimensions. In<br />
the meantime, I was sent large door and knob<br />
samples so I could have them to hand when<br />
my design was ready to view. To really give me<br />
a feel for how the kitchen would look, it was<br />
rendered onto a video, giving me a 360 view of<br />
the space. I make a few tweaks and Corinne<br />
came back each time, just perfecting the vision<br />
I had for this important space.<br />
This is a big room (approximately 4.5 x 5.5m)<br />
and it has openings or glazing on all sides -<br />
this meant that planning a more conventional<br />
kitchen with lots of base and wall units was a<br />
challenge. The interruption on each of the walls<br />
meant that the cupboard configurations had<br />
to be carefully considered - and Corinne got<br />
this spot on. We opted for lots of tall cabinets,<br />
including a built in larder and a pantry with<br />
bi-fold doors - perfect as a breakfast station.<br />
These cupboards hide all the big appliances,<br />
meaning the worktops can stay clutter-free,<br />
and help to keep you organised with lots of<br />
internal shelves.<br />
LET’S TALK FLOORING...<br />
Tiles are a great option for flooring, but<br />
because of the painted kitchen finish and the<br />
quartz worktops, I wanted to warm up the<br />
space with timber. Obviously, kitchen floors<br />
need to be robust - able to withstand spills,<br />
“I think the triangular work<br />
space concept is a little outdated<br />
for how we use kitchens now.<br />
Of course it makes sense to keep<br />
everything accessible and easy<br />
to move around, but for me,<br />
it was also important that the<br />
space felt social and made the<br />
most of the setting.”<br />
items being dropped and the general traffic<br />
of daily life. I was concerned a timber or<br />
engineered floor would dint, so instead opted<br />
for LVT from the experts at Karndean. I spent a<br />
lot of time comparing samples before settling<br />
on Canadian Nude Oak - it was light enough<br />
without reading too grey or white.<br />
The best bit about this floor was the ease of<br />
installation - my partner and I were able to<br />
cover a huge area over the course an evening.<br />
The rigid core planks click together easily and<br />
have a reassuring solidity.<br />
FUNCTIONALITY IS KING IN A<br />
KITCHEN - HOW DO YOU MAKE<br />
SURE THE SPACE WORKS?<br />
I thought long and hard about how I’d use<br />
the space. I think the triangular work space<br />
concept is a little outdated for how we use<br />
kitchens now. Of course it makes sense to<br />
keep everything accessible and easy to move<br />
around, but for me, it was also important that<br />
the space felt social and made the most of<br />
the setting. The kitchen sink enjoys the best<br />
views - looking even better with the lovely CRL<br />
quartz running over the sill.<br />
I wanted the island to be social - I didn’t<br />
include a sink on there because I didn’t want<br />
the washing up to be the focus. Instead the<br />
hob faces out into the room. Finally, the fridge<br />
is right by the island, so you can load shopping<br />
in easily, or food out ready to be prepped.<br />
Then for me it was about choosing the right<br />
appliances. These are the bits that make all the<br />
difference! I’ve lusted after a fridge with double<br />
doors for years, and this amazing Haier model<br />
is a technological gem. It automatically detects<br />
when you’ve gone shopping, and adjusts the<br />
temperature of the fridge in anticipation. Its<br />
different humidity control zones means food<br />
stays fresher for far longer too. The freezer<br />
drawers are perfect for actually being able to<br />
see everything - there will be nothing lurking at<br />
the back, forgotten about.<br />
The oven is lovely and capacious - mounted<br />
into the tall units for convenience. And the<br />
integrated dishwasher is ideal, with moveable<br />
baskets and there’s also ActiveDry technology,<br />
which opens the door near the end of the cycle<br />
to allow air to circulate.<br />
The design of the kitchen necessitated a<br />
venting hob - this means we can keep that<br />
clean look above the island without a hood.<br />
This hob from Hotpoint is a thing of beauty - it<br />
has a vast cooking area which can also be<br />
synced, creating increased zones for larger<br />
pots and pans. My favourite feature is the<br />
‘keep warm’ setting - perfect when you’re not<br />
Hotpoint Built<br />
In Double Oven;<br />
Hampton Kitchen<br />
in Pearl<br />
26 | www.minervamagazines.co.uk