There’s a reason why I’ve very rarely show my kitchen on the blog. It’s because it’s really not looked how I’ve ideally wanted it to look. Though behind the scenes it has been a project that I’ve been working on and we are so close now to it being completed. Here above is a floor plan to give you an idea of it on completion.

It’s taken a long time to get to renovating. Ten years actually. My kitchen has been perfectly liveable in up until now so I couldn’t complain too much –  and with a family to look after, other things have naturally taken priority. But you know what its like when you become a bit frustrated with how your home looks ? Especially in my case, given my profession. It has bothered me that bit more. As they say though ‘ a plumbers tap always drips ‘ and while I’ve been creating ideas for clients, this poor old room had been rather neglected.

Fortunately, I’m also working with some great companies on this and it’s has all coming together well now. It always takes longer than you think with the preparation and that’s why I very much recommend making up a mood board to make pull together colours and clarify ideas – and booking people for work early. It saves spending out also on products that toy decide you don’t love after all and any last minute panics.

1. Ercol chair – Hunter Furnishing 2. Alveus Monarch Quadrix Sink and Leo Tap – Olif  3. Teal Planter – Twig Plants 4. Shelving – String Furniture 5. wood inspiration  image taken from google 6. AEG induction hob – ao.com 7. Gold Handle – Amazon 8. Blue Paint – Little Greene 9. Mistral Surface – Karonia Surfaces 10. Radiator – Soak 11. Rug – Woven 12. Urban Grey Floor Tile – Stone Tile Floor Company.

I want to show you what I’ve decided on in terms of  inspiration and some of the actual products. Although I am as you may well know,  not shy of new colours, I have worked with the hues already here in our home to make sure it flows throughout so it is very much in line with my colour palette if you know my blog already. If not, you’ll soon see !

Now, I’ve been lusting over this gold Alveus sink and Leo Tap from Olif for ages and am turns out I am now collaborating with them – talk about divine intervention. It is in place already and I will be showing you next week how it’s looking.

In fact over the coming weeks I will be writing about all the individual elements of the new kitchen including the Mistral surfaces from Karonia (unbelievably tactile ) the Urban Grey Tiles from Stone Tile Company that I think are one of the best finds in terms of price and their aesthetic. Also how I chose vintage style radiators from Soak and of course will enjoy posting all about my colour journey to picking the right paint for the cabinets and which handles I went for.

The shelving, I am hoping to put up some from String Furniture. To be confirmed.

These are just a few of the many shades I looked at. We decided to keep the cabinets as they were bespoke sizes and I can’t see the point of changing some for more that are similar especially as the positioning of them is staying the same. Would be a bit wasteful and of course extra cost to replace them. I am also making a Youtube on DIY’ing your kitchen cabinets which I will share along the way.

For the new Island, we have bought a Shaker style one and will definitely be letting you know about the company that I bought it from as they work closely with Karonia Surfaces and helped me find a fitter who put in the Mistral. Their help was second to none and I love supporting family businesses. A post coming up about this soon.

In the meantime, here is the kitchen pre – renovation. It’s tired and mismatched. This is because we have known for some time that it would be changing so haven’t really put much effort in to it  – it’s clean and tidyish but that’s about it !

To be honest, I’ve always slightly felt like I am in someone else’s kitchen because it’s not my style at all. It was put in when the house was built about 18 years ago so we have been pretty lucky to have had all the appliances working, well, up until recently but. ao.com have come to the rescue for our new look and I am taking part in their renovation series which I will tell you more about soon – you may have already seen details on my instagram stories and some of their filming.

Here is a 3D angle I put together of the new one. There are french doors to the garden which will allow much more light as the space isn’t naturally bright. It will also enable us to get outdoors much more quickly which will be lovely in the warmer months. In terms of utilising the room, it made much more sense to have more than just a table and chairs in the middle. It will feel much more like a family hub and this is where we tend to gravitate to for family gatherings and meal times.

We have also decided to do up the utility room but I’ll save that for anther day. I am tiling the wall myself and really looking forward to it. Wish me luck :)

So many DIY’s to edit and add to my Youtube channel. Hope you manage to stop by and catch some of them.

Are there any rooms in your home that you’re looking to change ? Where do you look for inspiration for your research ? Do leave me a comment or if you have any questions. Will get back as soon as I can.

I am collaborating with certain brands on elements of my kitchen including ao.com, Olif, Karonia Surfaces, Little Greene Paint Company and Soak.com. All opinions are my own as ever.