This blog post is in partnership with Howdens.
THE BIG REVEAL IS FINALLY HERE! This has been, without a doubt, the hardest renovation to keep under wraps – our biggest transformation yet in our home and, if you ask me, it is the best thing to happen to this house for our growing family.
If you’ve been following along over on my Instagram, you will know that just eight weeks ago we started this renovation project and knocked through our previous living room into the kitchen to create an open-plan kitchen dining area. In case you are wondering, our living room is now in our converted garage, which was completed earlier this year.
Our new kitchen was originally supposed to be finished by the beginning of May, as I was due to give birth in the middle of June – but then COVID-19 happened and lockdown came into force, which meant building work could not continue. So, we had to roll with the punches and wait until it was safe to continue our project.
I was heavily pregnant by the time the project was underway. But, you know we love a challenge there’s nothing quite like being 39 weeks pregnant and having a massive hole in the side of your house! Luckily, little Nova didn’t arrive until the house was watertight and secure again, so there was no emergency visit to the hospital with our home exposed to the elements.
The kitchen is finished now and we could not be more thrilled, especially now with little Nova here too. Knowing this room is where she will most likely learn to walk is just so special – this space is our new family hub.
It was a total dream working with Howdens on this kitchen design, and whilst many of you may already know how it went, I’ll just explain briefly how the process works with them.
Howdens are trade only, and the kitchen design process starts with a home survey to measure the space, which then follows with a design appointment at your local depot. Due to the lockdown, our design was all done remotely, through their Personal Design Service. Following a few emails and phone calls with our designer to make revisions, our order was put through. All Howdens products are stocked locally, which means the delivery can take anywhere between 1-10 days. For ours, it only took a week to be delivered.
Our previous kitchen was very safe and boring. This time, we wanted to be bold and have a statement kitchen, which is why we went for Hockley Super Matt Charcoal, which has anti-fingerprint technology.
The Hockley collection is Howdens’ newest slab range and it can be customised with handleless cabinets and push-to-open catches to create a linear look. To keep this aesthetic, I also made sure all appliances were integrated and hidden out of sight. For any appliances that could not be tucked behind cupboard doors, such as the oven, are on the other side of the island.
Since the design of this kitchen was so important, it was integral that we had clever storage to help keep the worktops clutter-free. This included a tall unit to house our ironing board, mop, vacuum, etc. A bespoke larder was added to store smaller appliances, while under-sink storage and plinth drawers helped to maximise all available space – genius!
The worktop we went for was the White Arabesque Marble Effect Quartz, which is both beautiful and practical. I’ve always loved the marble look and the veiny detail in this stone contrasts really nicely with the dark cabinets. The marble-effect tops, combined with the luxe metallic details of our brass tap, complement each other perfectly.
Lastly, flooring was an important decision. We had gone for a dark kitchen, but it was really important that we kept this new, open space very bright, so we knew we should have a lighter flooring option. Luckily, I discovered that the colour of Howdens’ engineered light, white-oak flooring matched the flooring we have in our living room, so this was the perfect choice, and it really helps everything to flow nicely through the house.
So, what do you think? Was it worth the wait?!
I cannot even begin to put into words how happy we are with our new Howdens kitchen and you’ll be seeing a lot more of it going forward. Especially now I don’t have to keep it quiet!
This blog post is focussed on the kitchen design and I’m in the process of writing another article about the renovation project as a whole. as I know some of you were interested, so stay tuned for that.
Looks so fab Liv! And I’m just a tad jealous of all that storage! Xx
This is amazing! Very very jealous of the cupboard for the ironing board, hoover etc. I need one of those in my life!
Looks amazing!
We have a Bowden’s kitchen and we love it.
Love how you have done your storage .
Sian @chicdesigninteriors
I mean Howdens!
Look beautiful. Enjoy!
I was considering Howdens for our kitchen renovations and i will defiantly check this range out now, its stunning.
It looks amazing Liv, love the amount of storage that you have, especially the tall unit to hide the vacuum etc….
Looks amazing!
Looks good, but being Howdens will no doubt fall to bits in 6 months
Can I ask what the dimensions of the room are?
Thank you for the information – really helpful!
As you are a few months on, how are the units holding up in terms of marks and fingerprints? Are they easy to clean?
Thanks,
Kay
Looks amazing , can I ask how long the kitchen is? Where doing ours at the moment & I am worried I am being to extra with cupboards !
Hi there, how are you getting on with your tumble dryer in a cupboard? Do you have to leave the door open for it to pull in enough air to dry your clothes? Thinking of doing something similar hence the question!
Stunning kitchen