The Kitchen Project

After 2 years of not having a kitchen, we at last managed to save up enough cash to get the kitchen done.

The husband did a mighty job of getting everything done on a tight budget. If the UN are looking for a keen negotiator then he is your man. This is how the kitchen looked beforehand.

We had a rickety sink, a fridge and freezer and tables and chairs that were donated by a lovely colleague, a dishwasher donated by my aunt and windows that were held together with duck tape as they were push your finger through the wood rotten. I insisted before we moved in that I would not now or never be cooking on a camping stove so we channelled out the chimney and installed a cooker when we first moved in.

Below was my inspiration for out kitchen. I loved the light (we are lucky to have a bright kitchen), the tiles, the sink and although I wouldn't be able to achieve the rustic units I loved the long bank of units with a separate island.

I also loved this one. Again the tiles, the floor which was similar to ours and was luckily in good shape and the colour of the units. I also loved the mixture of seating around the table.


First step was replacing the rotten windows. Not a big job but quite a costly one.

There was also a fair bit of re-wiring, plumbing that also had to be done before the units arrived. Choosing the colour was nerve-wracking. I wanted grey and was going for a dark colour (Farrow and Ball Charleston Grey) but the kitchen cabinet maker had done a few kitchens in Farrow and Ball Pavillion Grey and said it was a great colour so I went for it and am glad I did. Although, they look green here...they're not.

I would love to give the guys that made and fitted our kitchen a plug but I can't find a website for them. I cannot recommend them highly enough. They were helpful, friendly, knew their stuff, produced a beautiful, handbuilt kitchen at a better price than many an off the shelf option and the lads that came to fit it worked so hard it still amazes me. They left home at 5am to pick up the kitchen, drove to Ramsbottom, arrived at 7am and worked through until midnight and were unfailingly pleasant throughout.

For the lights I was trying to re-create the lighting I had seen in bars on the continent and I think the Metro in Paris. I wanted something that felt a bit industrial. The lights were from Original BTC. The photo doesn't really do them justice but I love them plus we managed to get them on sale.

Worktops were also a sticking point as the husband was stuck on granite and I wanted rustic solid wood. I just wasn't a granite kind of girl. It felt too 'slick'. I am still not sure how he brought me round to his way of thinking, perhaps he mentioned that I would be responsible for oiling the wooden one regularly and then suddenly granite seemed like an easier option.

There is are still some bits of joinery to do, we need to get the tiling done and some finishing touches but this is nearly another project we can tick off the list which is a good thing as we have a busy few months coming up.