Work in Progress Update

Last April I blogged on a project that was in progress, you can see it here, it was a renovation that involved gutting of the whole interior of a maisonette with a small extension, an extra bedroom.

This type of project takes a brave soul who can  live with upheaval for several months. The renovation of Suzanne Noble's home, founder of frugl.com,was written up in Metro, the newspaper everyone reads on the London Tube last month. In this report of the result of the changes to this maisonette Susanne emphasizes the importance of using an architect and interior designer.

After finding the flat through an estate agent online, she employed Simon Miller, an architect who has helped her in previous renovations. Simon worked out a plan for the flat that increased the space by reconfiguring walls, adding windows and a small extension to the side. It is a home full of light and space. My work with Suzanne and Simon was adding the color schemes, textiles, lighting plan, etc. 

To quote Suzanne: " Anyone considering an un-modernised place, make sure you get a good architect and interior designer. Thankfully I had both." 

I couldn't agree more, the value of her property has doubled. Plus she has a home that suits her and her needs and is very pleasant to be in. Architects and designers make a difference.

Call me if you want to renovate.

Living with Building an Extension

We see the results of renovations and extensions often, the lovely styled rooms all painted and pretty. Design Sponge posts regularly before and after photos of projects. But we don't see much of the process, the rubble and dust, the build site, the months of living in upheaval, the stress on families and relationships.

Since February there is a project that I have helped on the planning and design of an extension and new kitchen. Each month goes by and each step an achievement. Last week the kitchen was installed.

 This was the original kitchen, with the stove and the sink separated, the fridge around the corner, little surface for preparation, it was inefficient and unpleasant to work in. The building is a 1950's home built for military families. It is a solid piece of architecture, rooms with enough space and a window in each room. So it has good bones. It was efficient at the time for the way people lived then, but today with our preference for open plan for gathering of friends and family it became too congested.

We began the project with several discussions of how best to use the space, to make it more efficient, bring in more light and more accessible to the large garden.

Staying in budget was essential, so dashed were plans of going for planning permission. We worked within the limits of an extension of 3m x 3m, anything over meant we would have to apply for permission and would take that much longer and extend the costs.

It was a building extension of recycling and reusing, keeping the existing utility space, thoroughly insulating it, replacing and enlarging the doorway directly onto the garden. Reusing the windows which were replaced by doors helped stay in budget. Then adding the kitchen extension next to it with a glass roof. Changing a window to French doors leading from the living room to the garden helped to make the space flow and link to the outside.

When the back exterior wall was taken down after the extension with a glass roof was built, you can see how open plan makes a more agreeable space. But you also see the upheaval a family has to live with, for example all the kitchen equipment and food supplies have to be moved. You wind up living out of boxes when you are still feeding a family.

Just after the kitchen was installed, my builder, the best builder in the world, sent these photos:

Using an Ikea kitchen with hard wood Iroko worktops kept us in budget. Still lots more to do, finish the painting, install the lighting, the flooring, then the styling.... stay tuned!

Further Progress

Over the weekend I removed all the old insulation boards, behind are some very old bricks. The insulation boards trapped the moisture in the room and cause mold to grow... blah. But what I am finding is some very nice old bricks. The next two days is to give them a scrub and prepare for paint. But I think I will keep one wall of bricks. So looking forward to getting this space finished.

Light at the End of the Project

All summer over the long weekends and between times, I have been renovating my flat and now I am on the last space, the room that will be my studio/office. Wow. It is not very large, but I am stripping it back to the brick walls and have found a very Shoreditch like space and I am thinking do I want to keep those bricks exposed or give them a coat of very matt white clay paint. As attractive as the old bricks are, I like working in a white space, it allows me to think with out distractions.... decisions.

Some More Progress

Over the weekend and stretching into the week, ugh! I stripped, scraped, and patched then painted the bedroom in the flat. Some more progress on renovating my flat. I like hands on work, it really gives me an insight of what my poor clients have to go through when I bring a team of guys into their lives, turn everything upside down, go through hell but come out this side of heaven to a new room, clean, freshly painted, new floor, ready to bring in their treasures and make it beautiful.

Here is some more progress so far:

I like to have floors as light as possible, it is a big light reflector. Lighter floors will always make a space feel bigger, lighter and more spacious. Still much to do, the woodwork, hang curtains, pictures, shelves..... but a big sigh the heavy work was done for that room.

And More Progess

Over the weekend I had more progress on the renovations to my flat. The floor was taken up in the hallway new lime washed oak floor boards installed. But on the way to moving shelving and books a corner that was covered over with insulation decades ago was removed and what was behind it was awful; layers of old wall paper and black mold growing, yuk! My flooring project was diverted, out came the bucket of bleach and rubber gloves and got to scraping and scrubbing down the corner. Then gave it a coat of white paint. 

I understand the need for insulation, conserving energy and all that, but in an old building it often creates more problems and damages the fabric of the structure. There is a wholistic movement to renovations.  Anyway, step by step, and room by room, I am striping back to the bones of the building, exposing the concrete walls, striping and cleaning the woodwork back to the old layer of lead paint and making a clean well lighted place.

This was the corner covered in insulation, exposed and then cleaned and painted.

The new white oak flooring... the old laminate. Still have to scrape and paint the base boards / skirting, but the hall looks wider and much lighter.

 Still much to do, but loving the changes. You know, like so many, I love the industrial chic look, the images of great looking furniture and accessories in rough, worn and decayed spaces, but the idea of living in a place like that.... I just want to clean it up and make it look good.

When the painting is finished, I want to hang the pictures and make it a gallery.

Progress

A few weeks ago I shared and posted some very beautiful and intriguing photos by Ellen Silverman about the Cuban Kitchen. There were several reasons I shared those photos. One reason was I was in the midst of deconstructing the kitchen in my flat. With the tiles pulled off, the old wallpaper stripped off, the condiments, pots and pans and bowls of fruit were put elsewhere, all stripped to the bones of the building we began rebuilding.

First a wall was removed and the entrance made wider, bringing in lots more light and sense of spaciousness. As my dear friend says, more civilized.

Layers of old paint was exposed when the tiles and wall paper were removed,  with the yellow ochre paint, patches of plaster and concrete it resembled the Cuban Kitchens in the photo essay.

With progress, a new floor, walls skimmed, old surfaces and cabinets removed, it has begun to look more pleasing. Still much to do, boxing in some pipes, paint the ceiling and walls and finding new places for the essentials of daily cooking.

 Yes much more to do, but looking so much better and cleaner. I will update after I paint it.

White Kitchens

Automatism

For all who have been through renovating their own kitchen and to my clients who I have helped to renovate their homes, my heart goes out to you and urrrrrh! We endure...  but what keeps us going is the vision and the well ordered space to come, it is satisfying to see it come together.

I am still waiting on the plumber to install the first fix and the wood to adjust to the temperature inside, but clean newly plastered walls, wow. I am planning on all white, just white to make the space feel bigger and lighter and it is soothing.

Here are few white kitchens that look wonderful from some of my favorite blogs

79 ideas

79 ideas

Emma's Design Blog