Kitchen Reno Diaries with @stephfrom_belmont

Are you seeking ideas for your kitchen re-build or looking to give the space a refresh? With Steph's @stephfrom_belmont advice on how to create a beautiful shaker style kitchen, you will be mapping out your own floor plan and researching colour schemes in no time. 

Talking time 

How long did your kitchen renovation take?

We started in the first lockdown in August and were pretty much done with the build side of things in Early December. We had a goal of having a Christmas tree in the new extension by Christmas and managed to do it – just! We didn’t have any flooring in the extension but the kitchen was fitted and that was the main aim.

Overcoming obstacles  

Yes, quite a few. With it being lockdown we had the challenges of getting trades in, the lack of building materials and wait times were also a challenge. We also didn’t have any water or electricity for quite a while and that was so tricky. Late nights after coming home from work to building mess and having to try and cook a meal was pretty tough.
 

 

Determining the floor-plan 

How did you go about planning the layout, did you have a clear vision initially were there any must-haves for you both?
I had a few meetings with a kitchen designer to try and see if they could design something for the space and then mixed it up with my favourite bits from each design. I knew I wanted open shelving and built in appliances as that was something I was really lacking in the old kitchen. We settled on bi-folds and skylights and managed to push the budget to have 3 skylights across the roof to maximise the light. An island was also non-negotiable!

Pairing green & gold 

I knew I wanted a neutral scheme to fit with the rest of the house and had been pinning pictures of kitchens for months previous. I had originally ordered another shade of green for the kitchen island and then managed to change it last minute with the kitchen company and I am so glad that I did.

Brass is Best 

I had been slowly changing the hardware in the house from chrome to brass and knew that the kitchen would look better with brushed brass. I chose the hot tap first and then looked for handles that would match with them. The Monmouth range fits perfectly with the kitchen.

I tried a few sizes with the handles and thought the smaller Monmouth knobs and round cup pulls fit better and made more of a statement on the doors. Personally, I always preferred the look of cup pulls on drawers rather than straight bar handles. 

Funding your own kitchen revamp  

Firstly, I found it helpful to write a list of things that you wouldn’t want to compromise with (within reason!) and go from there. That way you can try and fit things in with your budget and work out what is and isn’t feasible.
We pretty much lived pay-check to pay-check when doing the extension so don’t be too hard on yourself if it’s not all done at the same time. Renovations take time and are hard work!

The heart of the home 

Now the space is finished, what do you like most?  
We love that it is a much more useable space. The previous kitchen was so dark we didn’t spend any time in there. It’s now so light and bright we spend pretty much all of our time there and in the snug.
I can be cooking in the kitchen and my husband can sit at the island and we can spend the time talking to each other rather than having to shout to different rooms. The dogs also love the space and having the bi-folds open to run in and out of.

Product shown: Ravello pot

Hindsight is a wonderful thing 

Is there anything you would change looking back? 
I have often thought of why we didn’t run the bifolds across the whole width of the house but I know when I was planning the extension it was really important to keep the original feel of the house and I think this would have taken away from it. We have also spoken about whether we should have extended further out than the original 3m but again, we didn’t want a huge boxy extension and to lose too much space from our large garden.

Must-follow fellow DIYer's

Oh, there’s so many I love! Some of my faves that I always take inspo from;
@viviennecutler
@lovinglinden
@homeatspringbank
@bramleyandbear
@thelistedcoachhouse

Your Paintbrush Jam 

For me, forever a Kisstory lover! Mr W will always manage to change the radio over to Absolute90s though!!

Joining the Yester Home community  

They’re an amazing family run business and nothing is ever too much trouble. I’ve been lucky enough to be able to see lots of different samples to see which one is right for me.
I love the mix of hardware and homeware and the prices are also so so reasonable. I will forever recommend them!

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