Customer profile – Tinkabee Kitchen
editFact File
THE FAMILY Steve and Alexia Hill and their
children, George 11, Arthur 8 and a baby due
in December!
THE HOME Four-bedroom cottage
in South Somerset
THE PROJECT Redecorating and
installing a new kitchen in an
open-plan space
Steve and Alexia Hill wanted to create a kitchen to match the rest of their beautiful home and provide a wonderful space for their family.
How did you want the space to look?
We knew that we had to get this right, as this is where the family would spend most of our time, we decided that we wanted a modern look but still respect the age and features of our cottage. So valuable research was spent on Instagram for design inspiration and also the White Company brochure provided images of a lifestyle that we both liked. The kitchen is already located in a great sunny room and we wanted the new kitchen to maximise on this, so we knew that we wanted a painted kitchen with a fresh and bright look.
What was on your ‘must have’ list?
We’d seen a stainless-steel range oven by Stoves and were very impressed so we knew that this was a definite ‘must have’ for our new kitchen. Our previous kitchen did not have a central island, we knew that we had the room, so this was also on our wish list. We also wanted to move the sink to under the window, looking out over our garden as previously it was facing a blank wall. The final items on our list was to hide our ugly but useful microwave, keeping our large integrated fridge and incorporate useful storage areas to hide daily clutter.
What was the next stage of the process?
We had several meetings with Stefan from Eternal Kitchens to discuss all our ideas and needs for the kitchen. They then provided us with a kitchen plan, which we all worked through together, making changes as necessary to arrive at the final design.
I managed to sell our old kitchen on e-bay, so this was a real bonus. When the old kitchen was removed the room was stripped back to its bare bones, including removing of tiles, a small amount of re-plastering and then the room was redecorated, including walls and wood work. Getting power to the central island seemed an impossible task at first as we didn’t want to replace the flooring, however Stefan came up with a solution.
How did you come up with the colour scheme?
This was the biggest challenge, as I knew this was such an important part of the kitchen and could make or break the final look of the kitchen. Jayne from Eternal Kitchens was very helpful and visited us a few times at home with colour samples and suggested shades that would work well together. It was also great to get advice and a second opinion on other decisions that had to be made such as the knobs, handles, worktops and tiles, in the end this was actually the most fun part of the process!
Do you have a favourite part of the kitchen?
I love it all, but the central island was such a great practical and fun addition to the kitchen, this is where we all hang out as a family to eat, drink, do homework etc and also when friends come to visit we all end up congregating around the island.
Was everything finished on time?
The entire project was finished on time and to the schedule that Eternal Kitchens provided. All the tradesmen (recommended by Eternal) that were involved with the project were polite, professional and tidy. We were kept up to date with all progress and the project was finished in time for the half term break in May 2017. It’s exactly how we conceived it would look and Eternal Kitchens did an excellent job of turning our plans into reality.