Creating a Warm and Welcoming Family kitchen & dining extension in Bristol

Setting the scenario - kitchen renovation

When it comes to home renovations, one of the most popular projects are kitchens, specifically kitchen and dining extensions. What happens when the property in question is a historical Victorian house? Have a read through the  ‘Before to the ‘After’ Sophia and Khuram’s kitchen interior design project journey in Bristol.

The design challenge

Sophia’s and Khurrams kitchen was typical of many Victorian home kitchens located just after the hallway at the rear side, as a galley kitchen. The layout was a bit awkward, the common downfalls of this era of the house is that it has a deep floor plan with a lack of natural light and connection to the garden. The ‘middle’ room that had been used back in its era as a dining room did not cater for a young family. Even though the kitchen had charm, it was evident that the family needed more spaces and practical outcomes for their young family.

Kitchen interior layout - the island brief

“The client did not want  to include seating at the island as they thought this may discourage guests from sitting at the dining table. Furthermore, a utility space was added into the middle room of the property enabling them for easy same level access and additional larder storage.”

The Plan - meeting the brief

We explored various layout options and re-configuring existing spaces and settled on extending the kitchen outwards and sideways to the garden  which would then allow for a larger kitchen space. It was clear from working with them that the kitchen needed to be the heart of the home and a place where guests could gather.

We produced a series of, test fit layouts, prototyping scenarios for the kitchen  to avoid congestion (bottlenecks), optimum location of service points (such as fridge, cooker, sink, dishwasher etc) and general flow of the ground floor and inside and outside connection.

The biggest challenge to overcome when planning the space was the lighting. Because there were different ceiling levels and skylights, selecting lighting and making sure it was the right and enough lighting and avoiding glare was critical for the kitchen to work properly. Delta lights insulated and provided all the light fittings.

Holistic kitchen design

The scale of the spaces is just right, which means using the kitchen is natural and ease of access to all appliances and peaceful views to the garden.

Design for life

The result of our kitchen extension project is nothing short of timeless design “The kitchen and dining extensions is very pleasing to the eye and this was possible because the layout was worked on extensively getting the scale and size right. With careful planning and execution, it's possible to achieve a successful kitchen project and combining Victorian era house whilst meeting the demands of modern living.

Renovating a kitchen in a Victorian home requires a delicate balance between preserving the historical elements and introducing a modern extension. The accomplishment with the property was that the finished project showcased perfect scale. The scale of the space is just right, which means using the kitchen is natural and there’s an ease of access to appliances and ingredients, clear views to the garden and the rest of the home for years to come.

If you would like more information about this project or have a project in mind to discuss, get in touch.