realhomesmagazine.co.uk FEBRUARY 2016 119 118 FEBRUARY 2016 realhomesmagazine.co.uk

THE OWNERS Suzy Helmanis-Johnson (below), who works for Helmanis & Howell interiors, and husband Elliot, who works in recruitment, live here with their children Jacob, eight, and Noah, six

THE PROPERTY A four-bedroom, 1950s dormer bungalow

THE LOCATION Wolviston, County Durham

WHAT THEY SPENT The couple’s initial extension project cost £50,000, and their most recent kitchen project cost around £19,000

FACT FILE

BEFORE

When we bought our two-bedroom bungalow a decade ago, we couldn’t wait to extend out into

the garden and convert the loft to create two bedrooms,’ says Suzy. ‘In retrospect, though, I wish we’d taken more time to plan it, as we ended up with a kitchen that had no view of the garden and felt dark.’

After living with the layout for eight years, Suzy asked a team of tradespeople that work for her family’s interiors firm, Helmanis & Howell, to knock down the walls dividing the kitchen and two reception rooms. This allowed the whole space to be opened up and filled with natural light through two sets of existing French doors at the rear.

By this time, the family firm had started selling Second Nature kitchens and, with more planning experience under her belt, Suzy had a clear vision of how the space could look. ‘I wanted the new design to

Kitchen transformation

OLD SPACEAbove The original extension gave the family two extra reception rooms, but the kitchen in the middle was dark with no connection to the garden

NEW KITCHENLeft Milbourne Stone units by Second Nature are finished with Strata quartz work surfaces in Snowfall, with solid oak on the breakfast bar, which matches engineered oak flooring from Joseph Parr. The dining table and chairs are from Ikea, and for a similar pendant, try the Alvin wood veneer light from John Lewis

After being unhappy with their previous addition, Suzy and Elliot Helmanis-Johnson reconfigured the design to gain a more sociable, open-plan kitchenWORDS KAREN WILSON PHOTOGRAPHS KATIE LEE

‘We redesigned our extension to create the perfect space’

Kitchen transformation

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THE COSTSBuilding work

AppliancesUnits and handles

WorktopsRadiatorsFlooring

Sink, taps and extractorTOTAL

£4,000£3,000£3,000£2,800£1,200£600

£600£15,200

Construction and kitchen installation Helmanis & Howell, 01642 553322, helmanis.co.ukKitchen units Second Nature, sncollection.co.ukFlooring Joseph ParrRadiators The Radiator CompanySink FrankeAppliances Neff, Elica

THE CONTACTS

be fresher, easier to maintain and have a more sociable focus, with plenty of room for baking,’ she says. ‘Also, at the top of my wish list was more storage.’

After visiting Second Nature’s national showroom near Darlington, Suzy fell in love with its beautifully crafted 1909 range, but it was over budget, so instead she settled on the brand’s similar but more affordable Milbourne Stone range. ‘I wanted an off-white finish for the units, as it reflects the light,’ she says.

Instead of cupboards, the couple fitted mainly drawers for storing crockery and pans; some include oak plate dividers and others hide utensil and cutlery drawers, which are conveniently positioned opposite the integrated dishwasher, which was reused from the old kitchen. ‘We’ve also been able to create a bank of tall larder units on a previously blank wall,’ says Suzy. ‘Although they’re quite shallow, together they form an ideal pantry for storing tins and jars.’

The couple salvaged some of the solid oak worktops from their previous kitchen to keep down costs. These are teamed with new white composite surfaces for the run of units by the sink, and around the induction hob.

To allow Suzy to chat to guests while cooking, an island was high on her list. The finished design incorporates a breakfast bar that can seat up to five people, with an induction hob built into the centre, so she doesn’t have to cook with her back to the room. ‘We also added a taller section behind the hob to act as a barrier, so guests don’t get splattered,’ she adds.

As the ceiling is quite high, the builders created housing for a built-in extractor above the island. ‘Retractable hoods are expensive, so this was a more affordable option that looks great,’ says Suzy.

When planning the sink area, she decided it made sense to keep it in the same position, in front of the window and opposite the hob. However, the old grey design has been replaced

with a stainless-steel model. ‘The new sink is under-mounted with grooves in the worktop, rather than a drainer, which looks much neater,’ says Suzy. ‘Underneath, we’ve installed three pull-out wire drawers.’

One bugbear for the couple was the giant fridge-freezer, which had to go. ‘It

was too tall and I couldn’t reach the top shelves,’ Suzy explains. ‘So we put an under-counter fridge near the sink. The freezer is in the utility room next door as we don’t eat a lot of frozen food.’

Finally, they tackled the lighting issue. ‘Due to the presence of a structural beam, the ceiling was two heights. We boxed around the edge of the higher side and added spotlights to help it feel lower,’ Suzy explains. ‘LED strip lighting was also added on top of the units for a relaxing glow in the evening.’

In total, the work took just over two weeks to complete and, thanks to more time spent planning, Suzy feels her new kitchen is future-proofed and works so much better for family life. ‘Everything is to hand and I can see what I need quickly,’ she says. ‘I don’t have cupboards full of out-of-date tins anymore! Since there’s more storage space, I can buy in bulk, too, which saves me money.’

THE PLANS

GROUND FLOOR BEFORE

GROUND FLOOR AFTER

Suzy and Elliot redesigned an extension they had built eight years ago, knocking down walls to bring more light into their kitchen and create an open-plan hub of the home

ISLAND UNITLeft A taller section creates a barrier between the Neff induction hob and guests. The cooker hood is from Elica and the white fishing pendant light is from Garden Trading

DINING AREABelow Knocking down the walls between the kitchen and two reception rooms has created a hub of the home that links to the garden via existing French doors. The radiators are from The Radiator Company

What I’ve learnt‘It can be very stressful dealing with builders. You need to either find someone you can really trust and communicate with, or save up and use a company that will act as project manager for you.’

My best buy‘I love the Neff oven with slide-and- hide door (right). It slides neatly out of the way when open and is easier to clean. The second oven includes a microwave, as I didn’t want an appliance taking up worktop space.’

My top tip‘Curved kitchen units can be good for an open-plan space as they feel more like furniture, and help a kitchen blend together with a dining or living area. They can be quite expensive, though, as the plinth and worktop need to be curved, too. We limited the curves to one unit (right), which is positioned where the kitchen ends and the dining area begins.’

My favourite spot‘I love sitting at the table by the French doors (below right), which has a great view of the whole kitchen. If anyone’s cooking or sitting on the stools, you can still chat.’

If I did it all again… ‘…I would add more lighting. Also, some more affordable island extractor fans have now been released, so I would probably have one of those to save the hassle of boxing one in.’

Recommended website‘Sncollection.co.uk is brilliant, as it has images of hundreds of real kitchens from around the country. Many kitchen websites just have showroom pictures, but these are actual kitchens so you get a better feel for how yours might look. I spent a lot of time browsing and making a note of the ideas I wanted to use, such as the white worktops.’

Follow Suzy Helmanis-Johnson’s tips for a stylish kitchen redesign

Project notes

‘I wanted the new layout to be fresher, easier to maintain and have a more sociable focus,

with room for baking’

Dining area

Dining room

Kitchen

Kitchen

Living area

Snug

Utility

Utility