Renovation of a cottage kitchen.... twice!

I thought I'd do another renovation post, for two reasons really. One is that it's been quite an interesting journey we've been on, doing up our house over the course of 20 years, well maybe just I think it's been interesting (occasionally horrific but interesting none the less!)! And secondly because I've lost my camera! I have taken a few photos just lately when we've been out and about, lots of cricket has been played and a few other events to record too. However my camera has gone missing, I feel sure it's not far away but as it's not in it's usual place (my handbag) I'm a bit lost!

So renovation posts are easy as I've mainly recorded and photographed what we've done over the years, some photos I've scanned in from the album and some are already on the home computer.

Our kitchen has had three incarnations from where we began in 1992. We purchased the two adjoining cottages that year and one cottage was lived in by an old lady who believed it had a functional kitchen, I however felt it lacked a little something! You may agree....

It was a little dark with the small window, one very tiny centre light and very low ceiling, but it did come complete with calor gas cooker circa 1920 I think! I didn't use any of the cupboards for fear of what may be lurking in them and we lived out of boxes and bags until planning was agreed. I've already mentioned the ancient water system here.

 

The kitchen in the second cottage which had been derelict for some time, looked like this...

Don't you just love the wallpaper?!

Believe it or not behind the wallpaper was a large copper over what would have been a fire and an old bread oven (sadly rusted to nearly nothing) complete with rusty baking tins!

 

We soon stripped the rooms out whilst living in a caravan in the garden - that's another tale!

The kitchen was to be built at the back of the house so was actually a new bit added on, it seemed so huge after 18 months in a caravan.


We were soon nearing the end, and Christmas was fast approaching, from the outside it looked like this with the roof on and all watertight.



 I dreamt of a rustic pine (with an orange hue!) kitchen very similar to the one I regularly drooled over in John Lewis at the time. It would cost approximately £10,000.00 (and this was in 1992) for the units I wanted, sadly our budget was nearer £10.00! Anyway I took the brochure (without the price list) to a local pine shop and asked if they could replicate it in anyway. They ummed and ahhed before telling me it wouldn't be cheap....did I realise I'd be looking at over £1000.00 for that kind of thing? After spluttering slightly and despite it still being over our budget I ordered it!

It took weeks to be finished and there was a slight hiccup along the way when the police were called..... I had arranged to pop into the pine shop on the day of delivery and get a lift home in their van, to show them the way. The builder was aware of this but it was in the days before we all carried mobile 'phones.
The pine shop owner was a bit of a wheeler dealer and as it turned out the kitchen wasn't quite ready. I waited in the shop for hours and hours while they trimmed and waxed the units. They were all handmade in large pieces of individual furniture.
 Anyway we hit the road to home quite late and arrived to find the builder in rather a panic having just got off  the 'phone from the police reporting me missing possibly kidnapped by a Arthur Daley/ Del Boy Trotter type character!

However after that slight kerfuffle the kitchen was all I'd dreamed of, we had to make do with some old plywood for worktops until another months pay hit the bank but we loved it!

It was all late 1980's/early 1990's bright colours and fancy swag and tail curtains.

 

 I loved it, but over the years it's taken it's fair share of knocks. As I designed the units myself (based on John Lewis' brochure) it didn't work brilliantly; although it looked pretty. We had lots of display cabinets to show beautiful china and ornaments. However there was a distinct lack of storage space for the baked beans - unless you have them on display?!
As it had been made by a furniture shop it didn't have the sturdy hinges and catches which would be more suited to doors and drawers which are in constant use. I had really set my heart on wooden worktops but they were beyond our means, except for a tiny bit used as a draining board.

 Laminate "wood look" worktops were fitted but I never really liked them.

The floor has Norfolk Pamments laid which were taken up from the rest of the house, cleaned by hand (took ages) and re-laid in the kitchen. The left over pamments were stored away safely (ie in a bed of nettles behind the house) and were actually used last year in our more recent extension. They make a very forgiving surface, they are a mottled brick colour and don't show the stains and spills. They are porous when not sealed but do hold the heat well and can be quite warm to bare feet.

Anyway the years went on, a couple of doors fell off and were re-attached as a temporary measure
(ie lasted another 10 years) The kids swung on the doors and slammed the drawers until 2 had chunks of wood missing!
 And in all that time the builder thought they just needed a "little touching up" here and there!

Well after much pestering we eventually dismantled the old pine units and sold them on ebay! Someone came over from France to collect them....weird!
And gradually the new kitchen took shape, it's more calming in cream and French grey. White walls and a wooden blind at the window - we still need something on the white walls like a picture of some sort, I'll know the right one when I see it.

Sorry it's a bit dark, I needed an extra pic & had to use my phone.

The tiles behind the cooker are off white and the worktops are iroko wood - I waited 20 years to get the ones I wanted and I love them!

The other end has French doors at the moment looking out onto some crumbling concrete - we had planned, some years ago to add a conservatory/orangery but this hasn't happened....yet!

There are actually NEVER flowers on this table, just for the photo - I should get a job as a stylist!

 I am  (or should I say we are?) really happy with the new kitchen,
it suits life as a family when we need easy access to more baked beans than crystal wine glasses....sadly!!

Have a good week all!