Back in July we started the renovation on our kitchen and I am so excited to share with you the finished result. I’ve been without a proper space to cook, bake, or film for almost 5 months, so if you’ve been wondering where I’ve been let me tell you everything. It’s been challenging at times, but I can definitely say that it was worth the wait. My dream kitchen is finally here, and it’s everything I hoped for. Here I tell you how I went from a dark outdated space to a light, modern, white and grey styled kitchen.
In truth it was the builders that started in July, but the whole renovation process has taken a little longer. We moved into our home in December 2019 and the kitchen was always the first thing I wanted to do; but then Covid happened, we went through IVF, I got pregnant and Hendrix was born. There never seemed the right time – until now.
Over the years we think the kitchen has had a few modifications, but the cupboards were all original, so this meant they were over 30 years old. It was also quite a dark space, and this made it so frustrating when filming. It also had a lack of plug sockets as you can see by my extension cables (not the safest I know!). The kitchen was desperately in need of a little updating.
The main thing we wanted to fix with the renovation was the layout. Ever since we moved in it always felt like the kitchen was split into 2. It has this peninsular attached at the side which always made it feel like 2 smaller spaces.
Planning the kitchen renovation
Back in 2023 we started to seriously think about changing the kitchen. Making the space work better for us as a family and also for filming too. We sat down with a few architects and found one that really seemed to understand what we needed. Plans were drawn up and we could start the fun part of getting quotes back, altering the plans due to unforeseen drain issues, planning the kitchen that was going to be put in and getting planning permission for the small extension. It took a lot more back and forth than I realised, but I am so happy with the plans we ended up with. I didn’t know what to expect from the build as we had never done anything like this before, but it was exciting!
The full renovation journey
Even though at times it felt a little stressful, it was amazing seeing the transformation each day. I was shocked the first day when diggers arrived and foundations were dug. For the first month they worked on the extension from the outside, so there wasn’t too much disruption to us, but then a temporary kitchen was built in our dining room and that part of the house was closed off with the only access from outside.
I say temporary kitchen; we had a sink and a tiny tiny workspace with a little hob. I am so grateful the builders were able to create this for us, but it definitely felt like camping inside.
When it came to removing the old kitchen, I thought this would take a while to remove, but I kid you not, within 30 minutes it was gone. Windows were being taken out. The ceiling was removed. It was crazy to watch and so exciting. At times it felt like it was never going to be done; but seeing the new space once it was water tight, with the new roof, the new windows and the French doors made it feel so real.
You can watch the full renovation journey from start to finish in my video below. See what we were working with and what we planned to do. Watch the builders take down the walls, build new ceilings, watch me paint the new kitchen and see the new cabinets being built. You can even watch me testing out the new ovens for the first time…
The key features of the new kitchen
As I mentioned the old kitchen always felt like it was split into 2 with a peninsular in the center. You can see in my video that you had to squeeze through a small gap to get to the fridge, which was so frustrating when cooking. The layout for the new kitchen kept the peninsular; albeit a little smaller, but with the small extension it put the kitchen all together, with everything accessible. Below is the 3D plan that we created and all I could do was hope that this would look good in real life.
Another of the key features of the new kitchen was bringing in as much natural light as we could and also making the garden feel like part of the kitchen. Ever since we moved in, I wanted to add French doors into the kitchen, and with every iteration of kitchen design these were a must for me. The architect also added this huge 4 meter long window, which I have to admit I did not realise what a feature this would be until the day this was installed.
Creating the perfect lighting for filming
Lighting was so important in the new kitchen, especially for filming. This was probably the part I found most stressful if I’m honest. I spoke a lot with the electrician to try and get it right and get their advice. We opted for some downlights around the edge and I chose some lights I could angle in the center of the kitchen. The thinking behind these were so I could bounce the light better off the ceiling to create softer shadows in my tutorials. I hadn’t realised before just how harsh downlighting can be. Altogether we have 19 lightbulbs in the kitchen. I know seems a lot, but I love the lighting. I can also dim them and adjust the colour temperature of the lights, so they are warm white when I’m cooking, but daylight white to match my studio lights when filming. I’m really hoping this will be a game changer for the lighting in my videos. Fingers crossed!
The Finished Kitchen
After 4 and a half months the kitchen was finally finished. The worktops were the last thing to go in and I can’t tell you how happy I was. I felt quite emotional standing in the new space and I just love being in there. The moment it was finished all of the stresses over the last few months, the decisions we had to make, our house being turned upside down and the mud! Have I mentioned the mud everywhere, lol; it was all forgotten.
One thing I hadn’t realised when we started was just how much it would consume us. It really felt at times like our lives were on hold, but I have no regrets, I am so pleased we have done it. It has changed our home and given us a kitchen that is perfect for us. I can’t thank our builders and architect and the kitchen company and everyone we worked with enough. I am so excited to use the space as a family and all the new cakes I can make and tutorials I can film.
If you are about to embark on building work or a new kitchen the one piece of advice I can give it to find people that understand what your trying to create. Talk to lots of builders until you find ones that you feel comfortable with and feel you can trust with your home, also ones that fit into your budget too. Don’t forget you will be spending quite a lot of time with them in your space so finding people you like is important.
Thank you so much for reading about our renovation journey and I really hope you enjoy watching the full transformation in my YouTube video. Plus don’t forget to check back soon so you don’t miss any of the new tutorials coming.
