The brief
To transform the focal point of Kate’s home in Bedford to an area which could be utilised for socialising as well as cooking. Kate wanted to keep the carcasses of her kitchen but give the rest of the space a complete makeover. Kate was also unhappy with the outdated track lighting so wanted us to think of lighting solutions to brighten up the space. She liked colour and wanted something to fit in with the other rooms in her home.
Realisation
Kate’s kitchen was built by our carpenter, bespoke to her needs and painted in her favourite Farrow and Ball shade – Sulking Room Pink. Vintage finds have been mixed with shaker style kitchen units to suit the age of her property. All kitchen appliances are integrated and everything has its place. The AGA is an electric model that our client had fallen in love with so we made sure the kitchen was planned around this. We also wanted to provide additional storage through shelving, for the all-important bar area! This space was completed with a beautiful Graham & Brown wallpaper to give an extra splash of personality.
What is your favourite aspect of your new kitchen?
It is the quality of all of the sourced products. They are all high quality from the timber used for the shelves to the door handles which were selected. This shows how much Grace & Favour cares about giving the client the best possible product, it would be so easy to cut costs and corners but the quality of the products, lights, sockets etc have really surpassed my expectations.
Why did you choose Grace & Favour interiors?
I’ve been renovating my Victorian home in Bedford for some years now and the kitchen and conservatory area was the very last project. Over the last couple of years, I’ve gone to the usual kitchen companies looking for ideas and inspiration but when they delivered a plan on how it could look, it always just felt like an ‘off the shelf’ kitchen and trying to get what I wanted that was in keeping with the rest of the house seemed like a real challenge. That is what Grace & Favour offer and deliver on. I always thought that using an interior design service would be out of my price bracket so never considered it before but that’s just not the case with Grace & Favour.
What did you enjoy about working with Grace & Favour interiors?
Grace & Favour took into account the whole house and made sure my kitchen was in keeping with my style/taste but added a huge amount of value and ideas throughout the process. You end up with a kitchen that is totally unique – you just don’t get this elsewhere. I also love the whole design pack process so you can visualise the whole design and can adapt and alter. One example was Lauren (their interior designer) modelling 10 images for different cooker colours to fit in with the whole kitchen – not sure who else would provide this service. Grace & Favour are constantly looking at how they can improve and enhance the design. Grace & Favour go the extra mile in ensuring the client gets the best results i.e. changes to the tile pattern, shelves height and depth, it’s these little adjustments which make sure that the whole design fits together perfectly.
What was the management of your project like?
Grace & Favour were very hands-on and informed me of what was happening every step of the way i.e. when people were visiting, what was being delivered etc. When I’ve used a builder in the past there have been delays because one tradesman was delayed on another job but this hasn’t been the case with Grace & Favour. It is a very clear programme of work from start to finish which is stuck too. Also throughout the project, I had access to an online portal which showed costs. This meant I had no surprise bills at the end and there was complete transparency. I could log on and see how I was going against my budget and I could also see that Grace & Favour had been shopping around looking for the best price on different items. All the way through the installation, Paul and Lauren would continue to suggest enhancements as the new kitchen came to life, such as where the lighting was positioned and the layout of the wall tiles. They recommended the feature wallpaper, something I would have never considered but I’m so glad I went for it! It’s this interior design experience that has really given me the kitchen I’ve always wanted, unique to me, my home and my family.
