The almost 4m x 8m room which was I wanted to transform into an elegant kitchen diner in under two weeks was a bit of challenge. Whilst the boys busied themselves getting prepped and getting all the tools in, I sat in the middle of the room and pondered. We didn’t have a massive budget nor time to substantially change walls, windows or doors so I had to work with what we had.
For me it became all about zoning the different areas and this doesn’t really come across in the episode. The neutral palette of materials to Ben and Stacey’s taste could easily be achieved but all the areas would then kind of blend into each other. Good in a way. Bad in a way. So I decided to play with the proportions of the room in an attempt to create interest in an otherwise quite uninteresting room:
Zone 1 was to be the main part of the kitchen, where the large Quadrio Hotpoint fridge freezer would go and where the wet area would be. This area would be tiled with marble.
Zone 2 would be a small area where an island would encompass the range cooker, allowing chef interaction. I wanted to lower the ceiling specifically over this area, with spotlights and the cooker hood.
Zone 3 was the dining table area. I wanted this whole area floored using a country oak flooring and have a dining room light directly over it. It was also to be surrounded by ….
Zone 4, where the depth of the room would be teased with the addition of three built in bookcase / cabinets and wall lighting.
And finally, Zone 5, where I wanted to change the flooring from timber back to marble tile as a practical reflection of dirty feet coming in from the garden!
Not much do do then eh?!
Playing with heights, depths, floor coverings and wall finishes can really change the feel of a room, but you must decide and design what’s going where before you start. I think, in this Eastbourne room, it really works 🙂
The floor doesn’t work in my opinion. I like zoning but breaking up the floor like this is a shame as it looks like the walls have been taken down but not enough money to make it into one large room.