‘Our kitchen ROSE FROM THE ASHES'

A harrowing house fire turned into an opportunity for Elina Demurger-Jones to create a dream kitchen-diner in her 1960s Sussex home

In October 2016, our dishwasher caught fire when I was at work. When I came back, the whole house was black. My husband Gavin and I along with our children moved out that night and stayed with nearby families until we sorted out rented accommodation several weeks later.

Our house had been rented out for many years, and we were saving up to renovate it when the disaster struck. It was harrowing, but it allowed us to completely renovate the place and create the kitchendiner we’d always wanted.

EXTENDING THE KITCHEN

As we had lived here for 15 months, we knew how we wanted to use the space. The dining area was in a 1970s extension, with a thick original exterior wall between it and the kitchen. We talked to our friend Mark, a building surveyor, who suggested removing the wall and fitting a steel beam to create a larger space.

CREATING THE LOOK