Seaside chic

April Preston’s Devon kitchen is a unique hideaway designed to bring in the outdoors

“I live in a beautiful seaside town, Budleigh Salterton in Devon. It’s me and my husband, Mark, and our two teenage daughters, Effie and Lola. Our eldest child, Red, has now moved to London to study. We share the house with our three cats and three dogs. “As food product director for M&S, I spend a huge amount of time with my teams creating and refining plans for future ranges and product launches. We use customer and trend data to try to predict what the next big things will be, and solve culinary conundrums for customers – although that was difficult in lockdown, as it was less easy to get out and see what was happening in the food world.”

“This is the fourth kitchen that I’ve designed and built, and I’ve learnt loads of stuff along the way. When we bought this house six years ago, I started a Pinterest board and kept adding to it with layers of detail and bits I liked. Interestingly, I still love the very first image I put on there, and it’s the closest vibe to where the kitchen has ended up.

“I wanted it to be a big enough space for us all to hang out there together, and there are several places to sit, from the small settee to the stools, and the banquette and chairs around the table.