Light & bright

Rachel's main requirements for her kitchen extension were a window overlooking the garden and space to entertain. We reveal how she made her dream a reality

- KAREN DARLOW

When the Covid lockdowns curtailed all normal activities, Danny and Rachel spent their time at home wishfully thinking about how to enlarge their living space with a side-return extension. Like many of us, they were desperate for something to look forward to. ‘All the usual markers of time passing – meals out, days out, holidays – had all gone,’ says Rachel. ‘Planning future changes to the house was a kind of escape mentality.’

After restrictions on leaving their safe haven, and letting tradespeople in, finally lifted, the pair started searching for architects. Rachel also began putting together creative mood boards. And the result is this colourful, contemporary space that is a joy to be in. We’ve chatted to Rachel to find out how she did it…

STEP 1 

THE GOAL

‘I sometimes felt like a maid in the old kitchen. It was separate from the dining and living area, and the view of the garden was obscured by an old extension housing the downstairs bathroom. I longed for a big space for entertaining where I could be involved.

‘We also wanted more light, so we planned to knock down the bathroom extension and add a glazed door, skylights and an oriel window. We needed a better sense of flow through the house, rather than being funnelled down dark corridors into a galley kitchen.