Open Plan Kitchen Extension
Location:
Southwold, Suffolk
Project Type:
Residential
Services:
Extension build & installation
The Brief
Build a single storey side and rear extension to create a large and open plan kitchen diner and dayroom space. Increase the light flow, and incorporate the garden space. This must be a family and social space with a ‘wow’ factor.About The Project
The design brief was to transform a small, dark Victorian galley kitchen into a bright, open-plan, multifunctional space for cooking, dining, entertaining, and relaxing. I needed to work around several fixed elements, including party walls, a chimney breast, structural pillars, and a central vertical support column. My aim was to create a clutter-free layout with clean lines and smart storage, while maximising natural light and creating a seamless connection to the garden. The space needed to feel warm, welcoming, and practical, with bespoke elements, natural materials like oak, and a light, coastal-inspired palette to bring everything together.Rebecca Coulby
About The Project
The interior design for this multi-functional open plan space was challenging, but also very rewarding. The original kitchen was small, narrow, and rather dark, typical for a Victorian galley kitchen. With a party wall on both sides, together with a chimney breast and structural pillars that needed to stay put on the other, plus a vertical column required in the centre of the room to support the existing first floor and roof in order to allow the extension, there were numerous factors to consider and work around.
The entire kitchen design was bespoke. I designed a stud wall along the left hand side of the room to level out all the recesses and create clean lines, whilst utilising the recesses for storage, worksurfaces and even a built-in TV area with additional storage cupboards below. I raised the lintel of the chimney and installed the range cooker within that area using the chimney as an extraction point.
A large working island with occasional seating and a more rustic family dining table, plus two sofas provided ample seating. A separate rear extension now houses a beautiful, but functional utility and laundry, together with additional storage, so that the open plan kitchen can remain clutter free. Light floods into the new space now via roof lights and large, frameless sliding patio doors. These doors allow my clients to open up the interior space to the garden in the summer months.
Bespoke, hand made oak cladding around the exposed beams and vertical columns highlights the new structural elements and turns them into a design feature. The oak ties in beautifully with the oak flooring and helps add warmth and texture against the lighter colour on the walls and vaulted ceiling of the extension. A combination of oak and marble effect quartz worktops and splashbacks also connects with the simple, light and subtly coastal colour palette of the room.
With appliances such as a range cooker, an integrated combination microwave oven, integrated fridge freezer, and a full height wine cooler, this new open plan space can now successfully cope with large gatherings of family and friends.
Rebecca Coulby
What Our Client Says
'Rebecca and her experienced hard working team undertook a complete large kitchen refurbishment and extension, providing a start to finish professional bespoke service. Excellent management of resources, attentive and accommodating whilst providing options, alternatives and suggestions, Rebecca and Thomas were able to turn a vision into a reality and we could not be happier with the outcome. Highly recommended.'
Mr & Mrs McCarthy
