Kitchens > Kitchen Corner > Picture Perfect

Picture Perfect

Article by: Natalie Flaum
Publish date: 4th September 2008

Flicking through the property pages in their local newspaper, Abi and Trevor Hubner came across an Edwardian house, brimming with character, and promptly went to investigate. "Trevor's dream was to find a family home with a large garden where he could play with the boys," Abi says and adds: "The house backs on to woodlands, which was an absolutely perfect setting and I fell for it when I saw the old period-style windows, even though they had rusted shut!"

Using all their imagination to visualise the possibilities that the new home in Kent could offer, the Hubners sold their property. They then rented a house nearby and waited patiently until the previous owners had found somewhere to move to.

A few months later, upon Abi's father's recommendation, the Hubners hired a contractor to project-manage the build. "As soon as the builders started work, our plans seemed to escalate. They grew bigger and bigger." she admits. "We had never taken on such a vast project and I found it all quite overwhelming! I didn't want to take on too much as I was pregnant with Sam at the time. It all worked out rather well, though, as we were able to plan our improvements without living through the mayhem and would pop in each day to check on the progress and return to the comforts of our home."

The Hubners inherited their previous house from an architect who had thoroughly reinvented the space. Abi explains: "You could say our passion for modern and simplistic interiors came from that property. We also lived in America for two years before the children came along, so I was keen to put a New England stamp on the place. I wanted to keep the rooms vaguely traditional, in keeping with the house. But I didn't really know where to start and, being pregnant, I wasn't able to trust my decision-making! I tried to look at each room as an overall package and took one main colour then selected the woods, fabrics and furnishings to match," she adds.

Structural plans involved expansion of the family bathroom by knocking out the corridor wall, and rebuilding the staircase and the rebuild of the attic, originally the maid's bedroom in the Edwardian era.

As the house offered two reception living rooms, the couple decided to replace one reception area and, in knocking out the dividing wall adjacent to the kitchen, they could reveal space to have a large new kitchen diner. "We had to get planning permission to put the RSJ steels in the kitchen along with the bathroom expansion and removal of the original staircase," Abi adds. "The windows had rusted closed and had to be replaced - the company we used was fantastic and managed to retain our original window fixtures, which were blasted and fixed to the new windows."

Noticing Plain English in a magazine, Abi instinctively knew that was the style for her. "Plain English has a wonderful range of handmade units in traditional county styles and tailored our kitchen design to our specific needs," she explains. In fact, Abi was so inspired she decided to paint the living room, kitchen and hallway in the same colour, to create uniformity throughout the ground floor.

"We don't have a utility room, so the Plain English team designed the kitchen in such a way as to house absolutely everything we could possibly need in one room!" says Abi.

"There was a more unusual addition as well. In the past, we found that the computer rarely got used, so were keen to put it in the kitchen. The carpenters built a wonderful study area so that the children can do their homework and I can keep an eye on them too. All my cookbooks and everything else we need is in the kitchen - it really is the central hub of the whole house."

Abi and Trevor are thrilled with the changes they have made. The previous residents raised three boys during their 45-year stay. "Along with our two, boys seem to reign in this house!" Abi smiles. "The other day, the couple came back to visit us, and it was so gratifying to see how pleased they were with the improvements we've made to what had been their home for many years."



Focus on: New england style

The Hubners spent two years living in America and were keen to introduce New England style to their kitchen in Kent:

  • This traditional New England-style kitchen features a combination of muted tones on the walls and cabinetry, classic wooden furniture, oak worktops and soft white woodwork.
  • By fusing together two contrasting work surfaces, you can carry out a variety of practical tasks whilst mixing old with new. The traditional oak is used for chopping and the modern slate for rolling out pastry.
  • To highlight the space, the bespoke study area has been painted in a different shade to the units - Farrow & Ball's French Gray.
  • Today's range cookers feature the latest technology and retain their traditional value as well as meeting the cooking demands of the modern-day family. They also bring a sense of nostalgia, a touch of days gone by to your kitchen.
  • Warm red gingham accessories provide a cheerful accent colour to the simple soft cream tones of the cabinets and tiled splash back.