Farnborough, Hampshire

With designs drawn up and planning granted work on the new kitchen extension got underway and Georgie started to think about the overall design theme for the space. “I wanted to create a space which was sympathetic to the Victorian style of home. Something traditional which would blend in modern elements. Material wise I wanted to keep things natural mixing wood and neutral colours.” Georgie eventually chose a Shaker style of kitchen from Magnet. “We definitely wanted to introduce wood rather than gloss cabinets and after lots of shopping around, we eventually chose the Sommerton range from Magnet, selecting Sommerton Sage for the floor and wall units and Sommerton Ferm for the island to add a darker contrast to the space. And for the work surface I wanted to maintain the natural theme so chose a nice light oak.  With the kitchen design complete and Magnet scheduled to complete the installation once the build was finished the final big decision was flooring. We had a bit of a debate on the style of flooring we wanted. My husband was keen on tiles but I really had my heart set on wood, and in particular a herringbone style of floor. I could envisage it really completing the traditional and natural feel of the space perfectly.”

“We finally agreed we would go with herringbone, and as a good friend of mine works for V4 I asked for advice and she pointed me in the direction of the Deco Parquet collection. I loved the look of the floors and felt they would be perfect. I ordered samples of all the surface finishes that I thought might work in the space and once they arrived headed back to Magnet to hold them up against the oak worktop we had chosen. The Natural Oak Brushed and Lacquered sample was the perfect match and it was decision made.”

Georgie got in touch with local floor fitter, Alan Marshall from Carpet Contractors in Dorking and he was scheduled to install the herringbone floors. The kitchen floor was now a mix of new concrete in the extension area and old tiles in the original space, which were removed before a self-levelling screed was applied to the full space to create one even surface. Alan returned once the kitchen was in place and the new floors were completed in just a couple of days. “We were both thrilled when we saw the completed floors and kitchen. They work wonderfully together and the whole space is the perfect mix of classic and contemporary we wanted. We had considered removing the original chimney breast in the room but I’m so pleased we kept it and made a feature around our cooker, it really adds to the traditional feel, and the little area of exposed brick adds an additional natural surface texture into the room. We finished the walls in Farrow and Ball Wimborne White and I set to work renovating an old dining table donated from my Dad, carefully sanding it back and repainting it to fit in perfectly with the overall kitchen design. It was lovely to begin to add the finishing touches like the oak shelves and vintage style pendants from Industville Lighting as we completed our new family room.”

“The floors have been absolutely brilliant to live with. We have a Pomeranian Husky mix and they’ve been no problem at all with the dog, in fact they are perfect for disguising his fur. We’ve been using the Wood’s Good cleaner from V4 which is so easy to use and does a great job, but to be honest the floors are such low maintenance which is perfect for us.”

“We have carpets in the hallway and I think I’d like to change these to the same herringbone floor next to create a seamless flow into this space. We love being in here now and it really has become the room where we spend most of our time, we kind of forget we have a separate living room. We’re so pleased with our new open plan kitchen and it’s all been completed in the nick of time as our first baby is due to arrive in a matter of weeks.”