Kitchen of the Week: A Bright and Airy Kitchen Makeover in Bristol

Kitchen of the Week: A Bright and Airy Kitchen Makeover in Bristol- The owners of this home had been renting for a year when they decided to make their move to Bristol permanent. Searching for somewhere to buy, they came across a Victorian house in need of some serious care and attention, but with the space they were looking for. ‘It was in quite bad condition,’ explains architect Elke Dittrich, who helped the family to bring their own sense of style and personality to the property. The whole house was renovated in one go, which took around five months.
Elke worked closely with the mother of the family, Mirkku, who is a graphic designer, to create this light, bright kitchen. The pair are friends, and Elke says of her, ‘Whenever she arrives, she always looks immaculate. It was a pleasure to work with someone with such a strong vision.’

Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here A family of four
Location Bristol
Size 7.3 x 3.4m
Designer Elke Dittrich of DHV Architects

DHV Architects

When the family bought the property, the ground floor was a warren of rooms with very little light. ‘There were actually two kitchens – the original Victorian one and another, 1970s kitchen beyond it, plus a bathroom and scullery beyond that,’ Elke explains.

She stripped the entire area, which involved removing a large chimney breast and putting in a substantial amount of steel to support the building. The result was well worth it, though – a light-filled, spirit-lifting space.

Cabinets, Ikea. Rubber floor, Dalsouple.

Browse thousands of white kitchen photos on Houzz to find more inspiration.

DHV Architects

‘Mirkku is half German, half Finnish, and a graphic designer,’ Elke says. ‘She wanted to have a clean, almost Scandinavian look.’ Mirkku chose to go for a light and natural colour palette, mixing woods with white in typical Scandi style.

As the daughter of an art dealer, she had plenty of artworks with which to decorate her home, including some original Bauhaus pictures.

Browse the Scandi palette of wood and monochrome

DHV Architects

The ground floor used to be a dark maze of rooms and the garden was hidden from view. ‘There were no windows,’ Elke says. Adding a small, flat-roof extension enabled them to insert glazing to the same height as the windows in the rest of the room, which they wouldn’t have been able to do with a sloping, ‘lean-to’ roof.

‘The kitchen is west-facing and light was one of the most important factors in the design. For us, that’s always the most important thing – to create a space that’s not only comfortable, but makes you happy, too,’ Elke says.

The garden was overgrown and required a lot of attention, but is now a lovely, leafy space.

Thinking of going all white with your exterior? See these other white exterior photos for ideas.

DHV Architects

Mirkku found the kitchen at Ikea. ‘That’s the nice thing about her house,’ Elke notes, ‘it’s a wonderful example of how to combine classic pieces with more affordable options.’

DHV Architects

The Arne Jacobsen dining chairs are a good example of a well-chosen design classic. Paired with an Ikea wooden dining table, the look is fresh and understated, with a clear sense of the simplicity so fundamental to Scandinavian schemes.

The children’s artwork is displayed all over the wall, bringing personality to the room. ‘The display shows how things that are often thought of as quite messy can be shown in an organised and beautiful way,’ says Elke.

Series 7 chairs by Arne Jacobsen, available at The Conran Shop. Sliding doors, Velfac.

Check out more sliding door options

DHV Architects

Mirkku chose to avoid continuous units in favour of a more freestanding look. ‘The whole room is a mixture of modern and traditional,’ Elke says. ‘The tall unit is where the dresser would typically have been, so it alludes to that and looks more like a piece of furniture.’

The worktop is maple, and the couple installed and waxed it themselves in a bid to cut costs as the project came to a close.

DHV Architects

The Smeg range cooker gives the room a country edge. ‘Mirkku didn’t want it to be completely modern, and was keen it had a bit of a traditional twist, too, as it’s a period house,’ Elke explains.

DHV Architects

It was important for Elke that there be a variety of lighting in the room. ‘We find that in a kitchen, particularly a kitchen-diner, you need to have different types of lights for different functions. You need task as well as ambient lighting,’ she explains. Downlights are combined with a pendant over the dining table to enable different atmospheres to be created. Mirkku is quite the entertainer, so this was important.

‘It was a real pleasure and success working with someone with such a strong design language,’ Elke concludes. ‘The room is so light and welcoming, people are just drawn to it.’

TELL US…
Have you combined traditional with contemporary in your home? What do you think of this blend? Please share your thoughts in the Comments below.

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