Murray and Lorraine Jervis live in a converted barn in Suffolk with their children, Elle, 14, Georgia, 12, and Isabelle, four.
With a family of five, a good-sized kitchen – or at least one that uses the available space most efficiently – is a must. So when Murray and Lorraine Jervis moved into their converted barn in Suffolk two years ago, the dark kitchen with limed oak-effect units was one of the first areas to be transformed.
‘Our lifestyle was very different from the couple who lived here before and the kitchen just didn’t work for us as it was,’ recalls Murray, a design consultant. ‘We had very different needs and although the size of the kitchen stayed the same, the layout didn’t.’
Converted 10 years ago, the couple’s timber-built barn was filled with honey-coloured wood beams, flint and brick, which lent itself to Lorraine’s vision of a traditional, hand-painted kitchen. Murray, however, was leaning towards a more contemporary look.
‘We were keen on mixing the old with the new and adding 21st-century style to the traditional feel of the beamed, 200-year-old barn, rather than trying to mimic its original features,’ explains Murray. ‘I knew that a hi-gloss design would really add impact but I didn’t think I’d win the argument!’
It was a visit to local company Anglia Factors, which had been recommended to the couple by friends, that convinced Lorraine that perhaps her husband had the right idea after all. Once she saw a hi-gloss cream design in the showroom, she was won over.
‘We knew it would create a distinctive look without taking away from the beauty of the barn’s character,’ says Murray. ‘What we also liked was that Anglia Factors could do the whole project. As much as we’d have liked to manage it ourselves, we just didn’t have the time.’
Fortunately for the couple, the property wasn’t listed, so work to transform the kitchen could begin immediately. A small amount of building work was carried out to make the best use of the space, but for the most part, the proportions of the room and its
adjoining utility area have remained intact.
‘We wanted to keep the two rooms and have managed to maintain a feeling of space by swapping the pine door for a glass one,’ explains Murray. ‘It just adds to the contemporary feel and because we continued the cabinetry into the utility, when the door is pulled back, the kitchen becomes one big room.’
When it came to the design of the kitchen, Lorraine and Murray were quite clear about what they wanted and worked closely with designer Adam Kerrison to make sure they achieved it. ‘We knew we wanted a cooking area that would be a real showpiece but we also needed everything to be integrated to create a sleek, minimal look,’ says Murray.
The streamlined hi-gloss design has been finished with chunky Zodiaq quartz worktops in a soft white shade and a glossy cream-coloured marble floor throughout. ‘The cream and white theme continues through the house and f lows together well,’ says Murray. ‘What really sets it apart, though, is the contemporary finish. It may not be the biggest kitchen in the world but it’s big enough for us and works beautifully for everyone.
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