Sensitive Kitchen Remodel in a Historic English Home
Timeless design keeps the circa 1840 kitchen sympathetic to its heritage, while efficient appliances help it work smart
This Brighton, England, home is a rare thing in the city — a centrally located detached house, rich in history and with a beautiful garden. Built around 1840, it has Grade II listed status and sits within a historic preservation area. Consequently, any work on it would be subject to strict planning regulations and, in addition, its owners were committed to making any improvements both sympathetic to the building and environmentally responsible.
To get a feel for this special home, they lived in it for a couple of years before calling in interior designer Clare Topham to gently refresh it. She worked on various rooms, updating the heating, decor and lighting, but the kitchen posed perhaps the biggest challenge. “It was a dinky little room,” Topham says. “[The owners] knew they wanted to extend, but didn’t want it much bigger. They only wanted to build what they needed for the two of them. They were never going to whack a modernist extension on the back.”
The owners are really happy with their finished kitchen, which respects their home’s heritage but is outfitted with the latest energy-efficient appliances. Read on to see the newly extended space.
To get a feel for this special home, they lived in it for a couple of years before calling in interior designer Clare Topham to gently refresh it. She worked on various rooms, updating the heating, decor and lighting, but the kitchen posed perhaps the biggest challenge. “It was a dinky little room,” Topham says. “[The owners] knew they wanted to extend, but didn’t want it much bigger. They only wanted to build what they needed for the two of them. They were never going to whack a modernist extension on the back.”
The owners are really happy with their finished kitchen, which respects their home’s heritage but is outfitted with the latest energy-efficient appliances. Read on to see the newly extended space.
Mood board created with Houzz Pro software
Topham created an “initial ideas” Houzz Pro mood board to share her vision for the room with the owners.
She uses these alongside Houzz Pro Selections to show specific products to her clients. “It’s so straightforward, for me and the owners,” she says. “[They] have links to all the products on them, so the owners can just click through. There’s no messing about with spreadsheets full of links like before.”
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Topham created an “initial ideas” Houzz Pro mood board to share her vision for the room with the owners.
She uses these alongside Houzz Pro Selections to show specific products to her clients. “It’s so straightforward, for me and the owners,” she says. “[They] have links to all the products on them, so the owners can just click through. There’s no messing about with spreadsheets full of links like before.”
See why you should hire a professional who uses Houzz Pro software
Before: The original kitchen was small and cramped. “The layout was odd,” Topham says. “There was a table sitting in front of the fireplace, and a huge range taking up half the space.”
This “before” shot shows the door out to the garden and, on the left, a door that leads to a formal dining room. “There are three doors into the space and none of them could be moved or changed because of the house’s listed status,” Topham says. “They have lovely original detailing on them.”
This “before” shot shows the door out to the garden and, on the left, a door that leads to a formal dining room. “There are three doors into the space and none of them could be moved or changed because of the house’s listed status,” Topham says. “They have lovely original detailing on them.”
Before: This photo show the exterior space into which the kitchen was extended.
Before: This is the original entrance into the kitchen, which has remained the same.
After: You can see the original door here, still in place.
The owners wanted something between traditional and modern for the kitchen’s style, but they also wanted top-of-the-line, easy-to-use appliances, Topham says. “They knew they didn’t want it to look too traditional, so no Shaker doors, but not too contemporary either. It was up to me to find a middle ground.”
Topham chose quality, in-frame cabinets, but paired them with modern-looking flat-panel doors. She then worked in appliances that met the owners’ environmental stipulations, including an induction cooktop and low-energy ovens.
“It was about getting modern, eco-friendly appliances in with what looked like more of a classic kitchen.” Topham says.
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The owners wanted something between traditional and modern for the kitchen’s style, but they also wanted top-of-the-line, easy-to-use appliances, Topham says. “They knew they didn’t want it to look too traditional, so no Shaker doors, but not too contemporary either. It was up to me to find a middle ground.”
Topham chose quality, in-frame cabinets, but paired them with modern-looking flat-panel doors. She then worked in appliances that met the owners’ environmental stipulations, including an induction cooktop and low-energy ovens.
“It was about getting modern, eco-friendly appliances in with what looked like more of a classic kitchen.” Topham says.
Shop for kitchen appliances on Houzz
This tall cupboard has a different feel from the rest of the cabinetry and shows how Topham brought classic touches to the kitchen to keep it sympathetic to the building’s age and heritage. It has more traditional, frame paneled doors, trimmed with moldings. The doors also have fluted glass to echo the fluted wood on the island. The green color ties everything together.
The more modern, flat-panel cabinet doors used around the cooktop and the sink are clearly visible here. “I was adamant about using the green,” Topham says. “There’s a beautiful garden just outside, with peonies in the summer and fruit trees. It has almost a country cottage feel — very unusual for central Brighton — so I wanted it to feel like an extension of the kitchen.”
The owners signed off on the green, but halfway through the process, changed their minds and requested blue. “I mocked up the design in blue and in green, so they could see the difference,” Topham says — and the couple chose green.
Cabinet paint: Calke Green, Farrow & Ball
The owners signed off on the green, but halfway through the process, changed their minds and requested blue. “I mocked up the design in blue and in green, so they could see the difference,” Topham says — and the couple chose green.
Cabinet paint: Calke Green, Farrow & Ball
The owners wanted to be able to wash saucepans in a sink and have a dishwasher, so Topham set about working out where to position both. Early plans show it next to the sink (see next photo), but she eventually put it in the island.
“If it sat in certain locations, you wouldn’t be able to move around the kitchen, as it’s quite a small space,” she says. Now there’s a very deep sink over by the window for washing up big, grubby pans and another on the island for lighter jobs, such as rinsing plates or filling the kettle.
“If it sat in certain locations, you wouldn’t be able to move around the kitchen, as it’s quite a small space,” she says. Now there’s a very deep sink over by the window for washing up big, grubby pans and another on the island for lighter jobs, such as rinsing plates or filling the kettle.
Floor plan: Looking at the plans for the extension, you can also see there’s a utility area-powder room adjoining the kitchen, accessed from the hallway.
Topham designed an oval-shaped island, which provides useful storage, food prep space and a place to sit. It’s fronted with fluted wood, breaking up the green beautifully.
The curved shape was deliberate. “There are three doors coming into this room, which is quite inconvenient and potentially [results in] quite a lot of traffic,” she says. “I felt rounded ends on the island would soften the space as you’re moving through it and be better than a hard, rectangular shape.”
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The curved shape was deliberate. “There are three doors coming into this room, which is quite inconvenient and potentially [results in] quite a lot of traffic,” she says. “I felt rounded ends on the island would soften the space as you’re moving through it and be better than a hard, rectangular shape.”
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Before: This photo shows the existing fireplace and table.
After: Now the fireplace, just seen behind the island, contains shelves.
A pantry cabinet with interior lighting stands in the corner of the room, with easy access to the island. It contains breakfast foods, a toaster, tea and coffee.
Open shelves here and at the end of the island provide space for personal pieces, which soften the look. The same composite quartz is used on the countertops and backsplashes.
A refrigerator is housed in the cabinet just to the right of the ovens.
The flooring looks original but it’s actually new parquet from a nearby flooring supplier. Using local firms is something Topham likes to do. “I use a lot of local suppliers,” she says. “I’ve built up relationships with them through 15 years of running this business. I know them and trust they will do a good job.”
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The flooring looks original but it’s actually new parquet from a nearby flooring supplier. Using local firms is something Topham likes to do. “I use a lot of local suppliers,” she says. “I’ve built up relationships with them through 15 years of running this business. I know them and trust they will do a good job.”
More on Houzz
Read more kitchen stories
Browse kitchen photos
Hire a kitchen remodeler
Shop for kitchen products
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A semi-retired couple
Location: Brighton, East Sussex, England
Size: 175 square feet (16 square meters) 14½ by 12 feet
Designer: Clare Topham of Clare Topham Interior Design
Builder: White Rock Construction
Topham worked alongside the project architect to create plans for a modest side addition with a rooflight. She designed this part of the room to be the main food preparation and cooking area. In what was the original kitchen space, she added an island where the owners can sit with a coffee or friends can gather while they cook.
“The whole project took awhile, because we had to wait for conservation approval,” Topham says. “We would get the design signed off by the owners, and then there would be a pause for three months. It was a bit stop-start and took six months in total.”
When it came to the build, access was an issue. “We couldn’t get machinery into the back of the property,” she says. “There was only a gate and a narrow walkway leading to the garden, so all the foundations had to be dug out by hand and taken out through the house.”
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