A mix of painted shaker-style units and stainless-steel appliances created the perfect kitchen for the Walkers.

The most surprising thing about Lucy Walker’s Victorian house in Cambridge is that the kitchen is on the first floor. “It took some getting used to when we first move in 10 years ago, but the extra light and lively view from the back window far outweigh the pain of having to carry groceries upstairs.” says Lucy.

Lucy lives with her husband Martin, and children Alex, 17 and Naomi 15. They all love cooking, but struggled with their badly laid-out kitchen for years until they decided to sort out the problems. “We needed a well-designed kitchen where the four of us could cook and eat together, but didn’t know where to start” explains Lucy.

“Rather than chose a high-street kitchen company, I approached local interior design company Angel + Blume, hoping for a more individual look for the new kitchen. They came up with ideas not just for units but also for the style and feel of the room, including paint colours, wall tiles, flooring, furniture and a lighting plan. Their £500 base fee was definitely worth it,” says Lucy.

The Walkers could have asked designers Gail Abbott and Cate Burren to supply just a floor plan, design board and contact details for suitable companies, but since they didn’t want the stress or hassle of organising the work themselves, they asked them to project manage the whole transformation for a reasonable extra cost.

“The designers found and organised a team of workmen, including a joiner for shelving and they were prepared to drop in at a moments notice for delivers or trouble shooting” Lucy says. Gail and Cate showed the Walkers lots of pictures from magazines to help them work out exactly the sort of look they wanted. It soon become clear that every member of the family liked Shaker-style painted kitchens, but Lucy also wanted a few modern touches. So they agreed on introducing a chic glass splash back behind the hob and metallic-look pan drawers underneath.

A hand-made kitchen would have pushed the family over their budget and standard alternatives only came in a limited choice of colours. As a compromise, the designers used base units from a builders merchant and then fitted replacement doors, which they could paint to give Martin and Lucy the Shaker look they loved, while keeping within budget.

Top of Martin’s shopping list was a gas hob large enough for a big wok, as he likes to whip up his favourite stir-fry meals for the family. ‘Plenty of pan drawers, a central island unit and lots of practical storage were also priorities’ says Lucy.

The room needed reorganising to capitalise on space and create a practical working environment.

Previously the sink was in a unit that came out into the room at right angles to the wall, leaving unusable space behind it.

The designers suggested a plan that meant it could be fitted under the window. The boiler needed replacing and a new floor-mounted one was fitted which also freed up wall space.

The Walkers were fond of an original built-in cupboard they were using as a larder. We wanted to keep it, but as it took up a while corner, we knew we might have to compromise’, says Lucy. In the end, the bottom half was removed to make room for a narrow worktop. ‘We still have the top part of it, to keep us in touch with the age of the house,’ she explains.

Open shelves were then fitted above the new worktop, providing extra display space for Lucy’s collection of enamelled pans. The kitchen’s two-tone floor tiles, rectangular wall tiles laid in a brick pattern and open shelf units give the room a lived-in feel, making it a comfortable place for homework, as well as dining.

‘We are thrilled with our new kitchen,’ agree Lucy and Martin. ‘We seem to spend most of our time in here now.’

Original article appeared in BBC Good Homes January 2007 Photography by Spike Powell