Maximising a Galley Kitchen

Dear friends.  We're just completed a kitchen renovation. It's the first time I've ever had a brand new kitchen. 

When we moved into this house 20 years ago the kitchen had been recently updated - on the cheap - to help sell the house. 

It's a small galley kitchen, typical of this era of house (late 1920s).

When I started looking for inspiration on Pinterest,  I discovered most galley kitchens seemed to be a lot bigger than ours.

We thought about knocking down a wall and going open plan with our kitchen and dining room. But I wasn't keen for the following reasons.

• research suggests people often regret doing this;
• I hate the idea of cooking apparatus and smells in the dining room;
• I don't cook much now and have no interest in entertaining;
• We have an additional white goods cupboard in the conservatory,  next to the kitchen, so I don't have a problem with appliances. 

The Before

The kitchen was very shabby, old-fashioned and dysfunctional.  There was no operating ventilation,  which made me anxious with a gas hob. Instead I used a Philips air purifier. 

The cabinets had some very strange quirks. The under counter fridge and dishwasher never fitted properly so we'd have occasional problems with the fridge almost falling out. 

The boiler cupboard had disintegrated near the ceiling (top right). 

The flooring of stone tiles was cracked.

I was ashamed when anyone saw the kitchen. 

The After

We went to a family owned business in our local high street, Flairline. It's kitted out with bespoke units which are made to measure from British kitchen supplier Sheraton. Chris measured our kitchen and provided an online 3d rendering. 

He supplied the cabinets, sink, taps, worktops and white goods, after we'd chosen what we wanted. I decided to get rid of gas altogether for cooking and now have a ceramic induction hob. Plus we had a new boiler. 

The cabinets are a contemporary style with no handles, glossy in a limestone colour. I chose teal splashbacks from AluSplash. John was very dubious about the colour but he and the fitters agreed it looks good. The paintwork is white, as are the quartz worktops (I don't like obvious "veins"). 

We now have an integrated Neff oven and microwave. The oven is self cleaning.

We chose a wooden floor and extended it into the hallway. It's best not to wash it with water so I've bought a system called Bona with an environmentally friendly spray and washable mop head.  You spray the floor and then run the mop over it (no water).

Buying a few accessories was fun: a teal clock (Amazon),  teal utensils jar and spoon rest from Le Creuset and a vase from eBay.

We've updated all the gadgets - toaster, kettle, steamer, recycling box,  saucepans (new ones were essential for the induction hob). 

The tech changes with white goods are eye openers. I mentioned in my review of May how the oven, microwave and hob connect to WiFi and an app. I was intrigued to see numbers being projected on the floor and realised it was the dishwasher,  showing progress of the cycle! 

I'm thrilled with my new kitchen. I actually have a lot more space in the cupboards.  I think the floor is potentially hard work, but we'll see. We're now looking at further home improvements. Stay tooned!

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