Makeover: Bianca Hall's Kitchen

Bianca Hall, the blogger behind the fabulous interiors blog French for Pineapple completed this stunning kitchen renovation in a crazily short four weeks.

“The old kitchen had seen better days” she tells us, “it was literally falling apart and the previous owner had done some very odd things with the oven and hob and the butchers block worktops were rotten and broken in places.”

To replace her old kitchen she wanted to achieve a light, airy space with lots of interesting details; “I’m obsessed with Parisian apartments and that was definitely my inspiration for the room”.

The process involved rethinking the whole space to make it work better for herself, her husband, their two children and their crazy kitten Cleo to transform it into a room they all wanted to spend time in.

“I really wanted to make much better use of the space. The original units didn’t run the whole length of the room and I wanted to maximise storage whilst doing away with upper cabinets which made the room feel so much smaller.”

One of the ways Bianca achieved this look was by using built-in appliances.

“It makes such a difference looking into the kitchen from the hall and not being able to see the dishwasher and washing machine. I also wanted a ’non-kitcheny’ kitchen – a place that feels nice to hang out in and I think integrated appliances really help to achieve that.”

It was also important to Bianca to make a feature of the appliances that were on display.

“The range, hood and fridge were definitely love at first sight. When you consider how much you use them it’s so important that they work for you not only on practical level, but on an aesthetic level too.”

Having done such a stunning job of her own kitchen, we asked Bianca for her top tips for anyone planning their own remodel:

1. Think about your lighting and make sure you get those wires in before you plaster. Or in our case, before you spend days filling and sanding because new plaster isn’t on the cards! But lighting is so important – you need your bright overhead lights, but wall lights are now an essential for me too – they add so much character and ambience to the space – particularly at night time or on a dreary dark day. Make sure they’re on a different switch to your overhead lights and on dimmers!
2. Consider darker or wood finish base cabinets and do away with upper units wherever possible. I know this is not always possible, but we went for tall units at either end of the main run of units which allowed us that luxury and it’s amazing how much larger the room feels as a result.
3. Brass is not a trend, it’s a classic and it’s not going anywhere, so don’t let anyone tell you that you’re silly to want a brass tap. Ditto for handles/pulls.
4. Invest in your appliances. You use them every day so why scrimp?
5. If you can afford a boiling water tap put one in for sure. Think of all the space and time you’ll save not needing a kettle! I should add we don’t have one – maybe in the next kitchen!
6. If your room doesn’t have any original features add some! We added decorative cornicing just along one wall to look as though it was always there. I adore it and think it really adds to the finished look.

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