Award winning kitchen makeover

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Sara and David Parr created a kitchen to suit the scale of their Victorian vicarage; it won Best Room Makeover and Readers’ Choice in our Readers’ Awards 2010.

When Sara and David Parr bought their Victorian vicarage three years ago, they had no idea how much care and attention would be needed to bring it back to life. It had been left untouched for several years, and many of the rooms were out of proportion with the size of the property. Wanting to create a room that would become the new heart of the home, they transformed two reception rooms into one impressive kitchen/dining room. Their vision and skill have earned their renovation project Best Room Makeover and Readers’ Choice in our Readers’ Awards 2010.

Sara explains: ‘When we bought it, the house had eight bedrooms and four reception rooms, and the kitchen was far too small for this size of house. After many long evenings discussing what to do and exchanging various ideas back and forth, we decided to cut down on the number of bedrooms to make them more usable. Meanwhile, downstairs, we felt we should take out the wall between what was then the dining room and an adjacent sitting room.’

In the sitting room, an original chimney breast had to be removed before the wall could be demolished, and then a four-metre steel joist was installed to hold the house up. ‘We knew immediately that it was the right decision,’ says Sara. ‘The dark north-facing dining room was flooded with light from the south-facing sitting room, and we had the best views across the farmland from two rooms instead of one; and now the old kitchen makes a great boot room.

‘It had always been our dream to reinstate as many period features as possible, and make the most of the surviving ones,’ she continues. ‘We also wanted a classic kitchen that would suit the Victorian style of our house, but with all the modern technology of today.’

Original features they have restored in the room include shutters at each window and the sizeable York flagstones. ‘The flags were covered in asphalt,’ says Sara, ‘but we cleaned them up and they look fantastic. We weren’t so lucky in the dining room, though. The original flooring was in a terrible state so we replaced it with reclaimed walnut boards, which we feel look just right.’ To add further period style, David fitted cornicing, picture rails and traditional looking radiators; and to finish off the room, he added two plaster ceiling roses and large chandeliers.

After receiving a costly quote from a bespoke kitchen company, David and Sara designed the layout and units themselves, with ornate detailing and plenty of work surfaces and storage, and chose soft heritage colours from Farrow & Ball for the units and walls. They then commissioned a local joinery firm, Dovetail, to build and fit everything to their plan. A pewtercoloured Aga was installed in the old chimney breast, with a beautiful surround; and a large larder cupboard was created to provide efficient storage. An enormous island was then built to house the appliances and double sink, and was attached to a new breakfast bar. A combination of solid oak and polished granite worktops were fitted next; and finally, a farmhouse plate rack completed the elegant feel.

Sara says: ‘Through the rewarding experience of renovating our kitchen, we’ve learned to let the house dictate what’s right to us. We found our thoughts and ideas evolved every week so we’re glad we didn’t rush the process, and we’ll do the same with the rest of the house. It may be time consuming but we want a home that we’ll be happy with for many years to come.’

FEATURE NAOMI JONES PHOTOGRAPHS BRENT DARBY
Featured in the November 2010 issue of Period Living

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