Renowned artist Melanie Winning is passionate about rescuing and resusing objects in her work. “I am part of the reclaim revolution,” she says. “I love saving and renewing beautiful objects.”
So when she and her husband relocated from London to a small market town in Essex and came across a Georgian property in need of modernisation, she could see its potential. “It was originally a Georgian pub with a cottage next door that had been knocked through by the previous owners,” Melanie explains. “The floor above had been taken out, creating a mezzanine leading to a bedroom with the utility room downstairs.”
The kitchen and utility room were at opposite ends of the property, seperated by a long lounge and dining area, which wasn’t conducive to modern life. So Melanie and her husband decided to combine the utility and kitchen and position them near to the dining area to make the space more ergonomic.
The partition wall between the living area and utility was removed, which let more light into the space and provided views out to the courtyard garden.
“My goal was to give the kitchen a welcome, homely feel and use the existing features of the cottage,” says Melanie. “The beams were sanded, and the staircase was stripped of existing layers of gloss, revealing hints of the house’s history.”
An integrated copper larder and fridge panels from Wren Kitchens provided further inspiration for the new kitchen. Units painted in Forest Green were combined with wooden drawers to introduce a reclained feel and provide a visual link to the original beams. On the walls, Melanie used Buttermilk, a traditional vintage country colour from Dulux to pull the shades together.
The worksurface was key to the design and Melanie knew that a cold colour wouldn’t be right for the space. So, the couple visited their local stonemason, Wood for Stone, where they instantly fell in love with Cristallo Gris from CRL Stone’s Quartz Collection.
A beautiful, marble-inspired surface with a chic grey base, Cristallo Gris features stunning, stone-effect patterning and subtle, copper tones which capture the light. It’s the perfect partner for metallic finishes and natural, organic materials such as wood.
“I picked it out immediately,” Melanie remembers. “Cristallo Gris was the luxury link to everything, especially the Forest Green cupboards. It matched perfectly in tone, with copper veins and a blue smokiness that gave it that warm, boutique hangout feel I was after. It looked beautiful on the peninsula.”
Cristallo Gris from CRL Stone’s Quartz Collection was also used to create a long worktop that incorporated the large gas hob with integrated extractor, perfectly complementing the mosaic tiles that were used for the splashback.
“The beautiful Quartz was the icing on the cake and as soon as that was installed, it transformed the space into my dream kitchen.”
The kitchen is everything that Melanie and her husband hoped it would be, and she is thrilled with how the professionals she worked with on the project helped to bring her vision to life. “Everyone really knew their job, which made the whole process so enjoyable,” Melanie says. “We saved money by reusing things we had and doing lots of research and getting lots of samples, which are key to seeing how all your colours and textures will work together.
We love how the house has become linked and updated, not only with how we use it but with our own unique style. It was worth the time, energy, money, dust and the thought that we poured into the design for a space we absolutely love.”