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Kitchen of the Week: Working With What You’ve Got in East London

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Kitchen of the Week: Working With What You’ve Got in East London

Chris Snook September 19, 2024

Even though Lucy Ward has a strong sense of style and a career in the home space (she’s currently the creative director of furniture brand Loaf), she knew she needed professional guidance for the renovation of her East London kitchen. So she enlisted Laura Parkinson of Palmer & Stone to transform the damp scullery in her 1864 Victorian terrace into a warm, cozy hub for her young family. “People would assume that I know all about interior design because I work in that world, but I’m not an interior designer,” Lucy says. “I really wanted to work with Laura and use her expertise in areas where I just wouldn’t have a clue where to start.”

Lucy and Laura, along with Mel Bax of Mel. Architect, drew up grand plans to replace the old, pokey extension with a fresher, bigger one—but a misquote from a builder and price spikes due to the pandemic squandered those dreams. Instead, the team maximized the existing footprint and poured the budget into Lucy’s must-haves, like a built-in banquette, custom Shaker-style cabinetry, and wood-paneled walls. They also refurbished historic features like an ornate bay door, added a slew of rich Farrow & Ball paint colors, and brought in secondhand gems for extra character.

Let’s take a look:

Photography by Chris Snook.

the front door, painted in farrow & ball&#8\2\17;s book room red, opens 17
Above: The front door, painted in Farrow & Ball’s Book Room Red, opens into the split-level house. Laura highlighted the original staircase with moody Tanner’s Brown, while Lucy sourced a reclaimed window to offer a peek into the kitchen from the entrance.
&#8\2\20;i had a bit of an obsession with the shaker style, and i really lo 18
Above: “I had a bit of an obsession with the Shaker style, and I really love wood paneling, which works nicely with this property, of course. So those were the elements where I just wouldn’t budge,” Lucy says.
laura pushed lucy to go bold with color, covering the cabinetry in dark studio  19
Above: Laura pushed Lucy to go bold with color, covering the cabinetry in dark Studio Green, the walls in creamy Lime White, and the existing pantry cupboard in sunny India Yellow. “I would never, ever, ever have gone for a yellow if it wasn’t for Laura who said, ‘I think we should add this in,'” says Lucy.
hard surfaces include black caesarstone countertops and terracotta tile floors  20
Above: Hard surfaces include black Caesarstone countertops and terracotta tile floors with radiant heating. “The terracotta is the best thing ever,” Lucy says. “It’s one of those floors where dirt or red wine—nothing shows up.”
to make the most of the old extension, laura added a u shaped configuration of  21
Above: To make the most of the old extension, Laura added a U-shaped configuration of deep closed and shallow open storage, the latter of which displays Lucy’s collection of vintage crockery. “It wouldn’t be who she was if she didn’t have all of that stuff out,” Laura says.
lucy paired her beloved banquette with frilly opaline pendants. the square dini 22
Above: Lucy paired her beloved banquette with frilly opaline pendants. The square dining table is made from a reeded base and a 1960s slab of iroko wood salvaged from a science lab, complete with students’ engravings.
the refreshed victorian bay door leads to the garden, where laura designed a li 23
Above: The refreshed Victorian bay door leads to the garden, where Laura designed a little shelf beneath the window so drinks and snacks can be passed outdoors. “You can use that ledge if you’re in the kitchen and you’re doing a barbecue,” Lucy says. “You can put your salad bowls out there and glasses of wine, and it becomes a bit of a more social space.”
southern sun drenches the backyard, including a built in bench to the right of  24
Above: Southern sun drenches the backyard, including a built-in bench to the right of the door.
laura also helped convert a bedroom into a family bathroom, combining glossy, g 25
Above: Laura also helped convert a bedroom into a family bathroom, combining glossy, grape-hued Marlborough Tiles with mauve grout for a striking surround. The tub is clad in an antique cloth maker’s table that Lucy found at the reclamation yard. “It’s actually quite a cost-effective way of making a bath look great,” she says.
a mid century dresser becomes a vanity with a marble counter and two rectangula 26
Above: A mid-century dresser becomes a vanity with a marble counter and two rectangular vessel sinks.

For more color-drenched kitchens, see:

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