Farnborough, Hampshire
A Victorian home in Farnborough completes a kitchen extension and chooses Deco Parquet Natural Oak herringbone floors
Georgie Clayton and her husband moved into this semi-detached Victorian house in Farnborough 18 months ago. The house was in good condition but they could see the potential to improve the kitchen and create a lovely open plan space. Georgie explains, "We absolutely loved the house when we viewed it. It offered all the space we needed and still had lots of original features which gave it a lovely character. While we were keen to decorate everything to our own taste, the main room we wanted to work on was the kitchen."
âThe existing kitchen space was a good size, but the kitchen was pretty dated and had quite old fashioned tiles on the floor. Adjacent to this the previous owners had added a skinny conservatory to the side and we could see the potential to remove this and replace it with a new extension which would become part of the current kitchen to create a much bigger open plan kitchen and living space leading out to the garden.â
With designs drawn up and planning granted work on the new kitchen extension got underway and Georgie started to think about the overall design theme for the space. “I wanted to create a space which was sympathetic to the Victorian style of home. Something traditional which would blend in modern elements. Material wise I wanted to keep things natural mixing wood and neutral colours.” Georgie eventually chose a Shaker style of kitchen from Magnet. “We definitely wanted to introduce wood rather than gloss cabinets and after lots of shopping around, we eventually chose the Sommerton range from Magnet, selecting Sommerton Sage for the floor and wall units and Sommerton Ferm for the island to add a darker contrast to the space. And for the work surface I wanted to maintain the natural theme so chose a nice light oak. Â With the kitchen design complete and Magnet scheduled to complete the installation once the build was finished the final big decision was flooring. We had a bit of a debate on the style of flooring we wanted. My husband was keen on tiles but I really had my heart set on wood, and in particular a herringbone style of floor. I could envisage it really completing the traditional and natural feel of the space perfectly.”
âWe finally agreed we would go with herringbone, and as a good friend of mine works for V4 I asked for advice and she pointed me in the direction of the Deco Parquet collection. I loved the look of the floors and felt they would be perfect. I ordered samples of all the surface finishes that I thought might work in the space and once they arrived headed back to Magnet to hold them up against the oak worktop we had chosen. The Natural Oak Brushed and Lacquered sample was the perfect match and it was decision made.â
Georgie got in touch with local floor fitter, Alan Marshall from Carpet Contractors in Dorking and he was scheduled to install the herringbone floors. The kitchen floor was now a mix of new concrete in the extension area and old tiles in the original space, which were removed before a self-levelling screed was applied to the full space to create one even surface. Alan returned once the kitchen was in place and the new floors were completed in just a couple of days. “We were both thrilled when we saw the completed floors and kitchen. They work wonderfully together and the whole space is the perfect mix of classic and contemporary we wanted. We had considered removing the original chimney breast in the room but Iâm so pleased we kept it and made a feature around our cooker, it really adds to the traditional feel, and the little area of exposed brick adds an additional natural surface texture into the room. We finished the walls in Farrow and Ball Wimborne White and I set to work renovating an old dining table donated from my Dad, carefully sanding it back and repainting it to fit in perfectly with the overall kitchen design. It was lovely to begin to add the finishing touches like the oak shelves and vintage style pendants from Industville Lighting as we completed our new family room.”
âThe floors have been absolutely brilliant to live with. We have a Pomeranian Husky mix and theyâve been no problem at all with the dog, in fact they are perfect for disguising his fur. Weâve been using the Woodâs Good cleaner from V4 which is so easy to use and does a great job, but to be honest the floors are such low maintenance which is perfect for us.”
âWe have carpets in the hallway and I think Iâd like to change these to the same herringbone floor next to create a seamless flow into this space. We love being in here now and it really has become the room where we spend most of our time, we kind of forget we have a separate living room. Weâre so pleased with our new open plan kitchen and itâs all been completed in the nick of time as our first baby is due to arrive in a matter of weeks.”
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ZB109 Brushed Matt Oak
ZB109 Brushed Matt Oak is brushed and sealed with a natural matt finish lacquer which maintains the aesthetic pure oak. Unlike traditional parquet blocks, the Deco Parquet range of floors are engineered with a thick oak top layer with bevelled edges bonded to a hardwood ply base, which means they can be bonded to any flat surface including over low energy underfloor heating systems. Their unique sizing means they can be installed in many different patterns. Also available in a matching plank.
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