Essential Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom – December 2018

‘Tis the season to eat, drink and be merry… With this in mind, I’m sure I’m not alone in frantically trying to make sure my home is guest-ready from top to bottom – clearing clutter, refreshing the spare bedroom (read: junk room) and stocking the fridge in preparation for the revolving door of family and friends popping in for some festive cheer. Of course, with kitchens these days being THE place for people to congregate all year round, it pays to plan lots of entertaining options into your new project from the start. Whether your floor plan is on a grand scale or more bijou, find out how to pack in plenty of host-friendly aspects in Social Life on page 69. Proving that any kitchen can be turned into an entertaining arena, each of our real-life kitchens this issue features simple yet effective ideas to inspire you on your ultimate renovation journey. In The Perfect Vision on page 26, Alexandra and Jason Eton created what they call an ‘everything room’ – perfect for cooking, entertaining, relaxing and working yet beautifully stylish, too. Meanwhile, Rachel and Nick Ayerst were unable to turn their galley kitchen into the vast space they wished for, so instead they opted for a broken-plan layout and added an orangerie – turn to Great Lengths on page 36 to find out more. Also drawing on an extension as a means of increasing kitchen area, Ali and Paul Cunningham used theirs to meet their changing family’s needs, ensuring no clutter could be collected by settling on clean, streamlined cabinetry and hardwearing worktops. Flip to page 48 to read Fresh Look. Of course, it’s all well and good creating a stunning open-plan hub, but what about all the cooking smells and steam that come with dishing up delicious festive fayre? Don’t despair – we have that covered in our guide to extractors, The Art of Extraction on page 79.