Case Study: Kitchen In The South Of France
Today I thought I’d share with you some of the behind the scenes process and not Instagram worthy pics of the kitchen of our French Riviera Apartment.
The background story
A young female professional, in her thirties, first time buyer.
An apartment in the south of France, perfectly located for the buyer, close enough to her workplace and social life, south facing, overlooking the town and littoral, with a balcony.
…But untouched since the seventies - yes you can picture yellowish tones all around, mustard and pink colours and dated wallpaper!
The extend of work required
So apart from the obvious aesthetic aspect, both the electrical and plumbing systems were also from the seventies and therefore, not compliant with current standards, they needed to be entirely redone.
All the kitchen units were built-in, which was totally a common thing at the time, but that meant a considerable amount of labour to take it all down as well as the floor and wall tiles.
For these reasons, the initial budget was quite indented and tight for the rest of the design and property. As the client wanted to enjoy a fully finished space as soon as possible opposed to living on a building site for the next few months, the decision was then made to not make any structural changes by altering the partitions and to instead focus on creating a functional, bright and harmonious space with the existing layout.
The process
By getting to know the client’s lifestyle, her aspirations, needs and likes, the kitchen brief was formed and based on it, an initial floor plan and mood board were produced at the concept stage. They covered the general arrangement of the kitchen units and the look and feel of the kitchen.
The kitchen mood board - Concept Design
The kitchen floor plan - Concept Stage
The client took on board an electrician as well as a plumber, who with the initial space plan were able to quote for the work, taking into consideration all the relocated services.
The chosen design was then developed, detailed elevation drawings were produced and taken by the client to her chosen kitchen supplier.
Detailed elevation drawings, with dimensions
The result
A contemporary, galley style kitchen - compact but highly functional with lots of storage.
To optimise the layout, we opted for full depth units on one side and shallower ones on the other wall, making the storage and the surface prep areas optimal without affecting the circulation.
A completely new plumbing and electrical systems - with new light fittings.
A pendant centrally located provides a soft, ambient lighting, the hob area is covered by the built-in light of the cooker hood and to address the dark spot that was the sink area, the pendant is complemented by a matching wall light. We love the rawness and warmth of the wood mixed with the industrial feel of the black finish, the visible flex and light bulbs of the new light fittings!
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