Real home: a modern kitchen extension and remodel for under £100k

white light-filled kitchen extension with industrial style seating and dining table

(Image credit: James French)

published 18 December 2018

After three years of living in a one-bedroom flat in Wandsworth, Anjali and Dru Patel were longing for their larger forever home, where they could start a family.

Project notes

The owners: Anjali Patel, communications coordinator for a children’s charity, lives her with her husband Dru, a business consultant, and their baby twins, Bodhi and Krish

The property: A three-bedroom, semi-detached Victorian house

Total project cost: £85,000

So they looked further afield to Berkshire. The house had a boxy layout, with too may walls and doors, which didn’t suit the couples love of open-plan living.

The couple worked with architect Martyn Kiy to design the six-metre extension, with bi-fold doors and skylights, bringing in plenty of light. They did a lot of the work themselves, with the help of family and friends, and local builders found on Gumtree, to create a stylish, open-plan home that’s perfect for their growing family.

Find out what they did next, then browse through more real home transformations. Find out more about extending a house in our guide.

white-open-plan-kitch-diner — *The modern, open-plan kitchen and dining room is flooded with natural light thanks to the glazed doors, from* *Express Bi-folding Doors, and bespoke rooflights. Kitchen,* *Howdens. Worktop,* *Cavendish Equipment.* *Upcycled bar stools, Habitat. Small stools, Zara Home. Stained wood floor, UK Flooring Direct*

white-dining-area — *At the top of the couple’s wish list was a dining table with benches so they can squeeze in as*

patterned-tiles-white-hallway — *Decorative floor tiles, from Tons of Tiles, give the entrance hallway plenty of personality. For*

contemporary-living-area — *The living area is where Anjali and Dru like to catch up on movies. Sofa, lamp, and side table, all Made.com. Cushions, Ikea and H&M Home*

cots-in-white-nursery — *Cots, Ikea. For similar carpet, try Cormar*

tee-pee-in-white-nursery — *Anjali spotted the teepee and playmat from Wildfire TeePees on Instagram, and then found the stickers on Etsy to match.*

grey-bathroom — Shopping around allowed the couple to get a stylish bathroom on a small budget. The patterned tiles cost £30 from Ebay; for similar, try Topps Tiles. Sink, Bathstore. Vanity unit and mirror, both Ikea. Bath and toilet, Potter Perrin. Radiator, Amazon. Towels, Homesense

More real home transformations:

Maxine is a freelance interior stylist and writer. She can be found blogging on her site We Love Home, where she covers the latest trends and her own projects in her Victorian terrace in Brighton where she lives with her dog Teddy.