Home Tour – The Kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of any home & I always dreamed of having a big open plan kitchen, perfect for entertaining along with family life. I am now the proud owner of that idilic space & my dream home at 24 years old.



I knew immediately that I simply HAD to paint the kitchen units. They were good quality, in perfect condition with a timeless style but it was all a bit too ‘wooden’ for my liking & I’m a serial wood painter (Annie Sloan eat your heart out). 

BEFORE –



Once we had a move-in date set, I started looking online for quotes to have it painted as being 8 months pregnant with an almost 2 year old and already so much I wanted to do with the move before baby arrived it seemed logical. I contacted a few local companies & eventually came across Vanessa & Nathan at nvkitchens.co.uk who quoted £1100 to paint the entire kitchen over the space of a week which I didn’t think was too bad considering the time it would take along with the cost of F&B paint. 

Once booked I started looking into paint colours with Vanessa’s recommendation of Farrow & Ball for kitchens. After lots of Pinteresting I was convinced on ‘Elephants Breath’ however on application found it quite pinky so in the end went with ‘Stony Ground’ which is absolutely PERFECT with beigey/grey/greeny tinges.



Vanessa & Nathan arrived on a Monday morning a week after we had moved in, removed all doors & fittings along with priming and prepping everything left. They then took all the doors away to complete at their workshop and returned the following Monday to refit and finish off the rest. That week was absolutely horrendous as i’m sure you can imagine being 8 months pregnant trying to keep an almost 2 year old out of kitchen cupboards with no doors wasn’t the easiest of things to do.

In that time we stripped off the wallpaper along the back wall which darkened the room & gave it a lick of paint (custom colour unfortunately – it is a pale magnolia).

I was absolutely thrilled at the finished kitchen & couldn’t recommend NV kitchens enough. They even stayed in contact & sent me a beautiful card when Rory arrived a few weeks later. 

AFTER –





Jars from Ikea with chalk board labels – Scales from Dunelm Mill (£12.99)


Onion & Pasta jars from the Jamie Oliver range – heart bowl from Next


Heart cake stand from Next (£9.99)


Bird kitchen roll holder & mug stand from Next – toaster & kettle from Dunelm Mill candy rose range (£29.99 each) – biscuit barrel from TK Maxx


Enamel mugs from Home Bargains (£0.99)


Dish drainer from Next (£16) – flower jug from B&M (£2.99) – washing up caddy from Matalan (£6.00)


Oil & vinegar pourers from B&M (£1.99) – cake mixer from Wilkinsons (£99.99) – cook book stand from Dunelm Mill (£8.99)

I always have to have fresh flowers – usually lilies (£3.50) or roses (£2) from Aldi unless we are in tulip season. Large heart jug from Dunelm Mill (£14.99)

 Clock from Home Bargains (£9.99)


Dog bed from Baxter & Belle – reserved for the dog cushion by Sass & Belle – dog bowl from Home Bargains 


Hope you all enjoyed this week’s room tour – next week will be the lounge area 🙂

Love, Charlotte x

13 Comments

  1. July 24, 2015 / 6:26 pm

    You have an amazing kitchen, I am very jealous! I think you made the right decision to paint the cupboards, they look great. We are currently 3 years into our 5 year house and I hope I am as lucky to have a space like yours by then! x

  2. July 25, 2015 / 12:31 pm

    Love your kitchen, I've always said next time we move i want a spacious kitchen and especially love the breakfast bar x

  3. July 25, 2015 / 5:43 pm

    What a change in your kitchen…ok you have me convinced I need to paint my cupboards! I would love to have the space there where everyone can be together but not on top of each other. Can not to see what comes next x

  4. July 26, 2015 / 6:25 pm

    Thank you lovely 🙂 it's amazing what a lick of paint can do! x

  5. July 26, 2015 / 6:28 pm

    I love your kitchen my dream. At the moment I'm planning on moving to my own rented flat by end of the year but the kitchen will be such an important room I love cooking x

  6. July 31, 2015 / 2:36 pm

    I've followed you on Instagram for quite a while (I love your house) & your blog actually inspired me to create my own, yesterday. I can't believe so many of your lovely bits were actually cheap, it's amazing what bargains you can get! Can I ask what font you use on your blog? x

  7. August 14, 2015 / 7:29 pm

    Ahh so glad I can inspire – blogging is great & i'm hoping to be able to blog a lot more. It is amazing what you can find if you look – no point spending £££….it's all about how you style it! It's the courier font x

  8. August 14, 2015 / 7:29 pm

    It's so hard finding a decent sized kitchen – good luck on your flat hunting x

  9. August 14, 2015 / 7:30 pm

    Painting is the way forward – go for it lovely x

  10. August 14, 2015 / 7:32 pm

    I'm sure you'll find something just perfect – the kitchen is definitely the heart of the home x

  11. August 10, 2016 / 7:05 pm

    Hi could you please tell me where you purchased the Dog bed from Baxter & Belle? I have been trying to find the manufacture for months. Regards, Jon.

  12. Rachel Shiells
    August 21, 2017 / 9:17 pm

    Hi there just wondering how you have found the painted door fronts lasting? I’m debating whether to paint mine and just wondered if Farrow and ball can be scrubbed etc as kitchen cupboards can get dirty over time? Many thanks

    • Charlotte Amor Valentine
      August 22, 2017 / 9:10 am

      It’s lasted amazingly – over 2 years in & I’ve had to touch up the paint around handles a couple of times but other than that it’s great. I wouldn’t recommend scrubbing but wiping is fine occasionally. We don’t make a huge amount of mess though in the kitchen so if you’re a messy cook then maybe avoid x