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A full kitchen renovation in Adrian and Melanie’s Shoreham-by-Sea home paired a narrow galley layout with oak, plywood and black-stained finishes. The project formed part of a £60,000 whole-house makeover; the couple kept the kitchen’s original configuration, opened a west-facing window and changed the access.
Adrian and Melanie have completed a full renovation of their narrow galley kitchen in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, using oak, plywood and dark-stained finishes as part of a £60,000 whole-house makeover. Their project, reported by Ideal Home, kept the kitchen’s original configuration while adding a west-facing window and changing the access to improve the light and make the compact room work for a family of four.
The couple moved into a home they described as needing extensive work, with what Adrian called “strange 1970s architecture” throughout. They wanted a brighter, more organic interior and spent time considering where the kitchen should sit to make the best use of daylight. They ultimately retained the room’s existing layout rather than relocating it, but opened up a window facing west and altered the access.
The room’s narrow galley plan shaped decisions about storage. Adrian told Ideal Home that tall cupboards were difficult to accommodate without reducing the usable width. The couple developed initial ideas themselves before working with bespoke kitchen company Wood Works Brighton. The finished scheme combines oak and plywood with fluted wood and a black-stained oak finish, bringing several contrasting surfaces into the small room.
Other details include oak window frames designed to match the cabinetry and a curved end cupboard with shelves. The couple reused leather bar stools from their previous home, a choice Adrian said helped keep the room from feeling overly polished. He said the added window gave them confidence to use the darker timber finish. The report does not break out the kitchen’s individual cost from the stated £60,000 total for the wider renovation.
Making a Narrow Galley Kitchen Work
The renovation offers a specific example of how design decisions can respond to a small kitchen’s constraints without changing its basic footprint. Keeping the galley arrangement avoided a full relocation, while the added window addressed the couple’s concern about natural light. Their approach also treated storage and circulation as linked problems: Adrian said tall units risked making the narrow room feel tighter.
The project’s relevance is practical rather than a claim that one style or layout works for every home. Its reported details show the trade-offs involved: the homeowners used a mix of open shelving, cabinetry, timber tones and reused furniture, but the article gives no measurements, storage capacity figures or independent assessment of how the kitchen performs day to day. The £60,000 figure applies to the whole-house makeover, not necessarily to the kitchen alone.
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A Whole-House Makeover in West Sussex
Ideal Home’s report presents the kitchen as one element of a broader renovation of Adrian and Melanie’s seaside home, where they live with their two children. The couple described the property as a doer-upper and said they wanted a brighter interior with natural materials. The report does not specify when the work took place or provide a detailed timeline for the project.
The design was developed collaboratively: Adrian mocked up ideas before the couple enlisted Wood Works Brighton. Japandi, the style reference named in the report, is reflected here in the combination of Japanese-influenced simplicity, natural textures and restrained finishes. The couple also mixed materials rather than relying on a single uniform wood treatment. Adrian described the result as feeling like several different kitchens, while the source presents that as his impression, not an objective design assessment.
““The kitchen is quite narrow, and it has a galley layout, so it was hard to fit tall cupboards in without reducing the width.””
— Adrian, speaking to Ideal Home
Kitchen Cost and Performance Details
The report gives a £60,000 total for the whole-house project but does not state the kitchen’s separate budget, the renovation’s dates or the dimensions of the room. It also does not provide details about appliances, worktop materials, storage capacity or whether any structural work was needed to alter the window or access.
Adrian’s comments describe the couple’s aims and impressions; the source does not include an independent evaluation of the finished kitchen or measurements showing how much additional daylight the window provides. It is also unclear how the design has performed over time for the family’s everyday cooking and storage needs.
No Further Project Milestone Reported
Ideal Home’s account describes the completed renovation and does not report a pending construction stage, future expansion or further work. The next practical information for readers seeking to compare the project with their own plans would be a kitchen-specific cost breakdown, room measurements and details of the cabinetry and installation. None is included in the source report.
For now, the confirmed account is limited to the couple’s reported design choices: they retained the galley arrangement, added a west-facing window, changed the access and combined light and dark timber finishes. Any assessment of the project’s cost-effectiveness or wider applicability would require more information than the report provides.
Key Questions
Where is the renovated kitchen?
It is in Adrian and Melanie’s home in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, where they live with their two children.
How much did the kitchen renovation cost?
Ideal Home reports a £60,000 total for the whole-house makeover. It does not give a separate figure for the kitchen.
What changes did the couple make to the layout?
They kept the kitchen’s original configuration, opened up a west-facing window and changed the access. The room remains a narrow galley kitchen.
Which materials and finishes feature in the design?
The reported scheme uses oak, plywood, fluted wood and black-stained oak, along with matching oak window frames. It also includes a curved end cupboard and reused leather bar stools.
Who helped design the kitchen?
Adrian first mocked up design ideas, then the couple worked with bespoke kitchen company Wood Works Brighton.
Source: rss
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