Before & After: A Beautiful Handmade Kitchen On A Shoestring Budget

The creativity of some couples is just mesmerising. I've featured a few spaces by Jeska and Dean Hearne, who live on the South coast of England, before (remember their bedroom, bathroom and garden retreat?). And now Jeska, creator of blog Lobster & Swan and founder of shop The Future Kept, and Dean, a photographer have turned their hands to the kitchen. Literally. Everything you see (except the appliances, hardware, and base units) have been made by hand using reclaimed wooden floorboards, recycled crates, old pipes from under the floors for hanging rails and oak laths from a local restoration centre - and the result is truly inspiring!

To get an idea of the transformation - here are a couple of pictures from before they started the renovation.

Before

The pair ripped it out and did a complete overhaul from the ground up. And today it looks like this: 

After

The bulk of the back wall has been painted in Annie Sloan Paris grey, with smaller tins of Old White and Graphite accents thrown in (read more about how to get the look here). The wall by the window has been painted in calming Dimpse by Farrow & Ball. 

The worktop is made from elm wood and the fan has been covered with a custom built box and clad with oak laths. The sides are made from ply off cuts which have been stained to match.

The pair found the beautiful farmhouse table at a local nursery and the chairs have been picked up over the years (source similar vintage bistro chairs here* - and actually, if you're super quick and live in the UK - there's a set of four original vintage Thonet chairs* exactly like these available on Etsy right now!). 

I love the Fowey pendant light over the table, it fits perfectly in this space, don't you think?

The shelves are made from a fallen eucalyptus tree that fell in their garden. They took the wood rot a local sawmill who cut it into planks. It was then stored for three years to dry. The rail underneath is made from a disused pipe.

Source made to measure linen curtains here* (I can highly recommend these guys - all the curtains in my home I made by them!).

What an incredible transformation - so imaginative and unique, and I love how so many elements have been made from reclaimed items. 

Could you imagine taking on a similar project?

You can reads more about the kitchen renovation here. 

I do love a great 'before and after' don't you? If you'd like to see a few more today, take a peek at:

A danish house gets a fabulous make-over

A Miami penthouse before and after

A dingy garage becomes a bright guesthouse

Is there one that caught your eye?

Ha så bra! 

Niki

Photography and design: Jeska & Dean Hearne