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A couple in Shoreham-by-Sea renovated their narrow galley kitchen as part of a whole-house makeover costing £60,000. Their design combines oak and plywood, black-stained oak, a west-facing window and a curved end cupboard; the project was reported by Ideal Home.
Adrian and Melanie renovated the narrow galley kitchen in their Shoreham-by-Sea home, using oak, plywood, black-stained finishes and an enlarged west-facing window to shape a space they wanted to feel both practical and warm. Ideal Home reported the kitchen as part of a £60,000 whole-house makeover; the couple retained the kitchen’s original configuration while changing the window and access.
The couple live in the West Sussex seaside home with their two children. Adrian described the house as a project needing extensive work, saying its interior had “a lot of strange 1970s architecture”. The family wanted a brighter, more organic interior, and spent time considering where the kitchen could make the best use of light. They ultimately kept its existing arrangement, opened up a window to the west and changed the access, according to the report.
The kitchen’s limited width shaped the design choices. Adrian said the galley layout made it difficult to add tall cupboards without narrowing the room further. After he sketched ideas, the couple worked with bespoke kitchen company Wood Works Brighton. The reported design uses natural materials including oak and plywood, with fluted wood and a dark-stained finish providing contrast. Oak window frames were made to match the cabinetry.
Other details were chosen to keep the room from feeling too formal. The couple reused leather bar stools from their previous home, and added a black-stained oak finish after the new window brought in more natural light. A curved end cupboard and shelves complete the scheme. Adrian said the finishes can make the kitchen feel like “three different kitchens at times,” a description of the varied materials rather than a separate layout.
Design Choices for a Narrow Galley
The project offers a specific example of how a small kitchen renovation can address competing needs: storage, circulation, daylight and visual warmth. The couple did not change the overall kitchen configuration. Instead, their reported approach focused on keeping the galley layout, avoiding tall storage that would make it feel tighter, and altering a window and access point.
That distinction matters to readers planning work in a compact home. A renovation does not always depend on replacing the entire floor plan; lighting, cabinet depth and material choices can also shape how a narrow room works and feels. In this case, the couple paired a darker stained finish with an added source of natural light, while oak and plywood brought lighter wood tones into the scheme. The report does not provide measurements or before-and-after performance data, so the project is an example, not proof that the same choices will suit every kitchen.
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A Family Home Makeover in West Sussex
The kitchen was one part of a whole-house renovation undertaken after Adrian and Melanie bought their seaside property in Shoreham-by-Sea. Adrian said the house required substantial work and that the family were aiming for a brighter, more organic interior. The report identifies the total project cost as £60,000, but does not break that sum down by room or specify how much went to the kitchen alone.
The couple’s preferences informed the style. Melanie was drawn to Japanese design, while both homeowners liked natural materials and varied textures. They worked with Wood Works Brighton after Adrian had mocked up ideas, and the designers helped translate those preferences into a scheme for a narrow galley. The article calls the result Japandi, referring to its combination of Japanese-inspired design and natural, pared-back materials; that label is the publication’s framing of the interior.
““When we bought the place, there was a lot of strange 1970s architecture throughout the interior; it was definitely a doer–upper.””
— Adrian, as quoted by Ideal Home
Costs and Practical Results Not Detailed
The report gives a £60,000 total for the whole-house project, but does not state the kitchen’s share of that budget, provide itemized costs or give the renovation’s completion date. It also does not include room dimensions, storage capacity, contractor timelines or details about how the access was changed.
Adrian’s comments describe the couple’s intentions and impressions; the article does not report independent measurements of daylight, storage or usability before and after the work. It is also unclear whether the household needed planning permission or building-control approval for any part of the renovation. No such requirements or approvals are described in the source.
No Further Project Plans Reported
Ideal Home’s report presents the completed kitchen and identifies several products as inspiration for readers, including bar stools, glass storage jars and a bamboo pendant shade. It does not announce a next phase for the family’s renovation or give a date for further work.
For readers considering similar changes, the unresolved practical questions are project-specific: whether a west-facing opening is feasible, how much room remains for circulation, and what storage the household needs. The source provides no follow-up on the family’s future plans or on how the kitchen performs over time.
Key Questions
Where is the renovated kitchen?
It is in Adrian and Melanie’s family home in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, where they live with their two children.How much did the renovation cost?
Ideal Home lists the cost of the whole-house makeover as £60,000. The report does not say how much of that amount was spent on the kitchen alone.What changed in the kitchen?
The couple kept the original kitchen configuration, opened up a west-facing window and changed the access. The design also uses oak, plywood, black-stained oak and a curved end cupboard.Who designed or built the kitchen?
Adrian first mocked up ideas, then the couple worked with bespoke kitchen company Wood Works Brighton. The report does not give further details about the company’s scope of work.Why did the couple avoid tall cupboards?
Adrian said the galley kitchen was narrow and tall cupboards risked reducing its width. The report does not give measurements or details of the kitchen’s storage capacity.Source: rss
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