*This is a sponsored post in collaboration with AEG. But as ever, all opinions are my own.
Introducing my recently renovated pink and green kitchen! It’s been quite a process to get here but I finally have a grown-up, functional space that flows and works efficiently. Plus it brings me plenty of joy to cook in, with lots of natural light and room for all the family. Our previously inherited (temperamental) stove is a distant memory as we embrace some great new ‘mod cons’!
We’ve spent the last few years planning our house renovation with a local Suffolk architect (we used Andrew Hughes Architect, who is Ipswich-based). As our house is Grade 2 listed, we had to go through a long planning process, but luckily our architect has plenty of experience in this area which definitely helped the whole process to run as smoothly as possible.
In this blog post you will find details on all the products (with links) we used in the kitchen as I know it can be really useful when researching ideas for your own home, as so many of us look to upgrade or improve our living spaces.
We used all AEG appliances as we have always been a fan of their technology, quality and look. We pre-planned all the appliances to fit in perfectly with our kitchen joiner (local Suffolk makers Sofiture) and the builder (M Chisnall & Sons) who, for example, made sure we had ducting under the floor factored in for the hoodless hob ventilation. All the planning has paid off and we are enjoying cooking again after going through a one-year building process.
First up is the most important part of the kitchen…. the appliances! We wanted to use a brand that was innovative and advanced with all the latest technology, plus products that were easy to use and looked stylish in our home. We have been so pleased with all our AEG appliances.
Photo taken by Jemma Watts
The LongFresh Fridge Freezer (model code RMB954F9VX) is the perfect addition to the new kitchen and feels grown up, spacious and has made it super easy to organise my food. My favourite feature includes the MultiSwitch drawer in the middle which allows me to adapt to what we want to store in it, either to be chilled or frozen. This convertible compartment makes it feel like a larder, with so much extra room for our weekly family food shop. It has completely transformed the way we live. The kids’ favourite feature is the ice and water dispenser, and we also love the secret snack zone drawers for stashing some chocolate. The movable shelves offer real flexibility and means we’ve made the fridge truly our own, having fun organising and arranging it for our needs.
This fridge also has UltraFresh+ which is a sealed drawer that preserves nutrients and the colour of fresh produce. As well as this, it has TwinTech® which combines two separate cooling systems for the fridge and freezer - meaning the freezer is kept frost-free and the fridge is kept at optimal humidity to keep food fresher for longer.
Photo taken by Jemma Watts
The ComfortLift® Dishwasher (model code FSS82827P) has such a special feature: the world’s first lift-and-load basket… the bottom rack lifts up to a comfortable height for super easy loading and unloading! Dishwashers can be back breaking - it’s an activity we do a few times a day, so this has been a game changer.
Photo taken by Jemma Watts
I also love that the door automatically opens at the end of the drying phase (it did give me a fright the first time it happened!) and air is circulated inside the machine. My dishes emerge perfectly dry every time. My wine glasses are shinier than ever and always well protected by the SoftGrip and SoftSpikes which perfectly hold glasses in place during the cycle, preventing them from getting damaged.
We installed the SteamCrisp® Oven (model code BSE978330M) and CombiQuick Microwave (model code KME968000M) into the new kitchen and have been super impressed with how easy they both are to use.
Photo taken by Jemma Watts
The digital Command Wheel makes it quick and easy to find the right function and browse programmes. We can even link it to our phone with the My AEG Kitchen app (which means I can even turn the oven on when I’m out of the house).
The oven has lots of special functions we’ve tried out including a pizza setting (crispy base!), fast heat up and the SteamCrisp® feature which adds a bit of steam to the usual oven heat and makes meals like roasts super crispy. They have helped me seriously up my cooking game and I’ve been doing a fair bit of baking recently.
It’s also been easy and effortless to clean thanks to the pyrolytic setting. Dirt, grease and food, is converted into ash at the touch of a button, which can then be easily wiped away. I’m so glad for the low maintenance involved and that it will keep my oven looking good as new.
It’s also so handy to have the microwave oven directly above, especially when we host bigger gatherings and need some extra cooking space. Please note the model of the CombiQuick Microwave I have is no longer available. This newer version has the same Command Wheel UI, tech and features but is also compatible with the My AEG Kitchen App.
We didn’t want to have a big extractor fan hanging down in the new kitchen blocking any views out to the garden, so we decided to go with an induction hob with an built-in extraction fan after seeing a few people rave about them. Ours is the ComboHob (model IDK84453IB) and we’ve been so pleased with how the hob seamlessly blends into the kitchen island. The steam gets sucked down through the fan in the central panel and is circulated through a filter, which can easily be removed to be cleaned. It’s easy to control the heat and extractor settings, this is an extremely intuitive induction hob, is very efficient and is super easy to clean!
Photo taken by Jemma Watts
The kitchen has been bespoke made to our design in oak, we picked a fairly traditional Shaker look and were heavily influenced by classic English kitchens, taking a lot of inspiration from Devol, Plain English and McClark Bespoke Kitchens.
The kitchen units are hand painted in colours Potted Shrimp and Olive. The walls are in Clunch - all these colours are from the Archive Liberty collection from Farrow & Ball. I wanted to introduce some depth and mixing of colours for interest, so the island is pink and all the units are green. I’m really pleased with the softness behind these tones and they compliment the marble well.
The worktops, splash backs and shelves are made of honed Carrara marble that I sourced from The Marble & Granite Centre in Hertfordshire. I went to the marble yard and selected the slabs myself (always make sure you know how big the slab/s need to be before you go and pick, for example the kitchen island top was pretty large at 1.2 x 2.8m which narrowed down options quickly) and also where all the cuts will be. We went with 30mm worktops and 20mm splash backs. Edges were pencil finish. Marble was something I had always had my heart set on and a non negotiable (!) but please note the beautiful natural appearance does come with a big downside - this stone scratches and marks really easily, we had to sign a disclaimer with the fabricator about it! We used fabricators CK Stone to cut and install the marble who did a brilliant job. I highly recommend shopping around for marble quotes as they really varied! We are happy for the marble to age with us and embrace some wear and tear and enjoy it’s beauty!
I decided to go with the Shaws Ribchester 800 2.0 Bowl White Ceramic Belfast Kitchen Sink as I wanted something that felt authentic and traditional but also practical. Plus I love the ribbed exterior as it gives interest and a bit of character. I find a double bowl always super practical when multi tasking. Sink is linked here, I bought it from Taps UK. I added these Devol Basket Waste Strainer & Overflow Kit in Brass to compliment the brass taps. The brass tap and filter tap are also Devol as I love the level of aged brass they have used on them to make them feel truly vintage. The Aged Brass Ionian Tap and Aged Brass Filter Tap by Perrin and Rowe will age well with time and seem like excellent quality so far.
We have gone with a Pappelina runner from Vanil by the sink to help protect this high traffic area from too much damage to the floor around the sink and hob. I love these durable, plastic Swedish rugs and they also introduce a nice bit of texture and pattern to the space.
I went on a really long journey with sourcing the right look aged brass kitchen cupboard knobs and handles. I was on a mission to find some that were the perfect level of vintage appearance and also available in the full range of knobs, short and long pull handles, latches and cup handles… easier said than done! I ordered so many samples (do check out All Handles and Pulls and Rowen and Wren) but settled on splurging on the Devol ones! I am so happy with them and they are perfectly designed and well made. We went with a mixture of: small Standard Classic Knobs, Original Bella Brass Cup Handles, Standard Cupboard Catches, Classic Brass Cabinet Handles for the smaller pantry cupboard and Extra Large Pull Handles for the large reeded glass cupboards.
For the switches and sockets we went with the gold range from Dowsing and Reynolds, see here.
Attention to detail was key in the kitchen design - lids for pots and pans on a separate shelf drawer, a tea drawer, a large knife rack drawer, moveable compartment drawer for bits and pieces like packet clips and matches were just some of the useful features we made sure we included.
For flooring we went with an engineered oak herringbone parquet from Yorkshire Wolds Flooring with a bespoke brushed, fumed and white UV oiled finish in 15x90x450mm in the main part of the kitchen. In the boot room and step down to the utility room we decided to have a change in material and used the Ca Pietra Marlborough Terracotta Parquet tiles. I’ve been really pleased with both floorings. Both have underfloor heating under them.
Our scalloped jute rug under the dining table gives interest and a bit more green interest, I bought it from Etsy linked here. Size is 6x9 feet.
We had some large pantry style cupboards made for plenty of storage that we have been super happy with. They have shelves at the top and drawers at the bottom. We used panels of reeded flutes glass from London based Instrument glasses to add a softness, interest and hint to what was inside them.
Lighting was from Original BTC, we went with the bone china Hector Pleated Large Pendants above the island and the Christie Pendant above our dining table.
We got a couple of bar stools for the island, we went with the oak Ludlow style from Neptune which has very comfy saddle seat. The kids love to sit here and have breakfast in the morning.
Photo taken by Jemma Watts
I would love to hear what you think of the space and also if you have any questions feel free to leave a comment!