House Beautiful Magazine

House Beautiful Magazine

RENOVATION OF THE YEAR WINNER: Tara Fry - CHEPSTOW

At the time of entering the Renovation of the Year competition run by House Beautiful magazine Tara lived in a 30-year-old four-bed detached house near Chepstow, Monmouthshire. Tara bought the property in 2009. The house is a good size but the kitchen was very small, with nowhere to eat with the children. The units were dark and outdated. Tara decided to extend the property and the kitchen was definitely the first room to tackle.

“I'd imagined that, given my budget, I would have ended up with an average kitchen, however it was at this time that I realised I had a flare for design. I chose a design that incorporated handless units with a combination of plain buff-coloured doors for the kitchen base units and a stylish wood-grain effect for the breakfast bar and the oven and fridge freezer casing.

The main feature is an L-shaped breakfast bar where the family can gather to eat and chat.

People can spend a fortune on a new kitchen but I took care of the budget and organised the ordering and delivery of the kitchen furniture and made sure everything was in place on time. The kitchen cost approximately £6,000 (excluding appliances)’.