From Design to Reality

Given that removing the tiles from the old kitchen was one of the first things we did, it’s kind of surprising that we never got round to getting walls straight. We weren’t sure whether we would increase the size of the kitchen, we didn’t know it was important and basically there was so much other stuff to do, that it just didn’t happen. In December we were pleased just to have it plastered!

Oh well, too late now!

Having decided against the pots of herbs and lived with the kitchen for a few months, we had another go at the north wall, this time with fruit and vegetable motifs.

The first design war little more than an attempt to see how many tiles would be needed. I think it succeeds here but if otherwise surprisingly uneven for something with such a clear pattern.

In the second attempt, Astrid grouped the elements together. This is a definite improvement but feels a little rigid.

The third design is a combination of the others and was everyone’s favourite, including Mrs van Hees!

There was some confusion when it came to the actual tiling with Ivan initially working from the first design. Fortunately, we spotted the mistake before the mortar had set.

This is how turned out. We had to move the power socket a but otherwise we’re really happy.

With more space I think the still lifes of fish and lobsters would be fantastic in the kitchen. But with only four rows of tiles, there just wasn’t the space.

This was our second attempt for the west wall. Just enough to break up the space.

This is how it’s turned out. Since then I’ve finally been able to mount my knife block (top left), which keeps the knives handy and frees up space in the cutlery draw for cooking spoons.

The area behind the sink turned out pretty much as expected.

***

These things take time but I think it was worth it in the end. The handpainted tiles are exquisite but expensive, so there are two reasons not to overboard. I got the sizes on the mockups pretty much right. Sometimes it feels like I overdo this but I felt vindicated by the result. 🫡

I measured the walls multiple times to work out how many tiles we’d need and, in the end, we had just a couple spare. Another reminder that you always need more than you think you will!