Gary and Donna’s Kitchen
Globetrotting couple Gary & Donna were living in South Africa when they purchased a property in the UK, ready for their return. It was important to the family to settle in quickly, so they bravely started their renovation from afar. The one-room they were desperate to get started on? The kitchen!
The family transformed the original space with a Rehome pre-owned kitchen. With the help of a Farrow and Ball colour consultant and a great joiner, they adapted it to suit the property. Not only is the result stunning, but the money-saving and environmental aspects of the renovation caught the attention of the Telegraph and Farrow and Ball! We went along to see the finished project and hear more about Gary and Donna’s savvy renovation.
Choosing an approved used kitchen
While the existing space had lots of potential, the kitchen wasn’t their style. Being an eco-conscious family, they connected with Rehome to sell their kitchen and at the same time found an Approved Used Mark Wilkinson kitchen on our website that would be ideal with simple reconfiguration.
Gary had spoken to several kitchen designers but was having trouble translating his ideas. With Rehome, he loved that he could see the kitchen already installed – in fact, he found the website a source of kitchen inspiration! Gary used the images to work out how he would configure the kitchen, and checked the provided measurements with his space.
With short lead times and huge cost-saving and environmental benefits, buying a pre-owned kitchen was the perfect solution for Gary and Donna, and the kitchen was purchased and delivered in just three days.
‘The primary driver for us was the value and quality – I love the aesthetic and design, but was also really excited at the prospect of getting a great deal. We are also reusing something, not throwing it away. I think it’s great ’
The kitchen Gary and Donna purchased was crafted by luxury designer Mark Wilkinson. It had been rarely used by the previous owner and came with top of the range Sub-Zero and Gaggenau appliances. Altogether, the estimated original purchase price was around £200,000, and the range cooker alone would have cost £27,000.
Kitchen installation and colour makeover with Farrow & Ball
‘You have the ability to change things round if you want too with a good fitter’
Gary and Donna employed a talented joiner to adjust and fit the kitchen. They took the opportunity to change the colour palette with the help of Farrow & Ball’s Colour Consultancy service, which was instrumental to the finished look. By analysing the light and space, and working with the client’s style, the consultant made personalised recommendations for the walls and cabinetry. Farrow and Ball’s eco-friendly water-based paint range (in recycled tins) meant they were able to keep this part of the transformation as planet-friendly as possible too.
Cost-saving and environmental benefits
Incredibly, Gary and Donna were able to complete this kitchen renovation before ever stepping foot in their new home. By reusing a kitchen, they prevented approx. 7000 kgs of carbon waste; enough to a family of four carbon neutral for over two years They also saved approx £160,000! Here’s what they had to say:
‘You have that environmental impact of reusing something and the price implications – we could never have created this kitchen for anywhere near this price…
– why wouldn’t people look at repurposing a kitchen?’
