Before & After: A “Dark, Dated” London Kitchen Gets a Stunning Green Makeover (with a Painted Floor!)

While some decisions during a kitchen renovation might take some time to settle on, other choices don’t always require much thought at all. At least that’s how it was for Rosalind Miller when she was reimagining the space in her colorful London home. From the jump, she knew the new kitchen wouldn’t be complete unless it was drenched in her favorite color: mint. 

“The original kitchen, which now houses a desk area and a piano, was quite dark,” Miller says. “In the extension, we’ve included a sloped glass roof, which is south-facing, and not only is it incredibly bright, but it also makes you feel connected with the outside.”

It’s not just the sloped glass roof that brings the outdoors in — there’s also a large pivot window that opens completely onto the garden. Miller found the kitchen design process to be “natural,” much like how the greenery grows organically in the backyard. “I just picked things and colors that I adored and sparked joy, and it has somehow come together to make something unique and beautiful,” she says. 

Miller used YesColours’ Graceful Neutral for the cabinets and the brand’s Passionate Warm White for the walls. The minty green color is RAL 6019, and the doors, windows, and roof were factory-finished in the same shade. But the floors, which are painted with YesColours’ Serene Neutral, really make the room pop. 

Miller considered laying concrete or cork on the floor, however, she decided the former would feel too hard (and be pricey), while the cork “wouldn’t work aesthetically over such a large area.” Instead, she found a compromise in the original hardwood: She painted a checkerboard pattern that added drama while maintaining the warmth of the wood tones.

“The checkerboard floor was my own handiwork after months of umming and erring over what sort of floor would work best,” Miller shares. “It involved meticulous painting and a lot of patience, but I love the effect so much that I would do it 100 times over!” 

Paint was used to refresh other elements in the kitchen, too, like the hand-painted pendant light above the kitchen table and the rattan breakfast stools that were originally purchased on Facebook Marketplace. The room isn’t all about bright colors, though; it also has plenty of functionality.

Miller worked with a builder to construct the “bespoke” kitchen with ample storage space (like the larder cupboard unit). “This led to the large kitchen island, bench seating (with lids that lift up and currently house liters of paint), and the wavy cupboards, which store glassware and all of the kids’ arts and skills supplies, and many, many board games,” she says. 

While the kitchen extension cost about £100,000 (or $129,469), Miller says that renting out the home as an Airbnb and a photoshoot location helped pay it back. However, being a guest in this fabulous room (and the entire townhouse!) feels like such a gift, she says. Her favorite part that her family and guests can enjoy? “The light, the functionality, the colors, and how it lends itself to being a sociable space.” 

This article originally published on The Kitchn. See it there: Before & After: A “Dark, Dated” Kitchen Gets a Stunning Green Makeover (with a Painted Floor!)