An ode to kitchen extensions

Do you have a bit of garden or alleyway to spare? Kitchen extensions can bring some real spatial zest to your home as they’ll maximise potential regardless of the project scale. Extensions handled by Cube certainly make every inch count with cleverly designed kitchen solutions to suit both your home and lifestyle.

SIDE RETURN KITCHEN EXTENSION

Renovating your entire kitchen and rejigging its layout can add far more functional space too. When we refurbished this terraced house in Kew we completely reconfigured the ground floor and even moved the existing staircase to open up the space and create a lovely flow. By building a side return extension we made use of space that was literally wasted as storage for bins and added much-needed width to this otherwise narrow terraced home.

REAR KITCHEN EXTENSION

By broadening this Strawberry Hill home slightly into the garden, Cube was able to create a rear kitchen extension that feels spacious and nicely connects the indoors with the outdoors. It’s a contemporary meets old-fashioned features match made in heaven as part of the brief was to retain the original cornice, picture rails and fireplace to complement a modern kitchen.  

WRAP-AROUND KITCHEN EXTENSION

When you combine a side and a rear extension you end up with an extension that literally ‘wraps around’ your property. It may seem like a more expensive investment, however wrap-around extensions deliver a great return on additional space and transformation.

A stunning example from our portfolio that has achieved exactly that, is a semi-detached property in Surbiton. We removed a number of walls and installed steel beams to support the original structure, allowing us to extend the rear of the house into a spacious kitchen diner with a separate study and playroom. Our clients can now choose if they want to fully open their fresh ground floor space to connect it with their living room or close it off to create a cosy family room. The entire space has been designed to welcome in plenty of natural light and the newly created rear patio can be easily accessed.

LAYOUT MATTERS

With so many wonderful kitchen extensions to browse on the likes of Instagram, it’s easy to get carried away with style.

Cube’s top tip: when you’re planning your kitchen diner layout try to strike a healthy balance between functionality and style. Here’s a bit of help on that note:

Natural lighting
Some layouts can be challenging and you may need a solid length of wall which could result in blocking entry points of natural light. Make sure you compensate for this natural light loss by adding large glass sliding doors or skylights as shown in this Teddington project.

Crowding? No thanks!
The good old saying “less is more” really comes to shine in an open-plan kitchen dining space. Rather than making it ‘cupboard central’, opt for an eye-catching kitchen island that accommodates storage space. It worked beautifully within this open-plan kitchen diner in Hampton Hill which feels spacious and open. 

Layers of lighting
Given a kitchen is used in so many different ways, you’ll need appropriate lighting to suit those needs: task lighting for food prep and cooking, aesthetic lighting for entertaining and eating, and ambient lighting for anything in between including those bad weather days. We think this Kingston home is spot on having refurbished it and introduced stunning skylights.

No flow is a no go!
Imagine yourself performing an obstacle run in your new kitchen extension to get from one side to the other, or dodging around furniture – a nightmare that you can easily avoid! It’s as simple as not interrupting the flow of your space by keeping access to doorways and appliances free and making sure you have a wide, clear path between each zone and through to entryways. That way it’ll be a breeze to move around.

A fresh chapter…
Sometimes the first step is the hardest. As with any home improvement project, the range of options and knowing where to start can feel overwhelming. Our end-to-end service takes the hard work off your hands and leaves you to enjoy the transformation journey as we design, manage and build your dream kitchen extension.

If you’d like to see more examples from our extension portfolio or are keen to hear what other customers say about Cube, head to our testimonials page or Instagram.

We’d love to kick off your kitchen extension journey with a free initial design consultation, so get in touch and let us extend your imagination.