When Anna Mackie-East and her husband Matthew bought their 1950s home in Buckinghamshire they knew it was a doer-upper. The kitchen was stuck in the 1980s, with orange pine units and a beige floor, and received little natural light. Separated from the main living room, the layout wasn’t practical for their young family.
Tackling the project in two manageable parts, the couple have knocked the rooms through to create a light and airy family space. We talked to Anna about her styling inspiration and how she designed her new open plan home.
Hi, I’m Anna. I work as a freelance interior stylist so when it came to renovating our own home, I found plenty of inspiration in the homes I have worked with.
While the structural work to create the new layout was being completed - removing walls, installing a supporting steel beam and glass folding doors - I started collecting samples and collating a moodboard.
As a stylist I'm a bit of a chameleon but I'm quite influenced by mid-century design with a contemporary twist. I love to mix styles and eras but hopefully in a curated, elevated way. I like to add in some antiques and more weathered pieces as well as contrasting materials and textures for a lived-in look that feels like it has evolved over time.
Hayfield Oak from our Van Gogh Collection.
As our kitchen faces east, I chose warm neutral colours for a clean yet comfortable feel. In the kitchen area we painted the walls in soft pink limewash shade, Nougat from Bauwerk Colour, while in the living area we chose Mindful, a very pale taupe, with woodwork in Sunday Soul from Coat Paints. Our in-frame kitchen was sourced from DIY Kitchens with an Arabescato quartz BStone worktop fabricated by Stone Age.
Then to pull the whole scheme together, I chose the timeless light oak of Hayfield Oak in a herringbone pattern from the Van Gogh range. I love the look of dark wood floors but knew this would be a nightmare with our light haired dog. The varied mix of worn brown and distressed grey tones in Hayfield Oak is ideal for hiding the dog hairs!
Right from the start I knew herringbone flooring would be perfect for this house. The pattern adds form and texture to a room and creates a feeling of openness. I think it adds interest and looks elegant, guiding your eye across the room.
Hayfield Oak from our Van Gogh Collection.
I’ve worked with Karndean flooring in the past so I knew it would be durable enough for our busy life with our young daughter and a dog. We love that it doesn’t contain any toxic materials and is super easy to keep clean. Now it’s in place, it looks even more amazing than we expected!
The new open plan family room has transformed our lives. It’s such a lovely space to cook, play and relax. Having a floor that flows through the whole downstairs is integral to the calm and cohesive feeling I wanted to create in our home. Now the renovation is complete, it’s so much more pleasant to live here and the feeling of spaciousness is amazing.