As part of an ambitious project to renovate and extend her period cottage, Wendy Gilmour has given her open plan kitchen a traditional look with a modern edge. We asked her to share her secrets for creating a timelessly elegant space that can also cope with all the pressures of a busy family life.
Hi, I’m Wendy, a Scottish digital creator who enjoys nothing more than sharing my love of fashion, interiors and travel.
In October 2022 we embarked upon a wraparound ground floor extension project which was due to take four months to complete. 14 months later we finally moved back in! We tackled a lot of the work ourselves to save money and learnt a lot of new skills along the way.
We dreamt of a bright but cosy, happy space which is functional but also beautiful. Where we could enjoy spending time as a family and entertain friends. The kitchen is the most finished part of our new extension and I really love how it has turned out.
The inspiration for my interior style is Ralph Lauren. Whenever I'm making a design decision I ask myself, 'What would Ralph do?'. His homes are all so beautiful and textured with interesting layers, but all in completely different ways.
I’m a giant research nerd when it comes to making styling decisions so when I began the hunt for the perfect floor I ordered around 40 samples from different suppliers and rated them on colour, texture and ease of fitting.
The new open plan layout is quite large so I knew a darker floor would ground it a bit. I had my heart set on something classic that fitted with the period of our home and Antique French Oak from the Van Gogh range ticked all the boxes. The colour is warm and rich with a slightly worn look to it which I absolutely love.
I started with a small sample then ordered a full-size sample and also used Floorstyle, the room visualiser. In fact, the Floorstyle image compares surprisingly closely to the end result. Although Antique French Oak comes in a beautiful herringbone gluedown version, we opted for the rigid core format because we could fit it ourselves.
We decided to install the same floor throughout the entire open plan space, including kitchen, living and dining areas as well as through the utility/boot room and office. In fact, we loved the result so much we’ve also fitted the same floor in our formal sitting room. Being in the original part of the house, this room has gorgeous old floorboards. We loved these historic boards but they were so draughty! By installing Antique French Oak in the rigid core format we have retained the period look and made the room much cosier but also protected the original floor.
Of all the jobs we’ve tackled, laying the floor has been my favourite. I think it's so enjoyable because in a relatively short space of time you can achieve such a big impact. The floor has completely transformed the new extension into a comfortable home.
My advice to anyone looking to fit rigid core flooring is to take your time finding the centre line at the start. Then measure out the planks to make sure you're not going to meet a wall with a tiny sliver of board. After that, ditch the measuring tape and use your boards to get perfect cuts.
We totally love our new kitchen – it’s the heart of our home. The floor has all the timeless lived-in vibes I wanted but is still practical on a daily basis, which is so important with young children and Tux, our nine year old Finnish Lapphund, running around.
Thank you so much to Wendy for sharing her story. If you’d like to follow her ongoing renovation story (we certainly will be) you can find her on Instagram @thankfifi.
