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Adrian and Melanie renovated the narrow galley kitchen in their Shoreham-by-Sea home as part of a £60,000 whole-house project. They kept the kitchen’s original configuration, added a west-facing window and worked with Wood Works Brighton on a design combining oak, plywood, dark-stained wood and practical storage.
A family in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, has renovated its narrow galley kitchen using a mix of oak, plywood and dark-stained wood, in a £60,000 whole-house makeover that included the kitchen. The project, described in Ideal Home, shows how Adrian and Melanie kept the kitchen’s original configuration while changing a window and access to bring more light into the small space.
Adrian and Melanie live in the home with their two children. They bought the property as a doer-upper, Adrian told Ideal Home, describing its interior as having “a lot of strange 1970s architecture.” The family spent time considering where the kitchen should sit to make the best use of daylight, but ultimately retained its original layout.
The couple opened up a window to the west and changed the access. They then developed design ideas before working with bespoke kitchen company Wood Works Brighton. Adrian said the galley kitchen was so narrow that adding tall cupboards risked making it feel even tighter. The reported design instead uses a range of finishes and details to give the room distinct visual areas.
Oak and plywood provide natural-toned surfaces, while fluted wood and black-stained oak add contrast. Oak window frames were chosen to match the cabinets. A curved end-cupboard door and shelves soften the line of the fitted units, and leather bar stools brought over from the couple’s previous home add another texture. The source does not provide a separate cost for the kitchen alone; £60,000 is the total project cost.
How the Layout Makes Room
The renovation addresses a common small-kitchen constraint: storage and circulation compete for the same limited width. Adrian said tall cupboards were difficult to fit into the galley without narrowing it further. Rather than treating the room as a blank slate, the couple kept the existing configuration and concentrated on changes to light, access and finishes.
The west-facing window and matching oak frames connect the daylight strategy to the material choices. The dark-stained finish was also a deliberate decision: Adrian said the couple felt the added window meant the space could accommodate a darker surface. That is the homeowners’ reasoning, not a measured assessment of brightness or usability. The account offers a specific example of how a small kitchen’s visual character can be shaped without reporting a change to its basic footprint.
For readers planning a renovation, the project also illustrates the trade-offs involved in bespoke design. Curved cabinetry and varied finishes can give a compact room a distinctive look, while choices such as retaining the layout may limit the need to reposition the kitchen. The report does not establish whether this approach is less expensive than other layouts or suitable for every narrow room.
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A Whole-House Makeover
The kitchen was one part of a larger renovation after Adrian and Melanie moved into the seaside property. They wanted a brighter, more organic-feeling home and worked through the kitchen’s position and access before settling on the plan. Their decision to keep the original configuration came after considering where to place it for better light.
The couple’s design direction drew on Melanie’s interest in Japanese style and their shared preference for natural elements and mixed textures, according to Adrian’s comments to Ideal Home. The finished room combines those influences with practical features and items they already owned, including the leather stools from their former kitchen. The published report credits Wood Works Brighton and photographer Bee Holmes for project imagery.
“When we bought the place, there was a lot of strange 1970s architecture throughout the interior; it was definitely a doer–upper.”
— Adrian, speaking to Ideal Home
small galley kitchen storage solutions
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What the Project Report Leaves Open
The report gives the £60,000 total for the whole-house project, but does not break out the kitchen’s share of that spending or list item-by-item costs. It also does not state when the renovation took place, provide dimensions for the kitchen, or quantify the increase in daylight after the west-facing window was opened up.
There are no measurements or independent evaluations of storage capacity, circulation, energy use or the renovation’s effect on the home’s value. The account is based on the homeowners’ descriptions and project details published by Ideal Home; it does not establish how the design performs over time or whether similar choices would work in another property.
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No Further Work Is Reported
The published account describes the completed kitchen but gives no planned next stage, follow-up date or additional renovation work. No further development is confirmed. Any later update would be needed to clarify the kitchen’s individual cost, how the family uses its storage and whether the wider makeover is continuing.
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Key Questions
Where is the renovated kitchen?
It is in the Shoreham-by-Sea home of Adrian and Melanie, who live there with their two children.
How much did the renovation cost?
The reported cost is £60,000 for the whole-house project. Ideal Home does not give a separate figure for the kitchen.
What changes were made to the kitchen layout?
The couple kept the kitchen’s original configuration, opened up a window to the west and changed the access. The room remains a narrow galley kitchen.
Which materials and finishes feature in the design?
The report describes oak, plywood, fluted wood and black-stained oak, along with matching oak window frames, leather stools and a curved end cupboard.
Who designed or supplied the kitchen?
Adrian and Melanie developed design ideas before working with Wood Works Brighton, which the report describes as a bespoke kitchen company.
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