There’s only one thing Maxine Smith loves more than pottering around her kitchen working on new recipes, and that’s cooking alongside her grown-up daughter, Rachel. So when Rachel had a new kitchen installed by Intone Design a few years ago, mum Maxine was keen to follow suit.

“My daughter lives next door so we spend a lot of time together,” says Maxine. “We’ve been cooking together since she was tiny; it’s one of our favourite things to do. When she had a beautiful new kitchen installed, I felt really envious of it and that’s how it all started!”

A FRIENDLY APPROACH

When Maxine realised her own kitchen might be in need of an update, Intone Design were more than happy to help.

“I already knew Laura and the team because I’d been quite involved with the planning stages of my daughter’s kitchen,” explains Maxine, who lives in Warmington. “So I knew they were a friendly bunch. Laura came to visit my home with Lyn, the interior designer at Intone, and to be honest it felt like I was having friends round for coffee. It was so easy and they were both so helpful.”

“One of the biggest decisions concerning Maxine’s new kitchen was the colour of the units. Whatever she chose, it had to complement the racing green Aga which was staying put from the old kitchen. “I originally thought something like duck egg blue might go well with the dark green of the Aga, but the Intone team persuaded me otherwise. We’ve gone for black and grey which isn’t what you might typically imagine for a kitchen. Initially I thought, ‘Oh gosh, is this going to work?’ But now I absolutely love it!”

UPDATING A MUCH-LOVED FAMILY KITCHEN

Maxine had a very specific brief in mind because she was keen to incorporate some of the elements from her original kitchen into the new design. The Aga had to stay, as did the granite worktop which had graced Maxine’s kitchen island for more than 20 years.

“We’d had so many special family times around that island which is why I really wanted to keep the granite,” says Maxine, who has a grown-up son as well as her daughter. “We also hadn’t long put down a new tiled floor, so the kitchen units had to follow the same footprint as the original so that the flooring would still work around it.”

“We didn’t want too many cupboards above worktop height because previously the space was quite dark so we wanted to keep it really light and open,” says Esther. “It was a bit of a challenge, but with Laura from Intone’s help we were able to find a way to make it all work. We’re so pleased with the end result.

Maxine also wanted to make sure her fridge, freezer and bin were all out of sight and that the new kitchen would be tidy and ordered. “I’m one of those people who likes to have everything just right. I wanted my storage jars to fit perfectly in the cupboards, and for the shelves to be just the right height for my wine glasses. Laura designed the kitchen around all those requirements, and the result looks amazing.”

THE HEART OF THE HOME

The new kitchen has been such a hit that Maxine sometimes has a problem persuading her guests to leave! “Even though there’s a perfectly nice living room next door, everyone always ends up in the kitchen,” she says. “But I don’t really mind, because I’ve always felt the kitchen should be the heart of the home.”

Maxine and her husband loved their new kitchen so much when it was completed in December 2021, they asked Intone to spruce up their utility room, too. Asking for a light and airy feel, the Smiths tasked Laura and the team with transforming their dated pine units into something fresh that would be in keeping with the new shaker-style units in the kitchen.

In order to keep costs down, Intone re-used the wooden worktops, staining them a dark mahogany colour to provide a striking contrast with the pale grey units and tongue-and-groove panelling above.

“I love the fact we’ve managed to combine a bit of the old – back from when the children were young – along with the new,” says Maxine. “We’re never going to move from this house so we know we’re going to enjoy our new kitchen and utility room for many years to come.”

A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS

What do you love most about your new kitchen?

“Cooking with my daughter, Rachel. I love it when she comes over and we try out new recipes together. My daughter loves doing things like curries and spicy Mediterranean food. Whereas I’m more traditional and tend to make dishes like steak pie or stew and dumplings. She’s cooked with me from a very young age. It’s all about making memories.”

What’s your favourite part of the new kitchen and why?

“That everything is exactly where I want it to be. It’s perfect. The kitchen is very much my domain, so it was important to get it right. My husband only really comes in here to have cup of tea, get a beer from the fridge or to have his dinner!”
What was the best thing about working with Intone Design?

“Laura was so flexible and easy to work with. Nothing was too much trouble and there was never any pushy sales pitch. All the people at Intone were great to deal with and very professional from start to finish. The quality of our kitchen is amazing, and it was worth every penny.”

FACT FILE

Unit colours: Elephants Breath and Off Black, Farrow & Ball
Worktops: Exisiting granite on the island with additional walnut; Cameo White Corian on the remaining surfaces
Appliances: Neff
Flooring: Existing beige floor tiles

THINKING ABOUT A NEW KITCHEN?
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We'd love to help you create your dream kitchen. Give us a call on 01832 275743 or email us.