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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. Their design pairs oak, plywood and dark-stained finishes with a west-facing window, keeping the compact room bright while making use of its limited width.
Adrian and Melanie have renovated the narrow galley kitchen in their Shoreham-by-Sea home, combining natural oak and plywood with dark-stained cabinetry in a design featured by Ideal Home. The kitchen was part of a £60,000 whole-house makeover, and its layout shows how the family worked around limited width while bringing more daylight into the room.
The couple bought the West Sussex seaside property knowing it needed extensive work. Adrian described the interior as containing “a lot of strange 1970s architecture” and called the house “definitely a doer–upper.” They considered repositioning the kitchen to make better use of light, but ultimately retained its original configuration, opening a window to the west and changing the access instead.
Adrian made initial design mock-ups before the couple worked with bespoke kitchen company Wood Works Brighton. The room’s galley layout and narrow footprint made tall cupboards difficult to incorporate without making the passage feel tighter, he said. The design uses a mix of materials—including oak, plywood, fluted wood and black-stained oak—rather than relying on one uniform finish.
Oak window frames were chosen to match the cabinets, while leather bar stools from the couple’s previous home add a less formal element. A curved end-cupboard door and shelves soften the cabinetry’s lines. Adrian said the new west-facing window meant the room could accommodate the darker stained finish. The report identifies the project’s total cost as £60,000, covering the wider home makeover; it does not give a separate kitchen-only figure.
Design Choices for a Narrow Galley
The project offers a specific example of the trade-offs involved in renovating a small kitchen: storage, circulation and daylight all compete for space. Adrian said tall cupboards risked reducing the width of the narrow room, so the design instead relies on a combination of cabinetry, open shelves and varied finishes. The report does not provide measurements or a detailed storage plan, but it makes clear that preserving usable space shaped the design.
For homeowners, the practical point is not that a particular style guarantees a better result. The couple considered how the room would function and where light could enter before settling on its materials and appearance. Their decision to retain the existing kitchen position, while altering a window and access, also shows how a renovation can adapt a layout rather than require a complete relocation.
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From 1970s Interior to Japandi Mix
Japandi is commonly used to describe interiors that combine Japanese and Scandinavian design influences, often through restrained forms and natural materials. In this kitchen, Adrian linked the look to Melanie’s interest in Japanese style and to the couple’s preference for natural elements and mixed textures. These are the homeowners’ stated design priorities, rather than a formal description of the room’s style by the project team.
The renovation followed a broader whole-house makeover after the family moved into the property with their two children. Adrian and Melanie explored whether to move the kitchen to improve light, but chose to keep the original arrangement. They then added a west-facing window and changed the access. Ideal Home credits Wood Works Brighton with helping develop the bespoke kitchen, alongside the couple’s early design work.
““The kitchen is quite narrow, and it has a galley layout, so it was hard to fit tall cupboards in without reducing the width.””
— Adrian
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Costs and Layout Details Not Provided
The report gives a £60,000 total for the whole-house project, but does not break out the kitchen budget or say when the work was completed. It also does not provide the kitchen’s dimensions, a full account of its storage capacity, or information about the renovation schedule. The extent of the changes to the access is not specified.
Descriptions of the room as “a masterclass” or as hard to copy are editorial framing or the homeowner’s assessment, not independently measured findings. There is no reported comparison of the kitchen’s cost, performance or usability with other small kitchens.
narrow galley kitchen organization
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No Further Project Milestone Reported
Ideal Home’s report presents the renovation as completed and does not identify a forthcoming construction phase or other project milestone. It is not clear whether Adrian and Melanie plan additional work in the house. The account also does not say whether the kitchen designers have published further technical details, such as plans or measurements, that would help readers adapt the approach to a different space.
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Key Questions
Where is the renovated kitchen?
It is in Adrian and Melanie’s home in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, where they live with their two children.
How much did the renovation cost?
The report lists a total of £60,000 for the whole-house makeover. It does not state how much of that amount was spent on the kitchen alone.
What made the kitchen difficult to design?
It has a narrow galley layout. Adrian said tall cupboards were difficult to fit without reducing the available width.
How did the couple bring more natural light into the room?
They retained the kitchen’s original configuration but opened a window to the west and changed the access. The report does not give the window’s dimensions or the amount of light gained.
Which materials and finishes feature in the design?
The kitchen uses oak, plywood, fluted wood and black-stained oak. Oak window frames match the cabinetry; a curved end cupboard and reused leather stools add contrasting details.
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