2 WAYS WITH RED

0 Comments | Sunday Mirror, Mar 25, 2007

Volcanic Splash 3 satin emulsion on walls, pounds 8.99 for 1 litre, Dulux (0870 444 1111, www.dulux.com).; Albany units, Everest worktop, Firenza cooker, hob and hood, Franke sink with steel Concorde taps pounds 1,300, all Magnet Trade (0845 123 6789, www.magnettrade.co.uk); Quarry tiles, 20p each (seconds), Bath Furniture Mill, (01225 722361); Units painted in 00YR 08/409 satinwood, pounds 8.99 for 600ml, acrylic diamond glaze from pounds 16 per litre, Dulux (as before); Mackintosh style kitchen, from pounds 329 for 600mm base unit; Anthony Mullan Kitchens (01628 632033, www.anthonymullan.com); Cooker hood, around pounds 650; stainless steel splashback, around pounds 100, both Anthony Mullan Kitchens; BEFORE Peeling & mismatched; BEFORE Dark and cluttered; GET THE LOOK Memphis traditional kettle, pounds 39.99 Morphy Richards (0870 060 2614, www.morphyrichards.com); Kitchen Aid red mixer, pounds 349 Debenhams (0844 561 6161, www.debenhams.co; Kitchen timer and scales, pounds 45 Dulton (01268 505090); Hinari Microwave Oven, pounds 50 Next (08702 435435); Two-handle colander, pounds 11 Garden Trading Company (01993 847334; Draining spoon, pounds 15 Garden Trading Company (01993 847334); Burgundy units, 300mm deluxe drawer line base unit from pounds 83, with 80mm Maia Vanilla worktops, pounds 700 for 3m all MFI (0800 028 0937, www.mfi.co.uk); Paris kitchen in red and ivory, from pounds 7,500 including design, planning, delivery, installation and appliances Moben (0800 413413, www.moben.co.uk); Abstrakt red kitchen, from pounds 45 for a base unit and high gloss foil door Ikea (0845 355 1141, www.ikea.co.uk) and Avsikt tempered glass door, from pounds 29.50 (inset right) also Ikea

Jo Thomas chose statement red walls, offset with pale units

Feature and styling CAROLYN EELES

Photos COLIN POOLE

Sally Patterson splashed out on colourful units and minimised colour elsewhere

Words by FEATURESTOGO.CO.UK

Photos by TAMRA CAVE

RED WALLS

'It's a look that cheers us up in the morning'

BEFORE Peeling & mismatched

JO and Callum Thomas finally saw red - bright red - when they got to work on the kitchen of their Victorian cottage... and it's put a smile on their faces ever since.

"Initially I'd wanted to paint the walls bright pink," explained Jo, 34, who works in IT. "Callum and I tried lots of different shades, but none looked right. Then we hit on red and it really worked, pulling everything together."

Using 2007's hottest colour was a bold move as Jo's kitchen in her Wiltshire home is just 8ft by 6ft. Such a strong statement in a confined space is usually a "no-no" as it makes a small room even smaller, but in Jo's kithen it was offset by the pale wood of the work units.

Jo and Callum, 33, who works in marketing, had first thought of a u-shape design for their units, thinking this would give them more storage space. "Actually the opposite was true," says Jo, who has two daughters under three.

"The solution was to rethink the galley layout." Her new kitchen - bought on her builder's Magnet Trade account - has 12 units, a double oven and hob, dishwasher, fridge and sink. Jo opted for maple- effect units with a dark granite-effect worktop then used black mosaic tiles for the splashback and quarry tiles on the floor.

With the dramatic red walls the effect is striking. "The red walls always cheer us up first thing in the morning," says Jo.

-Black mosaic tiles, pounds 20 per sq m, Frome Tile Showroom (01373 474817); black double sockets, pounds 14.99 each, Homebase, (0845 077 8888, www.homebase.co.uk); aluminium vases, pounds 3.99 each, Ikea (0845 355 1141, www.ikea.co.uk); enamel jars, pounds 15 for three, Laura Ashley (0871 230 2301, www.lauraashley.co.uk); retro mugs, pounds 9.50 for two, saucepans, pounds 9.50 for three, both Marks & Spencer (0845 302 1234); cream storage tins, pounds 9.99 each, John Lewis (08456 049049).

COSTS

Kitchen package & labour pounds 1,900

Fitted floor pounds 675

Mosaic tiles pounds 150

Black sockets pounds 45

Paint pounds 27

Accessories pounds 85

TOTAL pounds 2,882

RED UNITS

'We're glad we didn't take the safe option'

SALLY and David Patterson were determined to go for something bold when an extension for a playroom gave them more room to revamp their dated kitchen.

"There wasn't anything really wrong with the old one," says Sally, 38, a nurse. "But the oak units looked old-fashioned and the combination of the units with white tiles, cream walls and chintz curtains made the whole thing look bland.

"Eventually we decided on deep red for the units which looked really stunning and also totally different from what we had before."

Sally and David, who have two children Max, seven, and Sam, four, then opted for dark granite worktops to set off the red uni ts, combined with a woodentopped island and an oak-effect vinyl floor.

"Originally we had chosen a slate floor, but with a young family, it had to be practical, so vinyl seemed a better solution," says Sally.

To go with their bold new look, Sally and David, 42, a policeman from Ashstead, Surrey, wanted stainless-steel appliances. "I had set my heart on a big, American fridge and we chose a modern range cooker and hood to go with it," she says. Sally and her family love their new modern kitchen.