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A Reed Green Kitchen Makeover With Greg Rutherford

Explore this reed green kitchen makeover with Greg Rutherford to see how he achieved a winning design with our latest earthen hue when creating a family-friendly hub for eating and entertaining. As a Team GB long jumper, Greg won gold at the London 2012 Olympics and has been embracing a new challenge attempting to qualify for the 2022 Winter Olympics with the GB bobsleigh team. Alongside his sport, Greg is busy raising three children with his fiancée, while renovating their home. With the help of Howdens, and his trade professional, Greg's kitchen makeover has brought his ideas to life with a brand new layout and colourful green cupboards, plus stacks of storage to help keep clutter at bay.

Before and after

Makeshift and messy

Greg’s existing design was a short-term solution to use during his home renovation, but the layout lacked storage and the space to spend time as a family.

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Makeshift and messy

As someone who loves to cook, Greg found that his temporary setup was missing the key ingredients for a family-friendly living area. The room needed to be a hub for everyday meals and entertaining. Instead, it was uninviting and a place the kids avoided at breakfast time. Disorganised and overcrowded cupboards also made it difficult to find anything quickly and meant there was little space for utensils and crockery.
A homely hub

Thanks to clever storage and an island layout, Greg’s new room is organised and clutter-free - making everyday life with the family much more enjoyable.

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A homely hub

Greg and his fiancée live in the countryside and their personal style is a mix of rustic features that are made for modern living. Featuring a clean frame with no tram lines, our Chilcomb collection offers a contemporary take on a classic shaker door front – which makes it a great match for the couple’s taste. Made of solid timber, it is also a sustainable choice that meets their pastoral location.

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Design details

Going for green

After discovering Chilcomb in Reed Green, Greg wanted this hue at the heart of his home, offering a heritage take on his kitchen transformation.

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Going for green

An on-trend tone with a hint of heritage style, Chilcomb Reed Green suited the contemporary, country look that Greg was looking to create. This collection comes out in March 2022, putting their cooking space ahead of the trends, while adding to a cosy scheme that suited both modern and rural aesthetics. Recreate this look now using our Chilcomb Paintable.

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- Designed for daily life
  
  Adding an island has given Greg the space to cook in comfort, while providing a casual spot for family meals.
  
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  Designed for daily life
  
  Placing the stovetop on the island means it doubles-up as a cooking and dining area. This allows Greg to get the kids involved with cooking – a great way to spend quality time together every day. This fresh floorplan has transformed the way the family use the room and makes relaxed brunches a highlight of the weekend.
  
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- Neat and discreet
  
  To enhance Greg’s open-plan design, his fitter constructed a separate utility to minimise clutter in the cooking area.
  
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  Neat and discreet
  
  Hiding laundry devices in a separate space keeps the focus on downtime and entertaining in the main room. A utility is also a great place for storing outdoor gear, which is handy for a former Olympian like Greg and his active family. With washing neatly concealed behind a door, chores can be forgotten when it is time to relax.
  
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Designed inside

Greg’s units are packed with features, like door balconies, so its contents are as tidy as the wider layout.

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Designed inside

Balcony shelving maximises the often-unused space on the back of a larder door, providing a home for smaller items like sauces, spices, and seasonings. Unlike before, Greg can now find what he needs for his next culinary adventure quickly, keeping the counters neat and tidy and making food prep a breeze.

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Go bespoke

When Greg is entertaining, this bespoke bottle rack ensures his favourite drinks are always within easy reach.

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Go bespoke

As well as housing dinner party beverages, this custom-made wine rack provides a home for the bottles that Greg has been gifted over the years. Created by his Howdens designer from plinths and decor ends, its rustic design suits the style of the space. Paired with a chiller to keep whites and fizz at the optimum temperature, Greg has a flawless set-up for socialising or date nights.

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Vintage features

Greg chose herringbone floors to add depth to the design and create a statement feature that draws the eye.

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Vintage features

Using the same material throughout his cooking space, Greg’s herringbone floor offers a consistent look that connects the distinct areas of the room together. The decorative pattern mimics the look of parquet, introducing a vintage touch that ties in with his contemporary, country theme. Meanwhile, the durable vinyl surface makes this floor a good choice for a busy family home, as it is water, scratch and stain-resistant, making it a low-maintenance alternative to solid timber.

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Natural accents

Greg opted for deep wooden drawers in his larder unit, for a consistent look inside and out that offered plenty of storage.

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Natural accents

Larders can be customised with a selection of features to improve organisation, which helps families like Greg's enjoy a less stressful daily routine. Drawers also make the most of every bit of space inside the unit, so it is easier to stock up on supplies. Going for timber accessories enhanced the homely feel that Greg was looking to achieve.

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Top tech

Cook like a pro

A keen chef, Greg wanted to enhance his cooking, so opted for Neff ovens for even results with every dish.

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Cook like a pro

Whether Greg is hosting a dinner party or preparing breakfast before school, he wanted to wow his guests and family with tasty dishes. For added peace of mind, he opted for Neff ovens that have plenty of high-tech features, including fan-assist settings, to ensure even and moist cooking results. With a wide variety of devices and brands to choose from in our collection, it is simple to make mealtime a walk in the park.

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Fast family food

Combining cooking and microwaving, a combi device gives Greg greater flexibility when baking and reheating.

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Fast family food

Multipurpose technology - like that found in Greg's combi microwave - saves space in a room while also providing extra cooking capacity when catering for large gatherings. Offering normal cooking functions you would expect to see in an oven, this device also doubles up as a microwave, allowing Greg to turn out fast, fresh food, even on the most hectic days. By choosing an integrated model, he has also freed up counter space that would be cluttered up with a freestanding option.

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Hot on hosting

He also included a warming drawer to heat plates and prove bread - making his home ready for hosting.

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Hot on hosting

Cooking a complex meal can mean that some elements are ready before others. Once a dish is cooked, it can be placed in a warming drawer to stay hot ahead of serving, ensuring everything reaches the table at the right temperature. During family baking sessions, this device can also make it easier to prove dough for homemade bread or pizza bases, which Greg loves to do with his kids.

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Extract in style

With a stove placed centrally, built-in extraction keeps the space free of steam while keeping sight lines clear.

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Extract in style

Sharing time as a family is easier for Greg thanks to this central cooking area, which features a breakfast bar where the little ones can sit while dad cooks. Greg also hopes that this comfortable spot will convince his boys to eat at the table before school, rather than in the living room. The integrated hood found in his stove ensures that the room remains fresh during and after meals, making it a more pleasant place to hang out. It also keeps sight lines clear contributing to a more open feel.

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