FUNCTIONAL YET BEAUTIFUL A passion project turned forever family home, with the kitchen at its heart be right to move on to their next investment, having increased the value of the property significantly whilst raising two small children. But they soon realised that nothing on the market could replace the feeling of home they got from Myer Bridge Barn. And so, in 2020, they decided to renovate the one space that would truly turn the property from a house to a home – the kitchen.
WHO? Alex Young, who owns a construction company, and his wife, Lauren. They have two children – Ava, seven, and Henry, who is four. The family also have two dogs – a Labrador and a Rottweiler. WHERE? Southam, Warwickshire. WHAT? A complete renovation of the kitchen and adjoining utility and shower room in the converted barn property. The barn was built in 1860 and initially converted in 1985. Alex and Lauren purchased the property in March 2014. WHEN? The space was renovated over a period of four months in late 2020. The kitchen was completed by luxury kitchen and interiors company, Christopher Peters, between September 2020 and January 2021. WHY? In late 2013, the young couple welcomed the arrival of daughter, Ava, and soon after began hunting for a 18 - www.refurbandrestore.co.uk
property that would suit the needs of a growing family. Having known of the property through the previous owners, it had been empty for over a year when they made an offer in early 2014. The couple were over the moon to learn that their offer had been accepted. But now came the hard work – renovations. The period property hadn’t been modernised since it had initially been converted in the mid-eighties, and with expensive projects mounting up – including new windows, structural modernisation and repointing – the kitchen became a task for later down the line. For over five years, the couple renovated the property room by room. In 2019, and now with two children, Alex and Lauren felt the timing might
With two young children, storage space was a must – but with no compromise on style. The couple had renovated the rest of the barn to their own exacting standard and so the kitchen needed to live up to the rest of the property. With a real eye for classic, farmhouse design, Alex and Lauren worked with the team at Christopher Peters to create a design that would be as functional as it was beautiful. Having previously enquired with various other high street kitchen retailers, the Young’s were so impressed with Will and Grace’s – the married couple who own the luxury kitchen and interiors brand – attention to detail and ability to ‘work with’ the unique elements in the space, including the supporting beams, that they chose their company to do the work.
