All round creative junkie

Hidden away in an unassuming street in Ryton Village is a beautiful example of how upcycling can not only save you money but mixed with new products can give you a unique and budget friendly space.

Jess, co-owner of Mallow Communications, and Martin, who works at Sustrans, developing and maintaining sustainable transport for the North East, share this three-bed terrace with Jess’ son, 15 and their daughters, 2 and 11 months. The last two years has seen them transform the house by repurposing, reusing and revamping every inch of space.

Perhaps the biggest transformation is the kitchen. Previously the dining room, they knocked down the wall between the hallway and the dining room to create this stunning open plan kitchen diner. Once they’d replastered, stripped and sanded the floorboards, they set out to create a space which worked for their growing family. Complete with a breakfast bar island this space is perfect. Opting for simple grey high gloss units and doors from Ikea, they added their individuality with some ingenious upcycled features. They splashed out on an oversize piece of workbench to create the island with the recycling bins and storage cupboards on one side and a breakfast bar on the other, using worktop offcuts to make the legs.

Above the large cooker positioned in what was once the fireplace, is a shelf that Martin rescued from a pile of firewood during a friend’s house move, and repurposed into a mantle feature. The shelf above the sink is perched upon cast iron hanging basket brackets, an ebay bargain of just £30.

After removing the wall they decided to keep the old dining room door and upcycle it into a shelf unit. The door frame was then turned into a giant frame to surround the painted blackboard. This works beautifully against the bright pink wall. Colourful accents such as flowers and candlesticks are also used to complement the feature wall.

All in all, I love this kitchen, it’s definitely the heart of the home, and I can’t help wondering what they’ll upcycle in the rest of the house.

To see more of the other rooms in this house follow their blog on myterracemycastle