Carina Claassens
Thanks to a leak, an old-fashioned, dated kitchen has become the favourite room in this KZN Midlands home
THE PROBLEM
“It was rather tired with old melamine chipboard units,” say Anke and Ron Küsel of the kitchen in their Wartburg, KZN home. “Although it was functional, it wasn’t welcoming.”
Before
THE SOLUTION
It was a leak from the dishwasher that caused the chipboard in one cabinet to swell and rot that galvanised them into action. To replace the damaged cabinet, the floor had to be levelled, which meant that it had to be retiled. This in turn meant that all the units had to be removed which gave them the opportunity to give the room a brand new look.
“The kitchen has four doors and two windows which makes it difficult to accommodate cabinetry. Free-standing units from Milestone Kitchens proved to be the answer. We could select the items that would fit into the available space and had a few units custom made,” explains Anke.
Another advantage of units with feet or castors is that they’re easy to move for cleaning and repairs.
“While paging through magazines I saw a kitchen painted in Dulux Dusted Moss and this colour turned out to be perfect. It’s neutral enough to blend with other colours but isn’t bland and boring.”
Silvia Miles, owner of Milestone Kitchens agrees, adding that what also makes this kitchen unique is that Anke and Ron were keen to take a few risks. “For example they chose an unusual combination of dark ash and white Caesarstone tops.”
As it warms the whole house in winter the wood-burning stove had to stay so the Küsels incorporated a bench on one side for thawing out on cold nights. “Before, we seldom spent time in here. Now it’s the heart of our home,” says Anke.
