Home Stories
From the planning process to the realization of the dream
My name is Elif and I'm 29 years old. I live with my husband and two sons in our home we built in 2021.
Since building our new home, we own another property which we completely renovated a few years ago and have rented out since. At the time, I wanted to give Instagram a go but never plucked up the courage. I created my account quite a while ago, but didn't actually take the plunge until June 2022.
1. Currently counting just under 50K followers, you've already built up quite a sizeable following. How do you keep your activities on Instagram apart from home life?
I never expected to get some 50 thousand followers in just a year. I am thrilled to have got so much amazing feedback and see how you can inspire yet also meet some fantastic people to share a lot of your life with.
Having said that, though, I must admit that my family comes first, particularly my children who are still very young.
I have a very structured daily routine in which I set time apart for Instagram.
But, of course, I also have days when things don't always go to plan and need to put things off.
2. What made you go for a handleless black kitchen?
In the other house, we have a white high-gloss kitchen with handles and an island too. With time, tastes change and, believe it or not, I saw a black, handleless kitchen on Instagram that took my breath away. Black kitchens look so elegant and classy. I love it!
3. What do you like about your kitchen most?
What I really love about my kitchen is my integrated coffee maker. For me, an absolute must-have!
4. Did you plan your kitchen yourself? Describe how you planned it.
Yes, I did. I knew exactly what I was looking for. 5 tall units combined with 3 electrical appliances for a look of consistent harmony. Needless to say, the island with lighting was another must-have.
5. What were the challenges in planning your kitchen?
At some point I was told a couple of inches were missing and the kitchen wouldn't fit in the way I wanted it to, even though I'd already got the architect to make my hallway smaller.Thank goodness I had done some research, and seen there was also an option for horizontal recessed handle pulls and, hey presto, it fitted like a glove.
6. What did you like most about planning the kitchen?
The whole planning process in general. Planning my dream kitchen made me so happy.
7. What were three must-haves you absolutely had to have in your kitchen?
My 3 must-haves were:
- Quooker
- integrated coffee maker
- Island with lighting
8. Any ideas for people building or wanting to build? What would you do exactly the same and what would you do differently next time around?
Try to imagine everything as accurately as possible in your mind's eye. Plan and design everything yourself, e.g. with Roomplaner.Of course, the look of a kitchen also plays a key part, but you should also try to plan everything from a practical point of view because, at best, you want it to last forever.
9. The retrained decorative elements you have included in your kitchen make it look very neat and tidy. Does this understated look run throughout your home?
Definitely. I love minimalism. Less is more.
10. Does everyday family life always have to be particularly practical, or is good design also a priority for you?
I'd say a bit of both.
11. What do you feel about neat and tidy organisation in the kitchen? How do you go about it?
I am so obsessed with cleaning and tidying. That's why keeping the kitchen tidy is so important for me, so too is the whole home, even right up into the attic.
12. What do like about your kitchen island? Is it so practical in everyday use?
Benefiting from the full depth has let me include storage space at the back too.
13. Where do you get inspiration on interior design?
Instagram, Pinterest and my own imagination and ideas.
14. What benefits and drawbacks do you see in an open-plan living-dining area, in the way you have it here?
Benefits: everything looks much bigger and brighterDrawbacks: sometimes cooking odours