She shows that multitasking is not just a myth. Katie Woods is an influencer, dentist, wife, and mother of four with a passion for interior design. With her renovation project @thesmurfhouse, she made her dream of having her own holiday home come true. Of course, this included renovating the old kitchen.
The dream of a holiday home by the sea
"We had a dream we couldn't let go of. A dream that made our hearts beat faster and that we really wanted to make a reality." This is how Katie Woods describes her dream of her own holiday home by the sea. A place (of desire) where she and her family could escape the stresses of everyday life and where she could start a holiday rental business. And this place Katie and her family call their holiday home can be found in South Devon.
But where did this dream come from and why exactly South Devon? "As a large family, we often went on holiday to England. We are not bothered by hectic airports and when it is sunny, there is no place on earth more beautiful than England as far as I am concerned," says Katie, who lives in Leeds with her family. During one of her trips to England in 2015, Woods fell in love with South Devon and its seaside location, and so the dream of the smurf house was born. A few years later, it would become a reality.
"Our dream kitchen is a magical place"
It didn't take her long to find the perfect house on the outskirts of the beautiful town of Salcombe, but the purchase involved a huge job for Woods. "My goodness, that was a huge project," Katie recalls, "The walls were damp and the whole property was pure chaos". But despite the looming Corona lockdown and the challenges of renovation, the Woods family rose to the challenge and set to work in good spirits.
"No wall remained untouched. We were determined in our decision to create something really special." It was particularly important to Katie to create a home that would meet everyone's needs. This includes a fully accessible suite on the ground floor, extra-wide doorways, an adapted kitchen island and even a sliding door leading from the first-floor balcony to the garden. But the centrepiece of the project for Katie since the beginning has been her dream kitchen: "It's a magical place for me and my family."
Planning the kitchen early is essential
Planning her kitchen early and carefully was essential for Katie. "Rushing things when planning my last kitchen caused me to regret some of my decisions for years," she explains. Mistakes made in kitchen planning are often costly and impossible to correct. According to Woods, the danger of making hasty decisions is especially great in large construction projects, as you sometimes have to react incredibly quickly to a wide range of situations. Therefore, Katie advises, "Make sure you plan in advance, especially with your kitchen. Imagine standing in your kitchen and how you want it all to be."
It was always clear to Katie that the kitchen in her smurf house needed to be a cosy place. A place where families could come together, a place full of laughter, love and fun. The idea was to make the kitchen island the beating heart of the house. "If you watch people enter a kitchen, you see that they seem to gravitate towards the kitchen island like a magnet," Katie notes. So the kitchen island for the interior design blogger was just the right place to start when planning her kitchen.
Cooktop or sink on the kitchen island?
Now for an important question: hob or sink on the kitchen island? As a passionate cook and self-proclaimed chatterbox, Katie knew immediately that she wanted a hob on the island. "I want to cook and chat with my family or friends at the same time. I want to fry onions while laughing with my friends and family and not have to face the wall," Katie said, explaining the reasons behind her decision.
She also said she was worried that with an island sink, it would always look messy if there are piles of dirty or wet items on it: "At least, if you don't wash up right away, but honestly, who has time for that?"
A cooktop extractor system - the best choice for a kitchen island
So the decision to have a hob on the kitchen island was soon clear. However, Katie had a few reservations: "In the past, it was always difficult to have a hob on an island, because the extractor is not particularly stylish and is an obstacle at head height." BORA, however, was able to dispel these reservations. "BORA has the perfect answer with an elegant appliance and an integrated extractor that fits seamlessly," she says excitedly.
Katie even opted for a BORA cooktop in her previous kitchen plans in 2016: "Purchasing the BORA Classic cooktop extractor hood for our previous kitchen was probably the only decision I have never regretted. At the time, it was a pioneering product and a carefully thought-out purchase," she recalls. So it became immediately clear to her and her family: "We had to go for BORA again".
@thesmurfhouse X BORA Pure
The blogger chose the BORA Pure with induction hob for the kitchen in her smurfhouse and has some enthusiastic words to say about it: "It is powerful and elegant, stylish and quiet. It is also incredibly easy and super-intuitive to operate, which is very important for a home that is going to be used by a lot of people."
Now, after more than three years of renovation work, the dust has settled on the Smurf house, the walls have been painted and the Woods' dream has become a reality. The kitchen is full of people, laughter and happiness. Katie says the sound of clinking glasses, sizzling food and conversations between family and friends is "just wonderful". The BORA Pure is an essential for putting family and party meals on the table when hosting multiple guests.
According to Katie, even a private chef used the BORA to cook for a special event: "Even he said how great it was to cook with our BORA," she reports.
No matter if you are preparing a bowl of noodles after a long day at the beach or trying new, eccentric dishes for special occasions, life (of a cook) revolves around the kitchen island. She offers one final piece of advice: "Follow your dreams and they will lead you to incredible places. Oh, and start planning your kitchen!"
More information:
BORA
www.bora.com
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