“The cleverest showcase for Sarah's policy of reuse and adaptation is the kitchen, where she took the decision not to rip the old cabinets out and start again. "There was no budget for a brand new kitchen," she explains, "and we liked the shape of the painted cabinets." The 'oak' laminate countertop had to go, of course, and the handles were all falling off, so with the help of contractors Portobello Painters, they dismantled the kitchen, repainted it, added new handles from Lassco, cut new worktops in Carrara marble and installed a new stone floor to replace the existing black lino. The glass cabinets were painstakingly restored by a french polisher, and the result is impeccably stylish. "I like that it’s not a new kitchen, and that it has a slight battered look to it" says Sarah.”