Vicente Wolf

From: Ellen

City: London, UK

Dear Vicente,

Firstly I would like to say that I absolutely love your work and have found your book so inspiring and useful. I especially love your place.

I have just bought the flat pictured in Shoreditch, London and wanted a more white looking kitchen. I thought that it would be possible to paint the units but the builders tell me it isn’t. I don’t really want to spend money on a whole new kitchen, so I am unsure what to do. I don’t want to spend a lot of money as already the place is quite big and my furniture looks like dollshouse furniture in a giant’s house so I am going to have to buy a fair bit!

I have bought an oak table and these factory lights for above the table, am painting it white and have taken down the plate rack but that is all. Any advice would be much appreciated!

Really hope I hear from you,

Thank you,
Ellen

Vicente Responds:

Ellen, from looking at your pictures, the kitchen already reads quite white. Maybe there are cabinets that I’m not seeing that are a bright color? Firstly, your builders may be right, but if you paint cabinets, be sure to use a semi-gloss and sand them before you start. I’d paint the window frames and the door frames leading to the garden white too. That will wrap the room. Change the cushions on your chairs to white vinyl. That will make it feel brighter. But I think the kitchen looks great already! Try changing the base of your table to a white restaurant type base. The industrial lights you bought are great – I use those in jobs all the time. Good luck – enjoy your bright and airy London kitchen!