David Milner and Antonio Pereira have transformed their kitchen into a light-filled oasis of calm with beautiful garden views. Fancy a tour?
After buying their three-storey Victorian semi-detached house on the South Coast about 10 years ago, David Milner and Antonio Pereira had long mulled a kitchen remodel. “The kitchen units were in a decent state, so that wasn’t the issue,” David, who is a chief executive of a local company, tells KBB journo Amelia Thorpe. “But the room felt gloomy and the connection with the garden was poor – so we both felt there was an opportunity to improve the layout and feel of the space.”
The plans
One day, David and Antonio were enjoying lunch with friends including architect Richard Doone of Doone Design, who formerly led Conran & Partners, Terence Conran’s architecture and design studio. The conversation turned to how their kitchen space could be reconfigured.
“Richard suggested great ideas and we decided that it was now time to get on with the project and re-think the room,” recalls David. “We both love the garden and it seemed such a waste not to be able to enjoy it from the house.” Antonio, a psychotherapist, hails from Brazil and misses the sunshine, so it was important to boost the natural light in the space, too.
The remodel
Richard’s remodel involved demolishing the laundry room and WC at the rear of the kitchen, both of which blocked the access to the garden. (The laundry room went to the top floor and the WC under the stairs on the ground floor.) In their place, they built a new garden room with two sets of wide, glazed doors to afford beautiful views of the plant-filled exterior and allow more light into the kitchen.
In the adjacent dining area, they replaced the existing French doors with steel-framed glass doors to match those of the new garden room, and ‘punched’ a hole through the wall between the dining and snug areas to allow light to flow to the rear of the room. “Instantly, the whole space felt so much more open,” explains David.
It was also Richard who suggested that David and Antonio visit the showroom of Inglis Hall, The Kitchen Maker, in nearby Lewes. “We instantly clicked with the team and could see that the kitchens were very well made with beautiful materials,” says David.
Inspired by their joint passion for mid-century modern design, David and Antonio opted for American Walnut as a key feature in the kitchen, teaming it with concrete-effect quartz worktops and large-format floor tiles, which they spotted in the showroom.
The kitchen design
Inglis Hall design project manager, Jay Powell, takes up the story. “Working with Richard’s detailed set of drawings, the design fell into place very naturally,” he says. “The tall units house storage, breakfast cupboard and integrated fridge and freezer, leading on to the cooking zone with sink opposite, so the flow works nicely.”
A peninsula offers more preparation space and makes a serving area between the kitchen and dining table, without blocking the walkway from the front of the house through to the garden room at the rear.
The tall units and wall cupboards conceal the extractor above the induction hob, all finished in reverse slip matched American walnut veneer. “Reverse slip matching means that each sheet of veneer is flipped to create the most natural-looking result,” explains Jay. The walnut complements the base units in Fenix Nero Ingo, an innovative matt material known for its durability, resistance to scratching and soft touch.
“The combination of walnut and black creates a visual rule through the room, adding interest and depth to the space,” continues Jay. The concrete-effect quartz worktops add a lighter note with a little warmth, whilst also accentuating the crisp lines of the look.
Finishing touches
To complete the design, handles in a dark bronze finish and a black tap pick up on the metal frames of the windows and external doors. A cantilevered sideboard and floating shelves in the dining area echo the style of the cabinetry in the kitchen, as does another sideboard between the dining area and snug. “They offer masses of storage and display space, their clean lines ensuring that there is no sense of visual clutter,” notes Jay.
The result? “The new design has transformed the house,” says David. “From the front door, you see all the way through to the garden, which has made the space so much lighter and more welcoming.”
Photography: Leigh Simpson
This house tour was featured in the May 2025 issue of Kitchens Bedrooms & Bathrooms magazine.
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