This kitchen looked like it needed a renovation, but as usual, once you start pulling things apart you find out just how much actually needs doing. The kitchen had been there for a while and, hiding behind it all, was a fuse box that was probably around 50 years old. There were also some rather interesting electrical circuits — including the outside light coming on when you thought you were switching on the ceiling light, and the upstairs shower apparently having its switch in the kitchen. So before I could start making it look good, we had to make sure it was actually safe and functioning properly. I brought in Sam the electrician to replace the fuse box and sort out the various oddities.

Then came the fun bit — strip and rip. The old kitchen came out, the floor was stripped and relaid, the old wall tiles came off and everything was prepared ready for the new scheme. From there I built the cabinets, cut and fitted the worktops, installed the appliances and then worked through all the details — sink, taps, drainage, hinges, handles and the floating shelf to finish it off.

The design was deliberately quite bold but still clean. We went for a monochrome palette with small touches of gold, giving it that slightly Deco-meets-industrial feel without turning the kitchen into a film set. The black sink and matching tap were probably my favourite bits — they're small details, but they give the whole thing a bit more character.

A lot of the work on this one is the stuff you don't necessarily see in the finished photographs. Getting the floor right, preparing the walls, dealing with the electrics, making sure the cabinets and worktops actually fit, connecting the plumbing and appliances, and then getting all the little finishing details right. That's the bit I enjoy — taking a kitchen from “something's definitely not quite right here” to something that is properly usable.

The client wanted a kitchen that felt fresh and contemporary but still had some personality, and I think the final combination of black, white, metallic details and the industrial touches does exactly that. It's not trying to be a showroom kitchen — it's a working kitchen that happens to look good.

There are still a few things that can be upgraded over time, because not every house needs to be ripped apart and rebuilt in one go. For now, though, it works, it looks fresh and, importantly, when you switch the kitchen light on, the correct light actually comes on. That's what I call progress.