As I had only been working for Minerva Design just a few weeks (and no thanks to the second lockdown), it dawned on me that even though I had been surrounded by all the hard work that goes into creating a kitchen, I hadn’t actually seen a finished kitchen in a client’s home. But today was the day to change all that and I was really excited.
We had literally just come out of the second national lockdown, so armed with my camera, tripod and of course my trusted mask, I knocked on the door and was greeted by four paws, a wagging tail, and of course the new owners of a Minerva kitchen - we’ll call them C & E.
I had previously seen the before photos, yet when I stepped inside, I couldn’t believe it was the same space! It had been completely transformed. However, this was only the start of their project. Turns out they are renovating the whole house and by ‘the whole house’ I mean everything: the carpets, walls, windows – nothing was safe.
After chatting to C & E for a little while I found out that their stunning green and brass kitchen was the very first part of the house to be completely finished and it was certainly a project they have had to be patient with. After months of knocking down walls (yes that’s plural!), renovating, researching and patiently waiting (no thanks again to the national lockdown) it was finally in and they couldn’t be happier. “There is not one element in our kitchen that we would have done differently, from the layout, the style, the units, the features and the colour.”
I was really interested in how they chose Minerva Design and it certainly was an interesting story.
Both C & E are adventurous and love nature and living in the city wasn’t where they want to settle. Whilst they thought about a self-build they absolutely fell in love with the location of their current house as it has a little bit of everything. Not only that but they were fully prepared to take on renovating to create their dream home and from the start they had decided that they wanted to include a bespoke kitchen. As both C & E work from home normally, not just because of Covid-19, they appreciate their kitchen more than most. Plus, they both love to cook and host guests (when Covid-19 isn’t around) so a bespoke kitchen was really the only route to go, especially with all the luxuries they wanted to include.
So how did they choose us? As C & E are new to the area with a huge renovation project, they were keen on using local builders to help them and that was their thinking when it came to their kitchen. When speaking to C, I found out that it was actually between us and another company (eek!). They were so close in choosing the other company and literally were ready to give the green light. But after doing a little more research on google and visiting our showroom, seeing the guys at work in our workshop and meeting our MD, they wanted a Minerva kitchen (phew!) and as they say, the rest is history.
Once C & E started their Minerva journey, and their kitchen was being crafted in our workshop, they actually divided the workforce with their choice of green. It was like marmite - half hated it, half loved it. But after seeing it altogether everyone agreed that it looked so good! Since we’ve actually had quite a few clients request a similar green… they certainly started a trend including their choice of handles and worktops!
The kitchen was a pleasure to shoot, whilst I was there for quite a few hours it became even more apparent that it truly is bespoke. This kitchen has the cutest coffee station behind the bifold doors, because they love their coffee, the wine cooler in the island for when they host guests and the in-hob downdraft extractor because they didn’t want an overhead extractor fan. Everything seamlessly fitted together and perfectly complimented the space, it was their ideas brought to life and was designed to work with their everyday living. After capturing every single angle, Harris (our four-legged friend) had to get in on the action and have a little mini-shoot, simply because he was super cute and photogenic!
This is a little snippet of what C & E said in their review:
“If anyone is looking for an independent bespoke kitchen company, run by two professional but down to earth guys, that go above and beyond to ensure you receive the perfect kitchen for you, I could not recommend Minerva high enough!”
After a really lovely day out seeing my first Minerva kitchen I am even more excited for my next adventure out of the office. Keep an eye out for my next outing! Check out below to see the final photos from my first shoot.
Soph x