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When our clients moved into this 19th century home in a hilltop town in Le Marche, the quirky kitchen was fortunately still useable. Garish bright yellow storage units adorned the walls, a stove complete with gas cylinder, working sink and cold water ensured that the family could at least cook a hot meal, but at some point the kitchen would need a complete makeover.

As part of the project, our plumber Tonino had already installed a new hot water boiler and had fitted new pipework in the upstairs bathrooms, and had gone through the options of updating the kitchen pipes once the next phase of the project began.

As standard, electricity companies deliver 3KW of electricity to homes in Le Marche, and our clients had upgraded to a total of 6KW to accommodate the use of modern gadgets and appliances, so we were able to offer both an electric oven and hob. The hob would need its own separate fuse that electrician Giovanni included in his plan to rewire the house.

Once these ‘behind the scenes’ elements were carried out, the kitchen was ready for a complete makeover.

A kitchen is often one of the biggest projects when renovating a house in Italy, but it pays to consider it as part of the overall renovation rather than in isolation.

The Kitchen Design Brief

As our clients loved the vintage Italian bread maker, we suggested removing the paint and see if we could restore it, while one of the cupboard units could be repurposed into a sideboard.

The lime green tiles would be removed, walls plastered, new windows created and we agreed to keep the sink and prime the tiles around it in a colour that complimented a new scheme.

The gramiglia stone fireplace was to be stripped of paint and cleaned, repairs being made to any of damaged areas.

Then a new functional, contemporary kitchen would be fitted, lighting added and the whole room painted.

Finally, an area in the centre of the kitchen would remain free to add a customised island at a later date.

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An Italian Kitchen Makeover

The 1970s lime tiles were removed by builder Middio, who then replastered the walls, while we paint-stripped the fireplace to expose the original gramiglia stone.

Window specialist Giorgio and his team custom-made double glazed windows and we ordered kitchen units from a local supplier. Funky geometric tiles were chosen as a backsplash and the tiles around the sink were primed white.

READ MORE: What are the Costs in Renovating a House in Italy?

Using a paint stripper that wouldn’t damage the stone, Gary carefully removed the paint from the fireplace, exposing beautiful gramiglia stone beneath. This stone is speckled with various pieces of crushed marble and stone and creates a lovely effect when exposed and cleaned.

Finally, a protective wax was applied to bring out the colour and protect it for years to come.

Italian Kitchen Renovation – Scope of Works

* Disposal of unwanted furniture and kitchen items
* New electricity rewiring including additional plug and fuse sockets
* New plumbing works
* Removal of all wall tiles
* New plasterworks
* Design & installation of custom made double glazed windows
* Interior design – choosing wall colours, selecting kitchen units, lighting fixtures & wall tiles
* Painting and decorating
* Installing new kitchen and lighting