When Leesa Dowell decided to replace her kitchen, she went all out to create the stunning family space of her dreams. She talks to Sarah Millington

IF all good things come to those who wait then the three-year hiatus between Leesa Dowell deciding she wanted a new kitchen, and actually getting it, was definitely worth it.

Leesa had replaced the kitchen at her Sunderland home before – and hated it – so the 45-year-old was adamant that this time, she would get it right. The problem was, she was so fussy about every detail that it began to look as though she’d never give the green light. “It took me about three years to decide what I wanted with the kitchen firm,” she laughs. “We didn’t just jump into it. Nothing has been spared on it. Once we were doing it, we said we’d only do it once.”

The kitchen was planned as part of a two-metre extension running most of the width of the back of the house, which Leesa and her husband Paul had built in the summer. It’s an enormous space, with two distinct areas, each with their own island, and was the biggest job ever undertaken by Seaham firm Castlemead Homecraft.

Leesa wanted it to have the wow factor and it certainly does, with wall-to-wall white, high-gloss units; a porcelain tiled floor and mood lighting that changes colour at the command of a phone app. Gadgetry abounds, from the remote-controlled skylights to the power sockets that cleverly disappear into the islands when not in use.

You get the impression that Paul, an electrical engineer who has his own business, had little say in the kitchen’s design, and Leesa, a detective constable, concedes that he didn’t. “My husband always wanted an island – he loves an island – and he wanted a coffee machine,” she says, pointing out the built-in version, with a wine cooler on either side.

On the plus side, the kitchen looks out onto a Scandinavian hut Paul decided to treat himself to while Leesa was away in New York. The bifold doors were a key feature of the kitchen’s design and part of Leesa’s aim to let in the maximum amount of light and bring the outside in. She feels the kitchen is now much brighter. “I just wanted that open-space look and light,” she says. “Everything was dark. I couldn’t get much light in and it was depressing. When they started putting the roof lights in, we knew we wanted more light so the builder said we could have three.”

Working to a palette of grey, white and natural colours, Leesa wanted a contemporary look, with curves, rather than angles, but without the stark white and high gloss seeming too clinical. She had in mind a feature wall, but was unsure how to achieve it. Kitchen designer Phil Hall suggested an uneven stone wall-like collage of warm coloured slate. Leesa took his advice – and absolutely loves it. “Phil was spot on,” she says.

“The work surfaces are called Mont Blanc, which my husband has actually climbed because that’s what he does in his spare time, so we thought it was an omen. It’s lovely – it really goes. It’s got lots of brown and a stone effect, which is what I wanted – to bring the outside in, so it all felt like the same space. I also wanted a bit of wood; again to keep it soft, so when you open the doors you’ve got the garden and it all feels part of the same area.”

In addition to the aesthetics, Leesa was heavily involved in ensuring maximum functionality. The kitchen is split into different zones for things like food and detergents storage and its heart is the central area, with AEG appliances and a large dining table. With three children aged 13, 18, and 23, Leesa and Paul are often serving food and drinks and, for them, hospitality is second nature. “Paul is known as a feeder,” laughs Leesa. “He feeds everyone who comes in. We like having people round. We always have family meals. We’ve pretty much made this a family space and extended it to people coming in, so they feel like family.”

One of the final touches was a distinctive light fitting comprising black cages set off by bronze trims. “I knew I was after a centrepiece,” says Leesa. “I wanted something to tie everything together. I was at Dalton Park with my daughter and I saw this in the window of Pagazzi.”

It may have taken three years, and a whole lot of planning, but now her dream kitchen is finally finished, Leesa can sit back and enjoy it. “It is a luxury but my husband and I have worked hard,” she says. “I thought, why do we not look after ourselves in a place we spend so much time? Why can’t we have a nice space for the kids? It is the heart of the house.”

The people behind Leesa’s kitchen

When planning her kitchen, Leesa was keen to make use of local businesses. For the building work, she used DW Jefferson & Sons of Hetton-le-Hole, 0191-5268665; the lighting was designed by Bradtec Electrics, W:facebook.com/BradtecElectricsltd; and the kitchen was by Castlemead Homecraft, W:castlemead-homecraft.co.uk