'The property had been used as a B&B so the whole house had seen a lot of wear and tear,' recalls Nicole. 'The cabinets that covered virtually every wall were falling apart and it felt so cramped.' The property, a 16th-century barn, which had been converted 10 years previously, also featured an 'upside-down' living arrangement. Sited on the first floor to make the most of the coastal scenery, the kitchen's vista was something that Nicole was keen to exploit. 'I wanted to capture the remoteness of the location, creating something simple and unadorned,' she says. 'I also wanted a style that I wouldn't get bored with but that would reflect my own move from a busy, stressful life to a more relaxed existence.'

Spying a picture of her ideal kitchen in a local advert led Nicole to Mat Davies at Landmark Kitchens but before too much could be planned, structural work ensued, knocking through the kitchen to a small utility room. It was a decision well made as Mat's first challenge was to design the kitchen around Nicole's existing, and rather substantial, American fridge freezer. 'I brought it and the microwave from my previous home so they were the starting point for the design,' she explains. 'Once they were in place, the rest of the scheme just seemed to come together.' The cool stainless steel of the appliances adds a discreet modern edge to Nicole's otherwise classic kitchen. 'The house and its surroundings are so olde worlde that I didn't want it to be chintzy,' she says.

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It wasn't just appliances that found their way into the house but also a heavy granite table. 'I wanted it in the middle of the room so I could relax there, gazing out across the sea. Unfortunately, it just wasn't going to fit,' remembers Nicole. Instead, Mat designed a table, which curves out into the centre of the room, giving Nicole her casual seating space and an extra preparation area.

Rustic slate flooring, inspired by grey skies on inclement days, gives rise to the soft tones of the beautifully painted cabinetry, representing the sea and the sunny sky. 'The coastal location swayed my choices so much,' admits Nicole, 'but the kitchen is now exactly what I wanted - pure relaxation.'