The salvaged kitchen
The kitchen is the heart of the house. We do a lot of entertaining and continually experiment in low-energy eco-friendly cooking. The layout follows the ergonomic ideal with the cooker, fridge and sink/dishwasher placed at three points of a triangle.

The kitchen is an experiment in salvage. The cabinets are re-constructed from four pieces of solid oak 1950s furniture bought from a junk shop for £110, unified with a new birch block counter top. The solid porcelain double sink is also salvage. Underneath we store environmental cleaning products. More on using salvage in kitchen design...

Energy efficient ventilation is provided by a heat exchanging fan over the cooker which uses the expelled air to warm incoming replacement air.

Kitchen appliances are the largest consumers of electricity in the home. The cooker runs on gas. The dishwasher is plumbed to the hot water (mostly solar) to reduce electricity consumption. The fridge is a new A grade energy efficient model. The glass fronted cabinet (£30 from a junk yard) provides a cool cabinet for food. Like a pantry it is vented to the outside passageway.

During the day, light pours through the skylights in the extension. Electric lighting is low energy bulbs in spots. The central light fitting is salvaged. The flooring is cork and environmental paint is used throughout.