Kitchen Extension Saved: How Beth Got Her Dream

04 Dec 2025

Still tingling with adrenaline, Sigma 3 Kitchen’s videographer Stella Baker taxied her car through a set of double gates and onto a grand driveway. She’d set out early, but roadworks had thrown off her plans. Fortunately, as a professional, she’d salvaged the situation, arriving just in time.

Ironic, she thought, scanning her notes on the customer, Beth, who had agreed to an interview regarding her new Shaker kitchen. Like Stella, Beth had started with a vision – her dream kitchen extension – but constraints had derailed it. Luckily, a Sigma 3 kitchen expert had saved the project.

“Ooh, lovely,” Stella said, sipping a tea her host had offered her after welcoming her through the home’s glass entrance and into her immaculate Ashbourne kitchen. Having set up her camera for the interview, the videographer added, “So, tell us a bit about you, and how you discovered the company.”

“We first heard about Sigma by doing our research online,” Beth explained. A glamourous host, she stood in front of an elegant pantry in the corner her of modernised kitchen. “We looked at a few different companies and got a few different companies to come out and do a design for us.”

“Make sense,” Stella encouraged. “So, why’d you choose us over other companies that remodel kitchens?”

 

Beth’s Extension: Kitchen Vision vs Reality

“A deciding factor on why we went for Sigma was probably Emma.” Beth smiled. “Emma was fantastic.”

“She was patient, knowledgeable and, most of all, listened to my needs – or our needs – and what we wanted from our kitchen. We were creating this from scratch. We had the extension done and, for me, I thought that meant that I could have anything I wanted.”

Considering possible open kitchen-living-room plans, Stella asked. “And could you?”

“When we started doing the design, it turned out, at first, I couldn’t have the utility room hidden.” Beth’s face darkened at the memory. “And also, the breakfast counter that I wanted; we weren’t able to have that.”

Stella nodded, understanding Beth’s frustration. “Ugh, that must have been annoying after you had already built the room. What was the solution? Did you change the kitchen layout or was it too late?”

At that, Beth re-brightened. “Emma came back out and revisited the design.”

Stella nodded and reached for a biscuit set out on a plate. Crunching on rich oats, she surveyed the results: an immaculate Shaker kitchen with an accessible breakfast counter. There wasn’t a utility room in sight, but it was unclear whether that made it into the final product.

Emma’s Kitchen Layout Fixes

“It looks wonderful,” she said, covering her mouth as she chewed. She swigged her tea. “It’s surprising how easily someone experienced can realign a project, isn’t it? Want to talk us through it?”

“So, originally, the set of appliances on my right were designed on the left,” Beth explained, gesturing to a bank of sleek integrated overs and a microwave in her remodelled kitchen. “So, Emma spoke to the builders, kind of flipped things around, put the set of appliances this side.”

“There is a steel beam behind me as well. That’s been hidden by a corner larder. And I was able to have the breakfast counter that I wanted on this side as well.

“So, when I thought, ‘Oh, my gosh. I can't have everything I want!’ I was completely overcome,” she explained. “However, Emma did everything in her power to kind of flip things around and make sure that everything within my wish list could be granted.”

Kitchens Remodelled with Unique Features

“The result is incredible!” Stella said. “How was the experience outside of the planning? Did Emma give you ideas you hadn’t originally considered?”

At that, Beth nodded. “The showroom they’ve got up in Abergavenny is fantastic. It helped us to kind of walk through different items, different looks and, yeah, it gave us a really good idea of what we wanted and how it would work within our kitchen.

“Although we’ve really modernised our home, we still wanted a traditional feel for the kitchen. So, again, when we went into the showroom in Abergavenny, we saw the design of the kitchen and really, really liked it.”

“The thing that really popped for us was the Ashbourne Beach House colour. We felt like it was something we hadn't seen before and really thought it would work well in this kitchen and keep that kind of traditional feel for us.”

“It is lovely,” Stella confirmed. And she was telling the truth – the kitchen-diner extension’s wall cabinets really popped, in perfect contrast with its more neutral island.

“We then wanted something of a contrast on the island,” Beth continued, as if reading her mind. “So, again, looking at the colours within the showroom, we found the Highland Stone worked really well.”

“Then we looked at the internals on the cabinets, which is something that I hadn’t really thought about before. The Portland Oak internals kept it really sleek. Again, when the drawers are open, when we’re entertaining, they still look really lovely open, just as nice as they would closed.”

Stella smirked at that comment. After all, matching cabinet internals, handles (or handlerails on handleless kitchens) and acoustic panelling in a choice of Portland Oak, Tuscan Walnut, dark Espresso or pale Blonde Oak finishes were a Sigma 3 USP that no competitor could match.

“Even if it got re-worked, the internals made it look like it was all planned this way from the start,” said Stella. “These details make a huge difference.”

“The next thing that we really wanted within our kitchen was the Dresser,” Beth continued. “I really don’t like clutter within the kitchen, so the Dresser, for me, was a perfect kind of solution for that.”

“I agree,” said Stella, eyeing the all-in-one station that housed Beth’s luxury coffee machine and all manner of hot drink paraphernalia. “It looks wonderful, too, even when it’s open. Any other features I should see?”

“I love the Lansbury,” Beth continued. “This is the corner solution that serves two purposes. So, it hides the structural beam, which is within the kitchen, but the other thing it does is gives us a lot more storage.”

Stella grinned, inspecting the corner pantry. A rarity in most modern kitchen setups, its angled door made its contents more accessible than regular units, while adding a sense of Downton-Abbey grandeur.

“I also love the island – how spacious it is,” Beth continued. As she did, Stella took in the Highland Stone workspace with its neutral stools. Together, they grounded the bold, turquoise wall units. “We’ve got two children, and it’s brilliant for prep, and for them getting on with colourings and what they like to do.”

Pausing, Beth looked as if she was struggling to contain her excitement. Then came her final reveal: “And, also, the hidden utility.” She opened a tall larder door to reveal a fully-kitted utility behind it. “Again, for my kind of minimalistic dreams and hopes for the kitchen, it kind of just keeps everything away. It looks like a cupboard, but there’s a lot of space hidden behind there.”

Beth’s Kitchen Extension Design Review

“Wow,” Stella mouthed from behind the camera. It was tailor-made to fit Beth’s taste and personality, with a continuity that ran through multiple spaces. “I bet this has changed family time massively!”

Beth confirmed with a smile. “So, we’ve been living in the kitchen now for about six months and, honestly, there’s nothing I would change about it. It’s so well thought out; the design features; kind of where things are positioned within the kitchen. Emma’s done a fantastic job.”

“There were quite a few back-and-forths, and she just met all of our needs. She listened to what we needed and wanted, went away and worked with it, came back to us – patient. So much so, we’ve just had Emma back to design and fit our new wardrobes upstairs, which, again, we’re really, really pleased with.”

“Amazing!” said Stella, zooming in for one final shot of the happy homeowner. “You’re pleased with Sigma 3, then?”

“Yeah,” Beth nodded. “I really, really would recommend them.”

Make Your Extension Kitchen-Ready

Want to turn a new extension into the kitchen of your dreams like Beth? Request our Sigma 3 Kitchens brochures. Available as digital downloads or luxury coffee table catalogues, they cover all our latest innovations. Also, why not find your nearest showroom and meet with a seasoned expert?

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