Ease Design Studio

05/09/2026

04/09/2026

Islands get all the attention on Pinterest and Instagram, but a peninsula does the same job in a lot of extensions, and more time that you think it does it better.

A peninsula gives you the worktop, the extra storage and the seating, but it keeps one end connected to a wall, which means you don’t lose clearance space on both sides.

If your extension is on the narrower side, or the island would sit close to a doorway or the garden doors, a peninsula is usually the better fit, you still get the sociable cooking space you always wanted.

Don’t make having an island to be your goal. Instead aim for a kitchen that works for how your family moves through it.

If you’re not sure which one fits your space, that’s exactly the kind of thing I look at before extension build starts.

Save this for when you get to the kitchen layout stage planning.

02/09/2026

Kitchen islands are on so many extension wish lists, but the reality is that not every extension has enough space for one and not every family actually needs one.

One of the first things I look at when planning a kitchen is what happens around the island, not just whether we can fit one on the plan.

As a general guide:

📏 Around 1000mm clearance is a good starting point around an island.

📏 1100–1200mm can work better in busy areas, particularly between the island and the main kitchen run where you’ll be cooking, opening drawers and using appliances.

📏 If you’re planning seating at the island, you also need to think about the space behind the stools. Around 900mm may work where there’s little traffic behind them, but 1200mm is much more comfortable where people need to regularly walk past.

And this is where I often see the problem.

An island is squeezed into the layout because there technically appears to be room for it, but once the kitchen is being used by a family, it feels tight.

Imagine:
Someone is cooking.
Someone opens the dishwasher.
someone is sitting at the island.
Someone else is trying to walk through to the garden.

Suddenly, those clearances really matter.

Sometimes a peninsula, a smaller island or even no island at all creates a much better kitchen.

The goal isn’t to fit an island into your extension.

It’s to create a kitchen that works for your family and the way you use the space.

And ideally, these decisions should be worked out before building work starts, while there’s still time to get the layout right.

Planning an extension? Get the layout right before you build.

01/09/2026

I love a beautiful home but I’m even more interested in how it functions.

✨On the busy mornings when everyone needs to leave at the same time.

✨During cooking while children are doing homework at the kitchen table or island.

✨When toys ‘appearing out of nowhere’ across the living room.

✨When laundry is waiting to be sorted.

These are the moments when the whole family is using the space at once and this is what a home should really be designed for and this is the main reason why layout planning is such an important part of my work.

When I look at plans for an extension or renovation, I’m not just looking at whether everything technically fits. I’m thinking about how the family will move through and use that space every day.

✨Where will the coats, shoes and school bags go?

✨Can someone cook while somebody else makes a cup of tea without constantly crossing paths?

✨Is there enough storage where it is needed?

✨Can the children be doing homework while dinner is being prepared?

✨Does the furniture work with the circulation through the room?

✨And will the layout still work as the family grows and life changes?

For me, good design is about balance, intention and care, creating a home that feels beautiful, but also makes everyday family life that little bit easier.

I believe that some of the most important interior design decisions should happen before any building work begins and getting the layout right gives everything else a stronger foundation.

I don’t want your extension, kitchen and home to look beautiful when it’s finished, I want all to work beautifully on an ordinary Tuesday morning too.

Planning an extension? Get in touch to get the layout right before your build starts!

28/08/2026

Once your build is underway, changing the layout is more complicated than you think. It’s expensive and slows the build down.

Your materials are already ordered and on site

Steel beams, timber frames, custom glass, all ordered and made based on your original drawings.

Your pipes and wires are already in

First fix electrics and plumbing are already run through your walls and floors. Move a room or a service point = extra work, extra expense and delay in schedule

Your schedule falls apart

Builders work to a sequence. Changing your mind mid build for new plans will cause delay and your finish date will slip by weeks, sometimes months.

Your budget takes the hit

You pay twice, once for the work already done, once for the rework.

This is why getting your layout right before the build starts matters more than almost anything else.

27/08/2026

Here’s something I tell everyone who listens.

You need to design your interior layout and storage plan at the same time and alongside with your structural design.

Yes it’s more work up front but skipping this step is where renovation regrets come from, for example …

😩 The island you wanted doesn’t fit the space that’s been allocated for the kitchen

😩 You can’t push your chair back from the dining table without hitting a wall

😩 Kitchen design is rushed because your builder need it asap. The result will be you missing out on wider drawers, a spice pull out or a proper recycling bin

😩 Radiators get crammed in wherever there’s room left, and now your furniture has to work around them

😩 Windows land in the wrong spot, too high, too low, too small for the room

😩 A structural column ends up right where your sofa or your view should be

When you plan your interior alongside your structural plan, these can be easily prevented.

Want help with your layout, kitchen and storage design before the builders start?

Enquire via [email protected]

25/08/2026

Architects design for planning permission and how the house will look externally.

Builders build what’s on the architect’s drawing.

Neither of them advise on kitchen layout, plan your storage or check if your utility room fits a washing machine, a tumble dryer and the school bag pile.

But this is what I do.

I plan your layout and joinery, before anything gets built and design it around how you live.

24/08/2026

UK homes are just not built with enough storage.

This under stairs space is a perfect example. You are supposed to have your coats, shoes, bags, hoovers, ironing boards and whatever else you want to hide in there.

One small space, expected to store everything!?

No wonder it doesn’t feel enough, because it is simply not enough even for a single person, let alone a family.

This is exactly the type of problem I solve in the layout and joinery review service. I won’t recommend buying more baskets, I will create a layout and storage plan around how your family lives and how much stuff you own.

14/07/2026

Most home offices get shoved into whatever space is left over. A corner of the bedroom, the end of the kitchen table, an awkward alcove nobody else wanted. No wonder you can’t focus.

Here’s what actually matters.

❌ Facing a wall
✅ Facing the room, or a window (unfortunately not always possible)

Staring at a blank wall all day puts your brain on edge. You want to see the room, or better, see outside. It calms your nervous system without you even realising it.

❌ Desk with no storage plan
✅ Built-in storage that hides the mess

Paperwork, cables, the printer nobody wants to look at. If it’s all on show, your office will always feel chaotic, no matter how nice the desk is. A joinery solution built around what you need to store changes everything.

❌ One lighting source
✅ Layered lighting

Overhead light alone is harsh and flat by 3pm. Add a desk lamp and a floor lamp. Your eyes and your mood will thank you.

❌ Squeezed into leftover space
✅ Designed as its own zone

If your home office is an afterthought, it will always feel like one. It needs proper layout thinking, just like any other room.

This is exactly what I do in a Home Reset. Layout, colour, and built-in joinery, all mapped out so your space works for how you live and work.

DM me “RESET” if your home office needs sorting.

ayout, colour, and built-in joinery, all mapped out so your space actually works for how you live.

DM me “RESET” if your home office needs sorting.

10/07/2026

This is the bit new home owners message me about the most.

You’ve got a room with three different ceiling heights, a sloped bit that cuts into the corner, and a niche that looks like someone tried to design a feature and gave up halfway through.

You don’t know what furniture will fit. You don’t know if you should paint the slope the same as the walls or make it a feature. You don’t know if that niche is a shelf, a wardrobe, or just dead space forever.

The truth is, awkward spaces are a layout problem waiting for the right plan.

I look at the whole room together. Where the furniture fits around that slope. Whether that niche becomes built in storage or a display spot. What colour makes the ceiling feel intentional instead of like an afterthought.

No space is too awkward for a proper plan.

That’s what Home Reset is for.

Link in bio. 🏡