When Rebecca Stant and Monty Renshaw bought their Victorian terrace in Shooters Hill, Plumstead in 2019, they knew they had a renovation project on their hands.
Rebecca is a womenswear designer with a degree in fashion and Monty is an artist who also gets involved with interior design for 3Space pop ups. With these backgrounds, they have strong creative ideas. But with the refurbishment being undertaken on a budget, cost effective solutions also top the agenda.
Their plan for the kitchen was to develop it into a living space, not just for cooking but a place to relax, too. Rebecca was keen on looking at using terrazzo for the kitchen countertops as it has a beautiful finish. With an eye on sustainability, she thought that offcuts might provide the answer. Having researched various companies, she decided to approach Diespeker to discuss options for kitchen countertops. She said: “Out of all the companies, Diespeker looked very approachable!”
Visiting the yard in January 2020, they met Diespeker MD John Krause and discussed their idea. John was supportive of the concept and like the idea that the terrazzo offcuts could be used so imaginatively. But it wasn’t until November 2020 that they were able to return to see what was available. “We spent three hours at the yard, as there was so much to see! We were looking for more interesting offcuts – Monty had made templates for the countertops so we knew what we needed to cover.”
Rebecca says the final choice of offcuts was ‘quite brave’ as they are four distinct designs including one with strong terracotta tones and another she refers to as being like a Dalmatian (TE069). The end result is definitely stunning and provides a unique, contemporary look. With the addition of a comfy chair, the kitchen is now the living space that the couple wanted.
A final note. During the making of the countertops, a section was cut out on site for the hob. As an additional commitment to making sure nothing goes to waste, Rebecca and Monty are aiming to make a small coffee table using this ‘offcut of an offcut’!
