The finished kitchen

The kitchen is finally finished! The work didn't take too long to complete but finding the right contrasts of old and contemporary design took a lot of planning and travelling around Brittany.

The old units are solid oak and it took 4 men and some clever use of levers to get them into place.

The lady who sold them to us said that they were built to fit her parents kitchen and the carpenters built them on site, in the kitchen. We hired a sander to bring the floorboards back to life and applied a dark oak stain to matche the cupboards. 

The table, with 8 matching chairs, was a really good buy and has 2 extensions for when we have people round for dinner.

The contemporary units are from LaPeyre and the contrast works really well.

I worked hard to get everything sparkling clean, before I took the photographs. Then remembered that I forgot to put the new rug down. Most of the time it's rolled up behind the sofa to protect it from the muddy dogs.

Buying a house in France

When we were looking for the ideal property, in this area of Finistere, we wandered into Sylvie Mayer Immobilier, in the central square of Huelgoat.

We were met by two of the most helpful people you could ever wish to meet and we bought our lovely house through them. Now, more than 6 months later, we still go to them for translations of important paperwork or where to find the best tree fellers etc.

The property business in France is quite different from that in England and it's important that you feel confident about the information and guidance given to you by the specialists. 

Sylvie and Veronique will tell you all you need to know and nothing is too much trouble.

In most small towns you will also find the Notaires office. The Notaire is similar to a solicitor but sells houses as well as processing the sales. They will usually have a display of the houses for sale, outside their office. They can also be cheaper to buy from as they don't have the same commission.