Customer Story: Susi Runske's Shaker Ivory kitchen at Ballymaloe Cottage

Susi Runske's Shaker Ivory Kitchen

Susi and Max Runske are the proud owners of Ballymaloe Cottage, a charming 1860s-built cottage that once formed part of the world-famous Ballymaloe Estate. The cottage has changed hands many times throughout the decades, with each owner putting their stamp on the historic building. The Runskes began their own renovation project in 2020 with the view to transforming the cottage into a B&B. The kitchen lies at the heart of the home and overhauling it was one of the couple's top priorities. Susi talks us through the entire process from planning to design to installation.

The Old Kitchen

The cottage might date back to the 1800s, but the kitchen itself wasn't quite so old. Nonetheless, the space was badly in need of a revamp when the Runskes first arrived. "Our kitchen was pine and a little bit dated", Susi tells us. "Generally, it needed modernisation".

There were many aspects which Susi wanted to fix. "We didn’t like the furniture and floor tiles. The layout with the dining table in the middle didn’t make sense for us and the location of the tall fridge behind the door towards the corridor was impractical. The floor levels were all over the place, so we decided to renew the whole room".

While the Runskes' end goal is to open Ballymaloe Cottage as a B&B, it was also important for them to have a space for family and friends. "We were looking to make it practical for lots of cooking and baking but create a nice hangout area for family and friends at the same time," says Susi.

The New Kitchen

The Design Process

Susi's first step was to book a free design appointment with one of our expert designers. We have 17 showrooms all over Ireland. Since she's based in East Cork, Susi opted to go to our Fota location. There she met with Caroline Collins. "Our experience was great", explains Susi. "Caroline had many good tips and helped us plan a very practical kitchen". Susi gives examples of some of Caroline's design tips: "she suggested having a lot of integrated bins, which was a great idea. Our compost bin for example is in the middle of the island, which makes chopping vegetables easy. She also suggested adding many drawers to avoid clutter, which we love".

The End Result

Susi is beyond thrilled with her new kitchen. "We have a very good flow when cooking and everything makes sense where it is stored which is only possible because we planned ahead".

With Caroline's help, Susi was able to retain the bits she liked from the old layout and fix the things she didn't: "we kept some of the layout, like the location of the oven and sink, but changed the location of the tall fridge unit". The new and improved layout created enough space for an island and some other nice features. "We wanted to create a modern farmhouse-style kitchen, so leaving space for open shelving above the sink was a great idea", adds Susi. 

Favourite Feature

Susi has to think a little while before naming her favourite feature of the new kitchen. "Probably, the large window seat", she says. While it's not new in itself, Caroline's clean and uncluttered design allows Susi and the rest of the family to sit and relax, taking in the gorgeous garden view without having to navigate around the kitchen table and chairs. The window seat has now become a fantastic focal point. When asked to describe her new kitchen, Susi simply says "it's the heart of the home". She elaborates a little, adding "we always hang out here with friends and family".