Customer Story: Susi Runske's Augusta Graphite kitchen

Susi Runske's Augusta Graphite 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 Runskes began renovating the historic building in 2020 with the view to transforming the cottage into a B&B. However, they also took on a second project — to build a small "granny flat" on the grounds. Of course, creating the kitchen was a key component of the new build. Susi talks us through the process.

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. Susi was looking to create a room that would serve as a dining area, a pantry and, of course, a kitchen. With Caroline's help, they were able to come up with a design that accommodated all of these functions without compromising on space. This would be the main room of the granny flat, so it was important that everything would fit!

The End Result

Susi outlines some of the main features which she was able to incorporate into her new kitchen.

"We have a lot of integrated appliances including a washer-dryer and a small dishwasher. The washer-dryer is hidden in the tall unit that is a little deeper than the rest, which softens the appearance of so many tall units next to each other. Some drawers are pantry-style and very easy to operate. We can store lots of items in them. We chose closed-hanging cupboards because it’s only one person living there and there isn’t as much glassware for glazed cupboards to look good. The rounded countertop at the end of the breakfast bar makes the flow easier in the open space living area and it's child-proof".

Susi was able to work with Caroline's design and put her own stamp on the kitchen. "We sourced our handles and sink tap in antique brass, to match the lighting".

Favourite Feature 

We ask Susi what her favourite feature is. Since she loves the finished kitchen, she can't pick just one single feature in isolation. "Probably the combination of the high-end looking countertop and the wood grain in the gorgeously modern coloured cabinets", she tells us. "Overall, we feel that this is a very special kitchen which combines many functions and yet looks like a designer kitchen". She adds that the kitchen is really good value, cheekily concluding that there's "nothing granny about it really".