California Dreaming: A Bristol Renovation.

Jacqueline and her husband Kurt bought their mid-century classic — a 1960s dark brick house in Bristol's Sneyd Park — through a probate sale, in need of updating throughout.

Jacqueline had a clear vision for the place: a mix of Hollywood glamour and West Coast warmth, inspired by David Hockney's California paintings, layered with colour, pattern and vintage finds.

A large chimney breast running through the centre of the house had kept the ground floor dark and divided, so it came out, and the kitchen — previously tucked away at the front of the house — was brought into the newly opened-up living space.

With such a bold, colourful scheme taking shape around it, Jacqueline needed cabinetry that could hold its own while staying practical for everyday life. She approached Jetsam Made to design and build bespoke pieces for the kitchen, utility room and upstairs bathroom, each made-to-measure rather than off-the-shelf.

Beyond the kitchen units themselves, we built a custom dresser and drinks cabinet as a standout feature piece, and Crittall-style doors to separate off the pantry — previously an awkward, unloved understairs cupboard — turning it into a proper, considered part of the kitchen.

The kitchen fronts were finished in Sapele wood veneer on a birch plywood core, a nod to mid-century design with a warmth and grain similar to teak, while the powder-coated steel frames were colour-matched to Jacqueline's favourite paint shades and paired with fluted glass detailing.

The result is a kitchen that feels entirely bespoke to Jacqueline's home — every piece designed and built specifically for the space, rather than adapted to fit it.

Featured in House Beautiful, September 2026.

Details:

Sapele wood veneer on a birch plywood core. Olive green colour matched to a YES paint colour for the powder-coated frame. Liliac hands from Plank. Reeded glass detailing. Hanex solid surface worktop.