George Clarke’s vision to transform a homeowner’s dark, cramped kitchen into a light-filled open-plan space flowing onto the garden brought everyone to tears. But the emotional scenes on George Clarke’s Kitchen vs Gardens didn’t end there; by the end of the renovation, George was visibly moved once again during the big reveal.
In Channel 4’s new makeover show, architect George and garden designer Luke Millard help families choose between their kitchen and garden renovations.
While both the kitchen and garden will be renovated, based on George and Luke’s designs, the homeowners must decide where to spend the bulk of their budget – and what space they’re willing to compromise.
George shares helpful tips along the way, detailing costs and the benefits of upgrading these essential spaces: ‘Refurb in a garden can add 20 per cent to the value of your house, and it’s the same for your kitchen,’ says George.
Channel 4
George Clarke and Luke Millard
Episode one
In the first episode, we meet Gemma and Scott, who share a three-bedroom semi-detached home in Essex with their son Jake. They bought the property with the help of an inheritance Gemma received from her late father. But they’ve faced a fair few challenges – shortly after moving in, the couple discovered cracks above the windows stretching to the first floor, which meant the entire house had to be underpinned — a process that took 10 years to complete.
Despite then issue being fixed, their narrow and cramped galley kitchen had been the cause of many arguments for the couple, leaving little room for cooking and hardly any storage space. Wedged in the middle of the ground floor was a tiny dining room that doubled as Gemma’s office – George likened it to a ‘dumping ground’. But the poky dining and cooking areas were only part of the problem.
Channel 4
Before the makeover
The tiny kitchen was also the only access to the garden. ‘That kind of shocks me on another level,’ said George.
‘It’s a constant thoroughfare,’ explained Gemma. ‘This is basically a corridor, and they’ve put a kitchen in it.’
Although spacious, the bland, unloved garden had a curved bend and uneven path, and it was only being used as a playground by their son. Gemma hoped part of the outdoor space could be transformed with a garden office so she could finally have a dedicated workspace.
All in all, the impractical layout of the kitchen and garden had become ‘a source of stress’ for the couple. ‘Hand on heart, I haven’t come across a project for a long time where I’ve realised that the kitchen and garden are absolutely vital to your life change,’ said George.
Kitchen vs garden – what’s the priority?
Gemma and Scott had a healthy budget of £90,000, and, after seeing plans drawn up by George and Luke, followed by a 3D visualisation, they decided to spend the bulk of their money on the kitchen. This meant, with a smaller budget, garden designer Luke had to scale back his plans for their outside space.
George’s design did, however, leave Gemma shedding happy tears – and it even made George emotional in the process.
Channel 4
Gemma got tearful after seeing the visualisation of the kitchen renovation, which soon left George emotional too
With the kitchen taking the lion’s share of the budget, the final allocation was: £70k for the kitchen and £30k for the garden.
The renovation
With Gemma and Scott living on site during the renovation, it gave George and the building team two months to complete the works.
The biggest change was taking out the internal wall between the kitchen and dining room and then blocking up the doorway between these two rooms to form one new, larger doorway. This helped create a clear path to the garden through the middle of their kitchen-diner. ‘It’s an enormous move because it changes the entire floor of the house,’ said George. ‘And what’s important is that your kitchen isn’t a hallway; people aren’t passing through it to get to the garden.’
George says… ‘The idea of an extension puts some people off doing anything at all – too much cost and chaos. Whereas removing a non-structural wall should be done and dusted in one to three days and cost up to a couple of grand, depending on the size of your space.’ The green kitchen
Channel 4
Channel 4
Loved for its connection to nature, green was the colour of choice for the kitchen, helping to create a seamless link to the garden. ‘One of the most powerful ways to connect spaces is through colour,’ said George. A deep green with a visible wood stain brings both richness and texture to the room.
The classic Shaker-style, U-shaped fitted kitchen features soft-close doors with scratch-resistant, vinyl-wrapped fronts, giving the look of natural wood grain. Aged brass handles add a touch of luxury, while the cabinetry — costing just over £9,000 — offers a relatively cost-effective option, according to George.
Another standout feature is the marble-effect hood cover, priced at around £1,500. Not only does it make a striking design statement, but it also neatly conceals an otherwise unsightly extractor hood.
George says… ‘Replacing the doors can save an existing kitchen at an average of around £1,300. If you’ve got wood or wood-effect fronts, you can paint them yourself. It takes forever, but it’s eco- and budget-friendly.’
A cosy dining area
Channel 4
Towards the back of the kitchen is banquette seating, a brilliant space-saver. George also added a small peninsula in the kitchen with stools, providing a breakfast bar-style seating space.
Stylish bifold windows
Channel 4
Not just essential for natural light, the French doors and bifold window are key in connecting both spaces.
George says… ‘An average three-paned bifold window like this comes in at around £2,500, not cheap, but a superb way to connect kitchen and garden without losing a low-level cupboard.’A new outdoor kitchen
Channel 4
An outdoor cooking barbecue area with a concrete worktop sets up Gemma and Scott for plenty of hosting and entertaining – and there’s an adjacent seating area too. ‘We formed a concrete workshop, we poured it, and then we thought we’d polish it. I think it cost in the end between the £12,000 and £14,00o mark,’ revealed Luke.
A dream garden office
Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4
Outside, Gemma now has the home office of her dreams. At the back of the garden is Gemma’s office with fully bespoke interiors, including a rounded-edge desk, soft-close cabinets, a curved interior wall, and pink walls with botanical wallpaper.
Final verdict
Both Gemma and Scott were overjoyed with the transformation, especially given their deep emotional connection to the house.
‘My dad would just be over the moon, absolutely over moon,’ an emotional Gemma told George. ‘I lost my dad at the most important time in my life when Jake was coming, and if anything, he would be like, ‘I’ve gone in order to give you this house,’ and for us a family, we don’t have to sell the house now – so thank you.’
Her heartfelt words moved George to tears once more.
Channel 4
• George Clarke’s Kitchen vs. Garden airs weekly, every Wednesday at 8pm on Channel 4. Catch up on Channel4.com
Follow House Beautiful on TikTok, Instagram and Pinterest
Olivia Heath is the Daily Editor at House Beautiful. Heading up all things digital, Olivia loves uncovering tomorrow’s biggest design trends and sharing the best decorating tips, small-space living solutions, and houseplant care advice. She also enjoys curating stylish and affordable homeware on the high street, as well as spotlighting the hottest properties on the market. Olivia covers some of the biggest events in the calendar, including all the action from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Colour of the Year forecasts from Pantone to Dulux, and exclusive previews of all the new Christmas collections before they hit the shops. Olivia has been writing about homes and interiors for the past seven years, and her work has also been published on House Beautiful US, Elle Decor US, Country Living, Good Housekeeping, Red, Prima, Town & Country, Elle Japan, Modern Living and Micasa Revista. Prior to joining House Beautiful, Olivia worked at Reveal magazine, where she reported on celebrity and entertainment news by day, and attended showbiz parties and red carpet events by night! Olivia has an MA in Journalism with an NCTJ qualification, as well as a BA in Journalism and Media & Cultural Studies. Previous bylines include The Guardian, Independent on Sunday, The Huffington Post, Frontline Club and Pride Magazine.
Comments are closed.