Some of you may already follow Afelia’s kitchen blog or on Instagram or – if not, let me have the pleasure of introducing you! Afia is a cooking enthusiast who shares her love of food and recipes online. Afia was born and raised in London where growing up included celebrating food from across the globe, along with Bangladeshi cuisine, the country where both Afia’s parents were originally from. This rich appreciation of dishes from around the world , and being a mother of 4, means Afia is always trying out recipes for her family which she shares with us all each week. Afia’s passion for cooking was inspired by her late mother, “Sadly, she is no longer with us, but I owe much of my creativity and culinary knowledge to my dear mum. Whilst most recipes on my page are my own concoctions, I’m always learning from family members and friends.” Heading over to any of Afielia's Kitchen platforms, you will quickly see Afia's love for cooking, but even more so for sharing her favourite recipes with followers.
In 2020, Afia was looking to remodel her kitchen. After gathering inspiration from social media platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram, we were delighted that Afia approached us at ILVE to enquire about our range cooker collection. At ILVE, we pride ourselves in our passion for food. Seeing Afia’s enthusiasm for food and cooking made it clear to us at ILVE that Afia was the perfect person to collaborate with. Afia's humble sharing of recipes, kitchen hacks, and talent is exactly what we wish from anyone we choose to work with. Together we found a range cooker from our collection to suit her cooking style and lifestyle.
The range cooker Afia decided on was in our traditional styled, Milano style, 120cm, in Gloss Black and Brass. The hob features 6 gas burners plus our fry-top which can be placed over two of the existing burners and removed to allow for teppanyaki-style cooking (such as eggs, fish, or meat). Gas hobs allow for more flexible cooking styles - the heat can be adjusted more accurately, giving Afia better control over her cooking.
Our Milano range cooker features 15 specialist cooking functions that allow a professional standard of cooking right at home! Some of Afia’s favourite ILVE features are the rotisserie, where we have watched her cook gorgeous, tender lamb joints via Instagram stories that fall off the bone. The pizza setting is also a popular one in Afia's home. Afia can create homemade pizzas with all her family's favourite toppings in record time.
Along with the huge range of cooking options to help Afia’s cooking creativity, the Milano compliments her kitchen interior perfectly. The ornate Brass handles to match the kitchen cabinetry knobs, adding warmth to the classic, timeless white kitchen. These warm touches come through the décor in various ways, gold hues warm white paint, and lighting. Warmer palettes make a space feel cozy and inviting, whilst keeping to lighter shades make the room still feel open and airy.
If you would like a complete tour of Afia’s gorgeous kitchen, head to her kitchen reveal blog here.
In this vlog, Afia explains that she wanted to create a dramatic focal point around the cooking area, this was beautifully achieved with a faux chimney, the intricate tile backsplash, and the contrasting black Milano range cooker.
The biggest aspiration for Afia's kitchen was to solve issues that were caused by the previous kitchen, creating an aesthetic yet practical space to suit her families lifestyle. For large families who love food and entertaining, the kitchen layout needs to reflect this. Kitchen islands like Afia’s are extremely versatile. These amazing multi-use kitchen surfaces can be used for food preparation, socialising, and dining. In Afia’s previous kitchen, her family struggled for space at mealtimes when the kids would be washing their hands for dinner, filling up glasses of water all whilst dinner is being cooked and pots being washed. If you come from a big family, you’ll know how hectic dinner times can get!
This larger kitchen and island works so much better for Afia's family, along with some additional, practical touches! This kitchen features two sinks, one large sink, sat on the counter out of the way of the island for large pans and trays to be cleaned without any water spillage (if you follow Afia already you'll know how she gets everything to sparkle!) The second, a stunning gold sink is on the island, everyone can clean their hands and prepare for dinner leaving lots of room for cooking prep. The pot filler above the range cooker is something we normally see in our American customers' kitchens. These practical faucets are amazing to fill pans with water right on the hob! We predict we will be seeing many more of these after Afia added one to her home.
Afia gained inspiration from various platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest, and Houzz which introduced her to ILVE and helped create this amazing kitchen. Two Instagram accounts Afia credited for inspiration were @tomhowleykitchens and @HumphryMunson. Social media is an amazing way to gain inspiration, ask questions and follow the lives of those that inspire us.
Our ILVE Instagram Want to see what an ILVE can really do? Follow @afeliaskitchen to see the incredible meals Afia creates with her Milano.
