THE NEED TO KNOWS WHEN DESIGNING YOUR KITCHEN
Image: Shere Kitchens
Designing a kitchen can seem overwhelming especially when considering all practicalities and style options, but we want to make sure you are excited by the project! Whether you're building a new kitchen from scratch or renovating an existing one, it’s important to think about the layout, storage, natural light, functionality, lighting and the type of lifestyle you want the space to provide you with. To ensure your kitchen is not only aesthetically pleasing but functional to, we have some tips to help you design a kitchen that meets all your needs and showcases your personal style, from maximizing storage and counter space to selecting the right colours, these tips will allow you to create a kitchen you’ll love for many years to come.
Functionality.
First off, functionality. You want to make things as efficient as possible so be sure to group together those elements that are often used together eg. stove, fridge, sink. Think about how you will use the space and plan accordingly, especially if you’re working with a small space, this will avoid any mishaps where the dishwasher goes in but you then realise you don’t have the space to load it properly! Work on making sure the room flows. When it comes to plug points, think about what appliances need to be plugged in and where, the last thing you need is to be short on plug points and have to keep plugging and unplugging your toaster!
Storage
If you are someone who can’t part with any pan regardless of how well worn, then you’ll want to make sure you’ve got the storage for it. Installing pull-out shelves or a lazy susan is a great way to use the space and makes it easier to access items in the back of your cabinets. Also think about the dimensions of your appliances… have you got a huge cake mixer or juicer for example? Then you might want to allow extra tall shelving gaps for keeping them out of sight day to day. Try to avoid lots of built in gadgets which are often expensive.
Lighting
A mix of surface, recessed, spotlights, cabinet, pendants ensures you can cover all of the key effects you would want with your lights. Task lighting, Accent, decorative and finally what kind of ambiance you can create. We tend to install cool lighting when installing ceiling spotlights, but we always go with warm bulbs on recessed shelf or pendant lighting. Lighting choices are essential to creating the right mood for the right occasion.
Appliances
Minimalism is a hot trend at the moment, but depending on the size of your kitchen this is easier said than done. Appliances are often winning the fight for countertop space, so you need to plan where these big pieces of equipment will go. If they do end up on the counter make sure you’ve picked ones which match the colour and aesthetic of the room. But your best bet if you can find the space is to hide items like your velvetiser, cake mixer and juicer inside a pantry or cupboard.
Countertops
There’s more than just the material to consider when ordering your countertops, make sure whatever you’re getting is also durable with minimal upkeep, avoid the kind that shows any kind of fingerprints. The look is essential but knowing the upkeep that will go into maintaining a crystal clear counter is just as important. Top Tip: Avoid real marble and instead opt for quartz which scratches far less!
Image: Tom Howley (https://www.tomhowley.co.uk/creating-the-heart-of-the-home-with-symmetry-balance-and-a-clever-kitchen-layout/)
Colour
Don’t get bogged down by the colour of your kitchen at the beginning. Start by choosing something neutral, white, grey, beige and first design the layout, once you have locked that in then start to play with how you might add colour or interest. Using a contrast colour island, a veined stone counter top, a coloured or patterned tile splash black, or colorful accessories. This ensures the base of your kitchen is timeless and you have the ability to freshen up your kitchen by changing these small pieces.
Image: Cortney Bishop Design/Katie Charlotte Photography, Homes & Garden
Although we’ve given you a lot of information, designing your kitchen should be an enjoyable experience, take your time, it’s important not to rush the process and to schedule at least 3 visits to your kitchen designer to make sure it’s right and you haven’t missed anything. If you keep these points in mind it will all come together in the end.