Serving West Devon, South Hams & East Cornwall
We have put together a few ideas to think about when contemplating purchasing a New Kitchen for your home.
1
Your budget.
The first thing to consider is budget.
How much money do you plan to spend on this project?
A total kitchen redesign will be a lot more expensive than a few cabinets replaced.
Things to consider are how much space you plan to renovate.
New cabinets , worktops, flooring, lighting, appliances.
Remember quality will cost a little extra, in the long term it will be worth it.
2
What is the kitchen for?
Are you someone who likes to cook?
Is it a family room?
Do you need a space for dinner parties and socialising?
Deciding this will really help when it comes to the design stage.
3
How do you like to cook?
If you like cooking, investing in some useful gadgets maybe worth it.
So do you need extra counter space to store them?
Is there plenty of room to prepare the food?
If you like quick meals maybe cut down on preparation areas and use the space for a breakfast bar /island or extra storage space.
Do you buy food in bulk; you may need extra food storage space like a large freezer or larder.
4
How do you shop?
If you buy a lot of dry food or cans, do you have enough under counter storage?
If you like eastern cuisines perhaps an integrated spice rack would suit.
If you’re a drinks connoisseur, consider space for a wine rack or integrated temperature controlled storage.
5
Who is in charge of the kitchen?
Take time to consider who uses the kitchen most.
Do you need a larger sink to accommodate multi-tasking?
Do you have young children who want to help you in the kitchen?
Designing the perfect space takes time, especially when there is more than one person to consider.
Consider the flow of the room, and how each member of the family will play their part in the kitchen.
6
Appliances (white goods)
This is one of the most important considerations when designing a kitchen.
You need to consider where your appliances will go, especially the big ones.
Are you thinking a gas, electric or induction hob?
Do you need a large fridge/freezer combo or under counter.
Do you want a standalone range cooker or a two-tier cooker integrated into a wall cabinet?
Is there still space to move from one to the other and are they easy to access.
7
Kitchen style
Are you considering a classic design Or something modern and hi-tech?
Don’t feel you have to limit yourself to one style mixing things up can create something very special.
8
The working triangle.
The positioning of your hob, sink, and fridge can make all the difference to the way your kitchen works.
Either creating a logical flow, or resulting in a frustrating experience every time you cook.
Start by considering the principle of the ‘working triangle’ formed by the following:
Food storage area (the fridge)
Food preparation area (sink and countertops)
Cooking area (the hob)
The idea is to place these spots close to each other, keeping things as practical as possible. It is important to make sure your bin is included in the triangle, too.
9
What colour and materials do you like?
When thinking about your new kitchen, the options are limitless.
From real wood to stone or metal worktop materials.
Handles, different combinations create very different effects.
If you’re thinking of something more traditional add some unusual handles to create a contemporary splash.
Or super modern with clean straight lines, maybe add a speckled splash back, or a tiled splash back to add some texture and contrast.
You can also combine different floor materials to define distinct zones in an open-plan kitchen
Wooden floor boards in the dining area and slate tiles where you cook.
Alternatively, you can use a single unifying material throughout to maximise the sense of space.
10
Does this kitchen Suit you?
With so many things to choose from and so many ideas finding the right kitchen can be very overwhelming.
Sometimes in an attempt to create something perfect and unique, you can lose track of what you actually want to achieve.
You may like the idea of a wall mount wooden wine rack or a multi-tier cabinet just, but if it doesn’t suit your lifestyle then why have it.
At each stage of the decision making, take a step back and consider the feature in your everyday life.
We hope these tips help with some of the designing and ideas in your new dream kitchen.