The kitchen is an important part of your home – from hurried breakfasts before heading out the door, to family meals and sharing a cup of coffee with a friend. Therefore, kitchen design must be both functional and visually appealing as it’s one of the main hubs of activity in a home. The kitchen should be an area of your house that you enjoy being in, whether that’s for cooking, cleaning, eating or socialising. Thoughtful kitchen design can help make that a productive and homely space for all. Think about these tips when you are designing a kitchen, including tips on planning, organisation, and must-have features for a beautiful and functional kitchen you’ll love.
Price accurately and understand how much is budgeted for what
Understanding your budget will determine the type of kitchen you go for. Knowing your budget well, and understanding the amount that’s allocated to each element, will help you determine many aspects e.g. which materials you can afford to use as cabinets and worktops, and which appliances you can afford to install.
It is critical to determine the overall price of your new kitchen and then divide it among the various elements of its design, based on what is the most essential to you. For example, you may want to focus most of your budget on hand-painted, richly detailed solid wood cabinets, so you may have to opt for basic appliances to compensate for this. High end appliances might instead be something you want to invest in, and as a result you might then have to scale back on the quality of your worktops or kitchen island to save money instead.
install a hard-wearing worktop area for food preparation
Whatever your budget for worktops, carefully consider your meal preparation requirements to help guide your countertop selection. For example, if you enjoy cooking from scratch regularly, you will require more counter space (preferably between the cooker and the sink), as well as a hard-wearing countertop material for chopping; compared to those who only cook occasionally.
Get some ideas with these Pinterest kitchen designs to covet!
Incorporating two worktop heights can also make baking easier and is ideal for children who like to get involved in meal preparation, so think about these things too when you are designing your kitchen. When you are choosing your counter tops, it’s also important to think about what kitchen backsplash options you want to select.
Install as much hidden storage as is physically possible
Some people want a new kitchen for increased storage and a more functional space. If you only have a tiny kitchen to work with, focus on more functional storage and maximising space and convenience. Drawers are more expensive than a standard swing door cabinet, but they are far more helpful for compact kitchens. Most manufacturers have several different cabinet sizes, however choosing taller wall units or tower units could be a great way to boost storage while also helping to maximise space.
Talk to your kitchen designer about hidden storage they could incorporate. For example, could they install a hidden rack on the back of a door, or maybe a stylish wine rack in a narrowbit of un-used space between two appliances?
Choose colours wisely by considering natural light quality
Choose the colour of your kitchen based on how it will make the room feel, as well as the amount of natural light you need and the location of the kitchen. Light-coloured cabinetry will reflect the light back into that part of the room, making it feel more spacious. If your kitchen is in a part of the home that gets very little natural light, you don’t want to have dark-toned features as it would make cooking and eating at night very difficult. Darker units are perfectly appropriate however in a south-facing room that gets filled with natural light, and they can even make the kitchen feel more homely if it’s quite a large space. A sage green kitchen would be beautiful, or a pink one!
Remember also tha finding the perfect kitchen cabinets is about more than just their colour. Choosing a grainy wood or a detailed finish for your cabinets will add texture and interest to an otherwise featureless room. Similarly, if you have a very small kitchen space, you will want to keep textures sleek and smooth to not overwhelm the space.
Decide on lighting before the build
Most kitchen designers will not source and include lighting as part of your design, but they could suggest how and where the lighting should be placed. In any case, it’s critical to consider kitchen lighting ideas before you have finalised your kitchen design and before any construction begins.
This is particularly important for rear spotlighting, which must be placed correctly to provide efficient task lighting. Also consider whether you’ll need additional wall lights, above dining table lighting, or even table lamps/floor lighting, as this will need to be considered when planning the locations of the space’s electrical fittings. Maybe you might also want to incorporate some solar power to your kitchen?
Have fun designing a kitchen you will enjoy spending time in and that will increase the value of your home.
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