TOP TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL KITCHEN RENOVATION
There are plenty of things you can just ‘wing’ in your life, but a kitchen renovation is NOT one of them – and the difference between a nice kitchen and a fantastic one has a lot to do with intelligent planning and accuracy. Whilst we aren’t debating that you can get an attractive and functional kitchen without much planning, a little more care is required if you want to make the most of your space.
Here are 9 practical considerations we think are important to keep in mind for your kitchen remodel.
Keep your appliances front of mind
Selecting your appliances early in the process is a tip we can’t recommend highly enough. Especially if you are planning to upgrade your whitegoods! Trust us when we say that it’s much easier to plan cabinetry around those items than backtrack later. Appliances such as rangehoods will have varying specifications for fluming and this can dictate how we will design your overhead cabinetry or floating shelving. Don’t forget to plan for future appliance requirements too; this includes benchtop and smaller items as well. Install multiple outlets along the splashback and on the island so you’ll have electricity when and where you need it.
Zones & everyday use
It’s important to have an idea of how you are going to use your kitchen day to day. Do you have kids who like to do their homework at the bench? Do you need a special spot for the inevitable pile-up of mail, keys, phones and chargers? Maybe your wish list includes a dedicated food prepping zone, or you want an area to keep your everyday appliances (like a toaster) out of the way but also within arms- reach. These small considerations in your kitchen likely form the reason you want a kitchen remodel in the first place – they all add up to enhanced useability for you and your family. So think this through carefully and task each zone in the kitchen, and designate fixtures and fittings according to how you will use the space.
The Work Triangle
When planning your kitchen renovation, remember your kitchen’s busiest areas: the sink, stove, and refrigerator. It’s important to ensure these areas and appliances are in an efficient location that is relevant to one another with adequate traffic space in between. This is commonly referred to as the ‘Work Triangle’ and getting the flow wrong in the kitchen is a mistake that could be disastrous, not to mention very expensive to remedy.
What have you got, and where do you want it?
Kind of an extension to point number 2, we encourage you to think about what you own and where you plan to store it, so we can make sure there is adequate room near each appliance/station for storing. Whilst seemingly obvious that you will want to store the pots & pans near the stove, and the cutlery near the dishwasher – you might be surprised how often this type of logic gets overlooked in the planning stages. Whilst designing for aesthetics is important, the ability to be able to find everything you need, when you need it, is high on our priority list when designing a function kitchen.
Find a focal point
The last thing you want is to end up with multiple flashy elements all competing with one another, resulting in visual chaos in your new kitchen. When we design we like to pick a focal point as the hero in your kitchen design and complement that area with other quieter, eye-pleasing details. Sometimes for this, simple is best. You can avoid boring, heavy blocks of cabinetry by adding interesting details such as glass doors, display shelving, wine storage or windows.
Let there be light
Do not neglect your lighting! Kitchens have a double whammy of needing to be very functional and are also typically one of the larger and open spaces in the home. Because of this, we will always place a lot of thought into the lighting scheme to ensure your space is adequately lit but also not throwing a shadow down over the exact spot you stand to chop your onions.
The possibilities are endless: spots, tracks, pendants, plinth lights, under-cabinet lights, strip lights, wall lights, floor lights, uplights, downlights, mood lights, warm white, cool white, colour-changing LED – so why not mix in different types of light so you can create different atmospheres depending on the task at hand.
Get in the mood
We love it when our clients get our creative juices flowing with a good mood board! They are a brilliant way to ensure your cabinetry, benchtop, handles, splashback, and tapware all work beautifully together. To get started from scratch you can create a virtual version on an platforms such as Pinterest to get a feel for your favourite schemes presented in a multitude of inspiring ways. You can also create a physical mood board with samples of your preferred tiles, paint, stone and accessories such as handle-ware, to see how it all works together. Do this at home or we can do this together as part of your design consultation on your kitchen!
Money matters!
We hate to be the ones to bring up the dreaded ‘B’ word, but creating a budget is an essential part of your kitchen renovation. Keeping in mind that quality custom cabinetry can take up a large portion of your budget, it’s important you have an idea of what features of your kitchen are the most important, and allocate your finances accordingly. Identify the ‘must have’ items and then work on the negotiables, as this may be the area you can make a few tweaks to stay on budget without compromising on your overall dream kitchen.
Experience Matters
Let’s face it, a renovation of your kitchen is a big deal, a significant expense, and something you do not want to get wrong. We set the benchmark for kitchens 20 years ago and we continue to lead the industry with our intuitive designs, experienced craftsmanship and high end service. We produce all of our custom cabinetry and stone benchtops onsite at our state of the art manufacturing facility in which our designers, cabinet makers and stonemasons work together on your project.
When you renovate with us you are assigned your own qualified Interior Designer who will work with you to understand how you cook, live and entertain to design a functional kitchen that compliments your existing home. We will help you realise that new kitchen you have been longing for. When we renovate kitchens we don’t just reinvent them; we completely redesign and transform your space.
We would love the opportunity to discuss in more detail your renovation project. Please call us on 1300 270 000 or visit our showroom to speak to one of our Interior Designers.
