The kitchen represents one of the most important rooms in the home. It’s the place where you make your coffee before the long day ahead, and it can also be the room where you sit and relax with your family over a meal to discuss that day. Naturally, it’s also a place that experiences a lot of footfall, making it a part of the house subject to quickened wear and tear.
If you’ve concluded that yours needs a redesign and a revamp, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, you’ll learn all you need to know to create the ideal space!
Step 1: Creating A Clear Vision
There are many different styles to choose from when it comes to re-designing your kitchen, so the first thing you’ll need to do is consider what features are a must-have and then, secondly, how you want the place to look.
Of course, in order to plan things out properly, you’ll need to determine an appropriate budget – one that factors in all of the appliances, counters and cupboards, flooring, and labor. Work through bit by bit, seeing where you can save on less important items and where you need to prioritize more funds.
Step 2: Choosing The Ideal Layout
So far as layout, the world is your oyster. It might be difficult to see the wood for the trees with your existing kitchen in place, but try to get an estimated measurement of the room and its true dimensions.
With a basic birds-eye view sketch, you can start to plan things out in a rudimentary fashion. Start with the counters (and islands or breakfast bars if you’re going that route), and see where your appliances will slot in after that. Remember to account for the full dimensions of any appliances you’re looking at.
Step 3: Deciding On The Materials
For a room like the kitchen, the materials you choose are incredibly important. The floor, for example, should be hard-wearing. If you’re on a budget, properly varnished pine boards work well, or you could go with tiles if you have some more cash to spend.
With your countertops, granite and quartz are going to offer the most durability, but some people even make their own hard-wearing surfaces out of concrete on the cheap. Cabinets are usually made of MDF, but you can choose from a variety of finishes.
Step 4: Picking Your Appliances
Your appliances will represent a sizable chunk of your overall budget, so think long and hard about which models to go for and whether you really need the features offered. Start with the basics: do you want a gas or electric stove? A double or single fridge? What size sink will you need?
Once you’ve answered these sorts of questions, you can head to the store and start comparing different brands to find the ideal fit.
Step 5: Installing New Lighting
Given the many different use cases a kitchen has, lighting is extremely important. You want lighting that properly illuminates your cooking both for general accuracy and for safety, and you may also consider implementing the option for softer lighting if your kitchen will double up as a dining room.
Smart lighting systems can be a great idea for covering your bases in both situations, as they can be as bright white as you like or dimmed and colored for a moodier setting. With smart lighting, you also have the option for LED strips, which can add an extra layer of aesthetic quality to your splashbacks and kickboards.
Step 6: Planning The Logistics
Once you have most elements of the plan down and have consulted with a few kitchen fitting and design companies, it’s now time to approach local tradespeople about the logistics.
It’s often not as simple as swapping out the old kitchen for the new one: you may need new electrical outlets installed and, of course, a reputable plumber to fit your new sink, taps, and other water-based and gas appliances. There might also be other unforeseen building problems you only encounter after you’ve removed the existing kitchen, such as walls needing to be replastered.
The above work likely needs to be conducted before anything else, so collaborate closely with all tradespeople involved to ensure the process goes as smoothly as possible.
Step 7: Ventilation And Safety
The kitchen is often the most high-risk room in the house in terms of toxins, gas, and fire, so you must have proper safety gear installed to mitigate these potentialities.
This means getting smoke alarms fitted where needed, and also heat detectors: sometimes, kitchen fires don’t create a lot of smoke, so significant spreading can occur before normal smoke alarms alert the occupants – heat detectors sound as soon as temperatures go above a certain level, so they’re a great precaution to have.
You should also have an extractor fan installed above the cooker to ensure proper air circulation, and if you have small children in the house, don’t foget to buy child-safe locks for the cabinets so that they don’t have access to any harmful substances.
Step 8: Adding Personal Touches
Once everything’s done and dusted, it’s time to add some of your own personal touches to give the place a more homely feel. If you’re stuck with where to start, plants are a great go-to for softening hard angles, and they also have the added benefit of improving air quality.
Realistically, though, all you need to do is match colors; choose wall art, rugs, and ornaments that go with the paintwork and countertops, and you can’t go wrong. Have some fun with it, and see what you can come up with.
Wrapping Up
You should now have a good idea of the main elements that go into redesigning a new kitchen. One final thing to note is that your space will naturally evolve, so don’t worry too much about getting everything perfect.
No matter what you choose, a freshly designed kitchen always goes down a treat with the whole family. Enjoy it!
Thanks for stopping by!
Magda
xoxo