The kitchen is the core of your home, a place where you entertain or share family moments together, so there’s nothing better than a fresh kitchen renovation! It’s important that your kitchen compliments your family’s lifestyle as well as being functional, hardwearing and providing a space of unity and harmony. A great kitchen can be bespoke, contemporary or maybe vintage; the ideas are endless!
Whether you are completely demolishing your kitchen or simply making a few alterations, there are some design tips that may help you make sure it lasts for generations to come and inspires memories that last a lifetime.
To help guide you through the decision making, we’ve pulled together 5 tips for preparing for your dream kitchen renovation:
Purpose
Ensure the proportions of the kitchen are functional to your needs. Draw a rough plan to allow for walking space and eliminate unnecessary moving around when shifting from the stove to the fridge to the dishwasher. Ultimately, finding a designer for the kitchen renovation would be money well spent. They have the expertise and knowledge to help you design a well thought out kitchen and eliminate variations throughout your project.
Appliances
Consider colours and the usage of the appliances. Fridges should be accessible and stovetops should be well set back to prevent knocks and spills from passing traffic. Heights and location of appliances may need to be discussed to ensure they are positioned in areas that require as little movement through the kitchen as possible when cooking or entertaining. Try to place electrical plugs in places where you will utilise them best and don’t forget, safety is a key consideration when deciding the locations of appliances.
Storage
What type of items do you need to fit within the kitchen? Do you need tall cupboards to store lengthy items? Maybe nooks to move seating out of the way when not in use? Drawers or cabinets for cookware and food storage? Creating a façade with storage space can transform unusable spaces into a fabulous hideaway for those smaller appliances.
Lighting
Under-cabinet lighting is a great idea, allowing for specific lighting spaces to be illuminated while broadening the range for mood lighting throughout. Lights in countertops and corners are also a fabulous consideration. Current trends in kitchen lighting now allow you to easily create ambience while still complimenting your style.
Bright lights can create shadows when the kitchen is being used for entertainment purposes like cooking for a dinner party. Dimmable lighting can still allow the chef to cook for their guests when combined with specific cooktop lighting to help them to see. Though often overlooked, lighting can transform your kitchen into a workable entertainment hub instead of a purely utilitarian room in your home.
Materials
BENCHTOP
So many choices of materials can be used throughout the cabinetry and tapware! Depending on your style, durability and easy to clean materials are always recommended as your benchtop receives a lot of kitchen wear and tear being used for entertainment and food preparation. Consider benchtops in granite, stone, polished concrete, polished wood or laminate. Also, choose your cabinetry to complement the countertop; laminate, thermo-laminate, sealed enamel or timber are great options.
TAPWARE & SINK
Though tapware can be costly, if it is within your budget it can become a statement piece. For example, a pull-out spray kitchen mixer tap is considered to be a functional and practical solution in the kitchen, making chores in the kitchen quicker and easier and offering so many benefits! Stainless steel is the best option for a long-lasting stylish sink. Then depending on your needs, you could give up a double sink for a larger single sink, creating more needed bench space as required.
Other sink materials to consider if you have a flexible budget or for matching exisiting styles could be copper, enamel, or stone.
As reliable Northern Beaches & North Shore builders in Sydney, Dependabuild can transform your design and inspiration into a fabulous kitchen. Contact Shane today and his team will guide you through the process to build or renovate your dream kitchen. Along with Shannon and Matt, Dependabuild has access to trade specialists that they have worked closely with and trust. Our reliable plumbers and electricians ensure your kitchen is safe and works exactly how it should, providing you with peace of mind.
