10 TIPS FOR DESIGNING A KITCHEN THAT YOU WILL LOVE
There is a lot more work than meets the eye when it comes to choosing your perfect kitchen design. Before diving into the fun part, it is important to remember that while being beautiful your design must also be practical. The skill lies in combining just that… practicality and beauty. The best part about designing your own kitchen is that it is tailor made to fit the space that you have. Not only will your kitchen be an original, but it will maximise the potential of your space. This blog explains some great tips and tricks for designing your kitchen in a way that suits your lifestyle while allowing you to take advantage of every space in the kitchen.
Fail to plan, plan to fail. The age-old phrase that we all love to hate. Taking time to consider other designs and their functionality can be the difference between avoiding a classic mistake and being stuck with a dysfunctional design. A useful tip is to mind map and write down the features of your dream kitchen. Think about what style you would love to embrace and what gadgets you would love to include. Design isn’t just about how the space looks; it is also about how people use the space. It is important to consider how you and your family currently use your kitchen space. Do you need the cereal bowls to be within reach for the kids? Do you need space to move a buggy through the kitchen? Do you need the bin to be close to the dishwasher? Kitchens tend to lead off into other rooms or are often positioned at the back of the house with access to the garden. The design of your kitchen should not affect the flow of movement through your house. The pathway towards focal pieces of furniture and entrances or exists should not be disrupted by your design. An ergonomic design layout can make time spent in the kitchen much more enjoyable.
How accurate your dream kitchen is can be is defined by your budget. By setting clear financial boundaries at the beginning of the project you can best allocate resources to achieve the most for your money. Sticking to a realistic limit may be hard but making a list of priorities can help you to better distinguish which aspects of the design are more important than others. It is always good to set a little aside in case you run into any unforeseen difficulties. Your kitchen is an investment in itself at the end of the day.
To remain open-minded during the design process you should be willing to consider alternative ways of thinking. Being flexible and adaptive to new ideas may result in coming up with a non-traditional design for your kitchen that you never would have thought of. Thinking critically and embracing the unknown can help you to envision design solutions for the most awkward of spaces.
Plenty of storage in a kitchen is a luxury. When thinking about storage it is important to consider which appliances you wish to store away and which you wish to leave visible. Focusing on the dry food storage cabinets can have a huge impact on the appearance of your kitchen, with Shaker Doors giving a classic effect while High-Gloss doors create a more contemporary look. Storage can affect not only food but also the usability of the kitchen. If the storage space in inadequate, then the equipment needed to perform kitchen activities cannot be stored in the kitchen.
Don’t be afraid of colour. Many modern contemporary designs feature bold colour in a way that gives the kitchen personality. As the kitchen is a bustling place bright, warm, and eye-catching colours can work perfectly. A popular strategy is to pick two dominant colours, your cabinets often being the first colour chosen and the second colour chosen is usually complimentary yet contrasting. The colour of your kitchen should compliment the lighting in the space and reflect where natural light enters the room along with the placement of light fixtures. Cooking in a dark kitchen can become hazardous, but a harshly lit social area can be intimidating. The strategic use of colour in your kitchen design can help to create the right mood for each part of your kitchen.
Do not underestimate the importance of a good kitchen appliance layout. To ensure your space reaches its full potential you should consider your own user journey. What appliances you use on a day-to-day basis and what you want from your appliances should guide your design. A built-in design can often help to streamline your kitchen, by hiding large, coloured appliances. It can also ensure that appliances are near to utensils, while allowing enough space for the opening and closing of drawers and doors. The symmetry created by built-in appliances add a clean, aesthetically pleasing element to your kitchen design. Another strategy includes increasing the accessibility of appliances to encourage a more social cooking experience where individuals feel invited to help with the food preparation process. Grouping all hot appliances into one area of the kitchen can create a hot zone, ideal for busy families with children who are concerned with kitchen safety. Don’t forget about your small appliances like coffee machines, toasters and stand mixers! It is important to include a home for all of these everyday essentials whether they are exposed or have their own cabinet space.
Countertop space can be the difference between an enjoyable cooking experience and an awkward tiresome exploit. Not having enough space to prepare your food can be discouraging and disheartening in terms of your efforts to cook a nice homemade dinner. A large countertop can be a luxury, but your kitchen design should include creative solutions to maximise space. A handy tip to gain more preparation space is to use a large chopping board to cover the sink area and gain extra flat space. Another way to increase countertop space in your kitchen is by adding an island. They are great for food preparation; they can add extra storage to your kitchen design, and they can become a social hub. They are also a great way to provide lots of seating for large families and social gatherings.
The work triangle should be taken into consideration in the design of any kitchen. This is the distance between the stove or cooker, the refrigerator, and the sink, the three most used points in a kitchen. A good triangle can allow for a functional workflow in the kitchen. A poorly designed work triangle could mean unnecessary distance for you to travel between important points in the kitchen. At the same time there should be sufficient distance between the three primary points to avoid culinary tasks being suffocated into one area of the kitchen.
Not the most glamorous of topics but bins are an every day essential in the world of kitchens. You do not want to forget space for the bins in the design of your kitchen. In a kitchen the food preparation, cooking and cleaning zones should be separate but within a few steps if each other. The ideal place for a bin is in the cleaning zone, distant from the preparation zone but near to the exit, to make taking out the bins an easier task. Building your bins into the design of your kitchen can keep the space looking clean, while freestanding bins should have a dedicated spot to avoid looking unplanned.
Creating an interesting point in the room where the eye naturally wants to rest anchors the design of your kitchen and helps to create a flow. Without a focal point a space can feel awkward and disjointed. Common kitchen focal points include a backsplash, stovetop, or an island. These focal points can be created by using bold patterns, colours, and textures.
Blackpool Kitchens
At Blackpool kitchens we think that everyone deserves the chance to make their dream kitchen a reality. By choosing Blackpool Kitchens and Bedrooms, you are selecting kitchen experts with decades of experience in the industry, dedicated to exceeding expectations. We are with you every step of the way from the planning and design phase right up until you are standing in your brand-new dream kitchen. Our showroom at Unit 6, Kilbarry Business Park, Dublin Hill, Cork, T23H0XN offers an array of beautiful kitchens, bedroom wardrobes and accessories to help give you inspiration for your home. We are open Monday to Thursday from 8am to 4.30pm, Friday from 8am to 3.30pm and Saturdays by appointment only from 9am to 12pm. Get in touch with us today to by calling 021 490 9902 or alternatively you can email us at info@blackpoolkitchens.ie. It is never too late to build your dream home.