Designing your new kitchen is honestly exciting. Ripping out what you have and starting again to create a purpose-built space that delivers what you need — invaluable. Expensive, but invaluable and enriching for your life. But the thing is, the worst outcome of a kitchen renovation is completing it only to find it doesn’t actually do what you need it to do. And then having to live with it, as you can’t afford to change it.
This post is going to look at some aspects of kitchen design and renovation to consider before committing to anything, so you can not only get the kitchen of your dreams, but one that works for your home and life, too.
Day-to-Day Use
Just because certain designs look good in showrooms, it doesn’t mean they’ll work in your home. Before you go picking your cabinets and countertops, take a moment to look at how you actually use your kitchen. How do you cook? What are peak usage times? What would make it run smoother? Do you work in the kitchen, i.e., if you’re a cooking influencer who creates content, you’ll need different requirements than a mum who needs extra counter space for a breakfast bar to eat from or load up with packed lunches.
Ignoring real behaviour is a recipe for disaster (pun intended) and a waste of money. So before you choose anything else, pinpoint the features that work with your life and what would make life easier.
Layout and Workflow
Layout determines if a kitchen feels intuitive or frustrating. And you need to consider the relationship between the preparation areas, the cooking zones, and cleaning points, along with storage too. It should all support natural movement. The kitchen triangle is a real thing and should form the basis of all kitchen design where space allows for it. Poor workflow, however, will show up in bottlenecks when the kitchen is in use, and no one wants that.
This is where working with a custom kitchens designer is beneficial, as they’ll be able to use their knowledge, experience, and expertise to help you consider all these factors to design a kitchen that delivers what you need it to and still looks good without sacrificing functionality.
Storage Capacity and Access
Storage is often underestimated, as a lot of people focus on how good the cabinets look, not how functional they are. The real question here, though, isn’t if storage exists or even how much, but how usable it is.
Deep cupboards without internal organisation are just going to turn into dumping grounds. Hard-to-reach high corners are going to be wasted space.
Look at what you currently keep in your kitchen. Does it work for you? Are there better storage options for your needs? Each item should be accessible without excessive bending or lifting, or having to unload other items first. It might be that you need to consider organisation systems within awkward spaces, or choose deeper drawers over cupboards to align with your needs, or even consider an on-counter option where you pull down a cover to hide small appliances to make the space look neat and tidy without having to put them away all the time.
These choices, when discussed prior to committing to a new kitchen design, can help you iron out any issues that might become apparent post-installation.