First steps in planning a new kitchen.

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You’ve been saving for months or even years and you are now thinking about the kitchen itself. Planning a new kitchen is no easy task and it can be stressful, confusing and expensive! With so many showrooms and companies to choose from, it’s not easy knowing where to start! You are in the right place!

What do you actually need?

Think carefully about what you really need in your kitchen. Perhaps start with a bit of a clear out to see what you actually have in your cupboards. You may surprise yourself and throw a lot away! You may think you need more and more cupboard space… get rid of the bits you don’t need first.

What do you uss your kitchen for? If you find yourself using the kitchen for parties and socialising, you may want to consider more space rather than more units Think about the wider space too. Consider the options of increasing the room size or changing the room shape.

Electrics & Plumbing

Sometimes the plumbing can dictate certain placements in the kitchen. For example, you may not want to have a dishwasher on the opposite side of the room to your sink if you haven’t got a nearby waste water outlet.

Consider what lighting you would like and the effect this could have on your kitchen. Do you like spotlights? Could you position spotlights over the areas you prepare food or read your cooking books? Could you benefit from some more subtle under unit lighting for the cosier feel?

Heating the room is important too. There are a great variety of designer radiators as well as under unit heaters and underfloor heating. Speak to a professional about your options before making decision. This is something we would be more than happy to help with.

Get Design Advice & Ideas

It is essential to get external ideas from both a design and practical perspective. That means talking to kitchen designers and builders alike. As well as independent kitchen designers, kitchen companies like Howdens offer a free design survey. You could speak to an Interior Designer to help make the most of your kitchen space. We work alongside several local kitchen designers and can help you with this.

Look online, get brochures and visit showrooms to see some of the latest trends and design ideas that you can speak to your kitchen designer about.

You are now ready to start putting some ideas together!