So you need a new kitchen, you've been looking at those 90's peach cupboards for too long and it's time for a refresh! But where to start?? Don't worry we've got you covered. It's not as tricky as you think and there's just a few things you need to think about before engaging a company to make your kitchen dreams come true.
NO 1 Give your space a quick measure. Now, there's a lot of information on the internet about how to do a site measure, but really its pretty simple. Measure in a clockwise direction, wall to wall, and write those measurements down, naming each wall A, B, C etc.. (you get where I'm going with this). It doesn't have to be 100% correct, to the mm, but it will help you get a sense of the space you have to work in. Note where your windows are approximately. There are plenty of online tools to help you plan your kitchen but paper and a scale ruler is all you need.
NO.2 Ok now you have your space. Before you start planning let's talk about a couple of practicalities. Let's talk $$ and cents. The old budget. I know most people hate discussing it, but it's important.to know how much you can spend, as this is going to seriously dictate your design options. We go into more detail about what to consider in terms of budget in a this blog post. There's also this guide from Hi-pages, though in our experience, we would exclude appliances from this budget guideline.
If you are on a limited budget, the most cost effective way to refresh your kitchen is to keep all your hardwired appliances and plumbing in the same place, and to follow the footprint of your kitchen as closely as possible. One thing that is often overlooked when planning a new kitchen, is that if you change the layout of your kitchen, your floors will need to be redone also. If you have tiles, you may have spares, so hunt around in your garage if that is the case! But often there are no spares and then you can be in a little trouble..
For a kitchen refresh without changing your footprint significantly, a custom cabinet maker is usually your best bet. Custom made cabinetry can follow the footprint of your old kitchen, or change it in a way that covers any holes or changes in your floor. That's one major advantage in choosing custom over pre-ordained sizing. You might save a little on the cabinetry but end up in a world of pain over your floors! Off the shelf companies cannot guarantee that the footprint can be followed because the sizing (depth mostly) may not match your existing cabinetry. At Haus Custom Cabinets we are 100% custom so, we're a good option for the budget conscious.
Option two - you've budgeted for a significant change, have factored in floors walls and tiling changes, what to do now?
This leads on to No.3 Lets talk about flow!
One of the big things we talk a lot about here at Haus is flow. I'm sure you've all heard of the work triangle, if not, this lovely little article from Architectural Digest explains it, though it is in ft so a little conversion is needed. The basic tenant is that the distance between your working areas, fridge, stove and sink are best worked in a triangle with around 1.2 to 2.7m distance between each zone. This allows enough work space between each section without having to walk miles to complete each task. Lately this idea has given way to "zones." Cooking, cleaning, prepping, etc.. each space should flow naturally on to the next zone, allowing multiple people to use the kitchen at any one time and not trip over each other. Here at Haus there are no hard an fast rules, we think the best way to plan your kitchen is to seriously think about how you and your family use the space. How many people will be in there at once? Do you do the dishes straight away or want them tucked behind a corner? However there are a few things to avoid when planning your kitchen
A few tricks to look out for that we often see in poorly designed kitchens are:
Having the fridge at the entry point of the kitchen. This often causes a bottle neck when the fridge is open, sometimes its unavoidable but if possible think of another location
Having to have a kitchen island at all costs! Don't get us wrong, we love kitchen islands, but sometimes they are just not the best layout for your kitchen. An island needs a minimum of 1000m circulation space around it to have a sense of flow. If this is not possible consider a peninsula. This design from Rob Kennon Architects is the perfect example of how to have an anchored island but not give up on style
Other work arounds are eat in kitchens, if you have a large u shaped kitchen that doesn't quite have enough space for an island consider kitchen table that can work as a prep area as well as a dining space.
If unlike the kitchen above your kitchen isn't flooded with natural light, you'll need to think about lighting! A poorly lit kitchen is hard to work in and doesn't feel inviting. A kitchen should have ambient and task lighting. So think about how you'll light your prep and work spaces as well as the overall light.
Storage Storage Storage. Of course one of the major gripes in any kitchen is storage. Think carefully about what you need in your kitchen and how to accommodate it, once you have a rough idea of your layout, go through every cupboard and think of what will go in it, to ensure you've got a space for everything.
Go for bigger cupboards over lots of little small ones. Not only is this more practical, as you will have more flexibility in what you can fit in them, but it will save you money in build and install cost. Standard sizes are 600 but don't limit yourself to that, custom cabinetry can be any size. Floor cabinets can range up to 1200w and wall cabinets are best kept to no bigger than 1000w.
There are of course 1000 variations upon these themes and some more to think of. No matter what stage you're at in planning Haus's interior designers are here to help. We can use our experience to work with you and come up with the perfect kitchen layout, we'll even help you choose tiles, tapware, lighting and floor coverings if needed, just to help with that decision fatigue.
If you're planning a new kitchen and would like some help get in touch by booking an design consultation above.
