The key to designing a kitchen is striking the right balance between practicality and aesthetics. Lighting is vital, creating an ambiance and allowing you to prepare and cook food safely and effectively. While some new kitchen design elements can be tackled as DIY, others are best left to the professionals.
Cabinets
When planning a kitchen, you will often focus on the aesthetic of cabinets, but it’s important to remember that the inside of cabinets is just as important. You want everything to be easily accessible and organized, as a well-organized kitchen will make your life much easier.
Consider storage solutions that will help you save space on your countertops, such as a message center or wall-mounted organizer. It can help store a to-do list, cookbooks, or even utensils. It will also allow you more space for food preparation and cooking.
Another thing to consider is ensuring you have enough space for your appliances in terms of cabinet height and width. It’s a good idea to determine this before you start picking out your devices, as a simple measuring mistake can leave you with more room for your refrigerator or mean that you have to rework your whole kitchen layout.
You should get the best kitchen fitters in London to help install your cabinets and other plumbing, piping, and electrical work, as this involves complex procedures that must follow official safety guidelines. It’s also likely to be quicker and more efficient as professionals are not subjected to the same physical strain you might be, and they know what they’re doing, so they can make fewer mistakes.
Worktops
Your worktops are a hugely important part of your kitchen and can make a big difference to the overall look of your room. They are also expensive, so getting the right one is crucial. There are many options, from cheaper laminates to more expensive granites.
Different colors and finishes are available, from traditional to modern, and even wood composites. If you want something truly unique, consider Corian, a combination of natural materials (like marble, quartz, and granite) that is pressed together and bonded with a solid resin. It can be molded to fit splashbacks and curves and is reasonably robust.
It is non-porous and is highly resistant to stains. Alternatively, you might decide on solid wood worktops like oak, iroko, or walnut, which are both hardwearing and durable. However, these must be regularly oiled to keep them pristine.
Remember that solid surface worktops need to be templated (using physical templates made from the board, sometimes using laser measuring systems), and often, this will happen before all the carpentry is complete, as it can take two weeks before they are ready for installation.
Before your new worktops are fitted, it’s worth clearing away any appliances attached to them, like sinks and hobs, and emptying drawers beneath to give the installation team full access to the area; you can always re-fit these once the worktops have been installed.
Appliances
We all want the perfect kitchen, but if you are not careful, you may spend a fortune on a kitchen that doesn’t work on a functional level. Make sure you enlist the help of a designer or supplier that listens to what you want and needs and then makes it happen.
It can include small details that, although seemingly insignificant, could be crucial, like using a chalkboard for daily reminders or placing a message center in the kitchen where you can easily see it and leave notes for your family. It’s also worth deciding your ‘must haves’ and what you can sacrifice to save money.
Once you have sorted the blueprint, style, and budget, you can look at appliances. The choices are endless, from different finishes to sizes and features. Make sure to choose appliances that will match your cabinets. It is worth paying extra for the right instrument to last longer and perform better than cheaper models. Though energy-efficient models can lower household expenses and increase the value of your house, you should also consider how your decision will affect the environment.
Lighting
It’s simple to forget how important good lighting is when choosing cabinets, appliances, and décor. But, a carefully crafted multi-layered lighting design should be vital to any kitchen renovation project. It should include a mix of ambient, task, and accent lighting, with the ideal scenario being a combination of different light fixtures, perhaps accompanied by a dimmer switch.
It will provide shadow-free functional lighting for food preparation and cooking and create a comfortable atmosphere to entertain family and friends. Task lighting can be provided by LED lights under wall cabinets, recessed lighting in the ceiling, and even spotlights hung over an island.
This type of lighting is specifically aimed at the areas where most activities occur, such as preparing food or cleaning. Task lighting should be positioned to avoid causing shadows in the work area and be brighter than general lighting.
Accent lighting can highlight various features in the room, including art, ornaments, fancy add-ons, and architectural elements. Accent lighting is best used extravagantly as it is brighter than the other lights in your kitchen and should be focused on the features you want to highlight. It would help if you separated circuits for the different kitchen lights, allowing you to change the mood quickly.
