If you’re intending to give your hub of the home a facelift, check out our 17 main considerations to ensure the project goes without a hitch
Planning a new kitchen is both exciting and daunting in equal measures, so before you start it’s vital you get the key ingredients in hand. Kitchen design is perhaps viewed as one of the most important elements of modern homes these days. The kitchen has shifted away from being seen as a purely functional space and is now considered by most as being the heart of the home, where we socialise, spend time as a family, work in and eat in — all alongside preparing and cooking food. For some households, the kitchen also has to play the role of a utility room, providing space for extra appliances.
What all these extra roles mean is that kitchen design now not only has to focus on function, but also on aesthetics — it has become a truly multi-tasking space. There are some key considerations that it’s important to be aware of to get the most from the process. These may be elements you’ve never considered if you’ve not undertaken a kitchen renovation before. In this guide, we’ll focus on the planning process — that is, what you need to consider while planning your space (whether you’re working with a kitchen designer or not) to ensure you get the most from your final design.
1 Establish your budget
Realistically, there’s a kitchen for almost any budget, but it’s worth getting an idea of the average costs for different kinds of kitchens so you know what kind of route to take with your new space. Budget brands can mean you can get a cheap kitchen for several thousand pounds, especially if you take on fitting a kitchen on a DIY basis.
The first step to working out a budget is to look at what you can afford. Setting a maximum spend limit is important so you don’t get carried away with yourself. A new kitchen may offer a good return on investment for the right property, too, so get advice from an estate agent if this is important to you, and be mindful of price ceilings in your area.
2 Work out what you need
Once you have your limits, you should make a list of all the things that you need for your kitchen. If you’re working with a kitchen retailer, they may offer you kitchen units, worktops, taps, appliances and more, but some elements may not be included. Be sure to factor in electrician and plumber costs alongside the likes of, for example, furniture, lighting, flooring, tiles and doors and windows, if required.
When you have a list of items, you can start to break down your budget into the different areas, using your quotes from the kitchen company to start bala
