How to plan your perfect kitchen
With a new year upon us, now is a good time to look ahead to the home improvements you want to make this year. For many of us, a kitchen update tops the list; but how do you go about planning your perfect kitchen and what should you consider? Read on for our top tips...
Work with what you have...
Begin by evaluating your current kitchen. What do you like and what really frustrates you? If you're happy with the layout as it is, don't stray but consider which areas of your kitchen you use the most (usually the oven, fridge and sink) and make sure these are easily accessible in your new layout.
What do you need..?
Thinking about what you want from your kitchen will help you in deciding everything from the layout to the appliances. For example, will you be using your kitchen solely for heating up ready meals or do you love to spend time cooking and experimenting with different dishes? If it's the latter, you'll want to make sure you have plenty of work surfaces for this. Are you looking to make your kitchen the social hub of your home? Your might want to consider incorporating a breakfast bar or island with seating into your design.
Storage is king...
Are you desperate for more space? Look for every opportunity to maximise storage when browsing kitchens. Be on the look-out for pull-out larders, sturdy pot & pan drawers, double-shelved cupboards etc.
Think long-term...
Of course, you want to put your own stamp on your kitchen, but you also want to make sure it doesn't date quickly. Should you want to put your house on the market in future, you don't want the design choices you make now to have a negative impact on your property's value. Cabinets in classic shades of neutrals, monochrome and grey will stand the test of time and allow you to get creative when it comes to paint, tiles and splashbacks; which are easier to update and most importantly, less costly!
Shop around...
You may fall in love with the first kitchen you see but still go and look at some more so you can be confident in your decision. Also, factor in more than just the price: what finance deals are on offer? What's the guarantee? And pay attention to detail when it comes to quality (read more on how to determine the quality of a kitchen). You can start browsing the different kitchens from the top UK retailers and comparing price, quality and finance deals today via our independent comparison tool.
19th Dec 2017The Compare Network
Copyright – Insight Retail Group Ltd 2024 All rights reserved