For years now (that’s right, it’s coming up to 2 years so I can use the plural term!) I’ve been dreaming about the kitchen we will install into our home. And let’s face it, I don’t know what the heck I’m doing most of the time – this is a new area for me.
As research goes, you can spend hours – and even days as I’ve learned – crawling the internet on hands and knees begging (metaphorically of course) for some help on where to begin. You see, we’re currently planning on extending at the back of our home. I’ve probably mentioned it a million times once or twice on this here blog. In this extension shall live a kitchen. What we didn’t think about though, is how it’s going to be designed.
With a blank canvas, and no guidelines in the form of a previous kitchen, it’s been really tough having so many options! We’ve had some help from your typical high street kitchen providers (I’ll be writing about our experiences with these soon!) and some even refused outright to speak to us until we had the room fully constructed. Touchy!
Needless to say, we need help, and it was a professional kitchen designer that we needed for advice. Thankfully, Increation, a luxury interiors company from London offered to answer any questions I had on the subject! As their portfolio heavily features kitchens (and not just any kitchens, they’re the ones that make you go “wow”) I’m going to share what help they gave, in case anyone else if after some helpful advice too. Enjoy!
My house currently has no fitted kitchen and we’d like to extend in the near future. I have the option to start from scratch and do whatever I want! Where do I begin?
First, think about how you like to work within your kitchen: Are you a cook? Do you entertain a lot? Do you have a family? Is it the centre of the house? Do you never cook? Are you out all the time? Is it more of a lounge than a working kitchen?
Write out a list of what you don’t like about your current kitchen and then write a list of your dream kitchen elements….there’s your kitchen! Fitting it to budget will not be as difficult as you might think with just a little imagination, research and a fantastic design from a build company. And voila, your dream kitchen space!
How can we make our kitchen a place to live, and not just to cook?
Create a space that accommodates conversation and the activity of family and friends. Tie it into the garden or outside space if you have one. By creating a cooking area which can encompass everyone in the spac, you allow those cooking to be connected with those here for dinner. If you have the space, add some easy chairs or sofas for this very purpose. Alternatively, create a breakfast bar or island where you can put stools. Both cook and diners can chat whilst food is being prepared! Doing this, the kitchen becomes a communal place for meeting at the end of the day and catching up on everyone’s news. The party always ends up in the kitchen!
Do you have any tips for designing a kitchen that will not look dated in a few years?
Keep it simple in style using quality materials. Make sure it is well organised exactly how you like to use it and everything has a place. Integrated appliances give a clean, organised and tidy feel to a kitchen. Making the room as bright as possible with carefully chosen pieces (such as an island or interesting stools for example) can help your kitchen stand out if you ever want to sell the home.
What are the pros and cons of having built-in appliances?
Pros: Clean, organised and sleek.
Cons: …None!
I can’t seem to decide on a colour scheme. Help?
What colours do you like? What makes you feel good? If you are going to sell the house, then keep the colours neutral and enhance any natural light that comes into the area. Remember, you can always add colour to the room with accessories.
If you would recommend one area to splurge on in the kitchen, which would you choose?
Built-in appliances and fabulous materials. They make such a difference to both the look and function of the room.
What are the biggest mistakes you see the most in kitchen designs?
A design that has not been thought out and they have not sought advice to best utilise the space available to them. Every dream kitchen will look different but it’s all about using what space you have. Always acquire the services of a professional to get the most out of yours.
*This post was written in collaboration with Increation.
