Getting a new kitchen can be a huge undertaking – it’s about much more than choosing what colour to paint the walls. Here are some expert tips to help you design a functional, modern and attractive space that suits your needs.
For starters
The first thing to consider when designing your new kitchen is, is the kitchen in the right place?
“A lot of people think that the waste pipes can’t be moved and then will build an extension and make the kitchen dark,” says Derek Trenaman, registered architect, Ceardean Architects. “It’s not difficult to move them. We look at kitchen and if it is in the right place, everything can gravitate around it.
“It’s essential to have the kitchen in the right place, as you probably can’t afford to take it out and replace it in five years.”
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With the layout approved, move on to appliances, says Julie Wilshaw, store manager at the Cork branch of Kube.
“They tend to pave the way for the whole kitchen. If someone asks for an American fridge, the look is different to that of an integrated fridge, as the doors are chunky, whereas an integrated fridge is easier to fit into a design.”
Treneman adds: “Nowadays coffee machines are often integrated and would need water. With your fridge, you may need water to the fridge and waste from it.”
You don’t want this to come up late in the day when the pipes are done.
Storage wars
Some people love cooking and so would have more storage needs, says Trenaman.
“Have a storage format that works and make sure to accommodate larger appliances such as KitchenAids if that’s a tool frequently used,” he adds.
Island living
After that, Wilshaw says comes the great debate: island vs peninsula.
“Most people love the idea of an island but often that doesn’t end up being feasible and ends up being a poky thing that doesn’t give the desired usability,” she adds.
Instead, Wilshaw often recommends going for a peninsula – similar to an island but not out in the middle of the kitchen.
It offers “a better flow” in a lot of cases, she explains.
After this argument is settled, then comes the battle of sink versus hob.
“Eighty per cent of people put the hob in the island or peninsula, with the other 20 putting the sink there,” says Wilshaw.
Trenaman, however, recommends keeping hob and sink off the island, as they can make it “look cluttered”. He does agree that many clients like the social aspect of a hob in the island.