You may have just moved house or have come into some money and want to splash out on a new kitchen. Perhaps you just need a new kitchen as yours is old, tired, and needs replacing. For whatever reason, starting this journey can be daunting. Here are our 6 top things to consider before you start designing.
1.Style
The first thing, invariably, that you first fall for when seeing kitchen brochures and adverts, is the style of kitchen. Generally, we instinctively know the sort of thing we are after - modern or traditional, with or without handles, plain slab, or shaker style.
Apart from personal preference you may also want to consider what would sit well in your home. Whilst you can go modern in a traditional house, would you go for a traditional kitchen in a modern structure?
Your choice.
NEW Crown Lifestyle Solo door choice in Grey mist (the Back wall area) and Grey (the Island).
2. Colour
Almost certainly the other thing that will speak to you is colour. Are you brave enough to go for something bold, or do you prefer to add pops of colour in other ways?
There are some beautiful options nowadays for painted or colour wrapped doors, and even choosing two colours for different areas is now considered to be quite normal.
Best of both worlds!
NEW Crown Lifestyle Salsa door choice in Argean blue.
3. Use
How do you use yours?
Is your kitchen a social space where everyone gathers together whilst you are cooking? Do you have space for a table to eat at? Is your kitchen purely functional and you just need to fit in all the appliances you really need? Do you need to keep an eye on children whilst doing their homework?
Your new kitchen design can vary hugely according to how you want to use it.
NEW Crown Lifestyle Alto door choice in Grey mist. You can read more about Naturewall, which features on the left-hand wall in this kitchen and is also available at Colour Supplies.
4. Lighting
Partly based on how you want to use your kitchen, lighting plays a very important role, and you will want to get it right. Gone are the days of one strip-light down the middle of the room, and a couple of under cupboard lights if you are lucky.
A great modern option, if you can do it, is to use recessed spotlights along with feature light fixtures. Additional under-cupboard or kickboard lights are also popular options for changing the ambience.
The more versatility you can build in, the better.
NEW Crown Lifestyle Salsa door choice in Grey.
5. Features
Features can incorporate things like a kitchen island, if you have space, or a large American fridge-freezer if that's your thing. Plus, with the invention of venting hobs you are no longer confined to having your hob on an outside wall.
Whilst you may not be able to get everything you want into your space, make the most of the opportunity to get as much on your wish list as possible!
With careful planning and design from your consultant, you may be surprised at what you can achieve.
NEW Crown Lifestyle Solo door choice in Fawn.
6. Budget
Most of us will have a budget of sorts. It may be flexible, or it may not. However, by working with your designer, there are ways to get more for your money. Often you can get a similar look for less by choosing different cabinet options or using basic brand appliances instead of top branded items.
A huge budget buster can be your worktop choice, but again there are so many options nowadays that you can still get a great look for less money than you may think.
NEW Crown Lifestyle Salsa door choice in Cashmere.
The door options featured here are:
- Salsa – Slim shaker style door with a textured woodgrain effect
- Solo – Slim frame door with a smooth finish
- Alto – A J-profile matte finish door
If this has inspired you to think about how to refresh your kitchen, then our in-house, friendly design team is here to help and guide you through the whole process. You'll find some really helpful tips on starting to design your kitchen here. Or if you are ready to get started just click this link below.
Book a FREE Kitchen Design Appointment
You can also pop in to have a chat with a member of the resident design team in either our Wrexham, Oswestry or Whitchurch stores to find out more, and get inspiration from our lovely showroom kitchens.
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