If you’re renovating your kitchen, check out these tips from the design pros, curated and written by the team at Housace.
Creating a functional kitchen isn’t a straight-forward task, and getting some expert advice from kitchen design professionals can help to ensure that your kitchen renovation results are a roaring success.
Here are 8 top tips from the renovation pros at Houseace for kitchen renovation success.
1. Prioritise functionality
First and foremost, consider functionality, efficiency, and how you will actually use the space. For example, just because you may have a lot of room to play with, doesn’t mean that a much wider gap between your island bench and wall countertop or oven is a functional idea.
Using the working triangle theory is a great way to ensure some much-needed functionality. This theory suggests that arranging your sink, fridge and stove in an equilateral triangle is the optimal design for efficiency. When you are cooking, these are the three primary points of the kitchen that you will be repeatedly returning to, so it’s ideal to have them equally distanced to each other.
2. Light up your kitchen experience
One of the most important factors to consider when renovating a kitchen is the lighting. Many people opt for recessed ceiling lighting in their kitchen, but it can be more effective to go for lower hanging lighting – get some bulbs situated below the ceiling height to not only create a more beautiful ambience, but provide useful lighting for benchtop food preparation tasks. Large light fixtures that hang over island benches are particularly attractive design elements that also serve a purpose. Make sure to include some under-cabinet lighting, too.
3. Hero your stove
Your stove/oven is one of the most visible and used appliances of the kitchen, so make it count when it comes to the design. Stoves come in a wide variety of colours and styles, giving you plenty of options to inject a little extra character into your kitchen renovation. Consider getting a range hood too – these not only help with ventilation but can be a great statement piece.
4. Invest in decent flooring
Low quality flooring can really let an otherwise good kitchen design down. Stone floors are arguably the best option for durability, but if you’re always cooking, you may feel more comfortable standing on a wooden floor.
Otherwise, Italian porcelain tiles can be a great choice – virtually indestructible and relatively inexpensive. You should also consider going for larger tiles, as this reduces the amount of seams which trap food and dirt.
As an additional treat, you could install a floor heater under the tiles – walking over slightly warm tiles on your way to make your morning coffee is a comforting feeling.
5. Carefully consider your countertops
As well as needing to be practical and functional, countertops form a huge part of your overall kitchen aesthetic. While it can be tempting to go for a very personal choice, it’s important to consider what effect your countertops may have over future home buyers. Certain materials, such as quartz, granite, or corian will add value to your home, and opting for timeless designs and colors that can adapt to a variety of redecorations is a smart way to go.
6. Choose complimentary cabinets
Your choice of cabinets can go a long way to complimenting your chosen style and kitchen functionality. For example, your design may call for country-style cabinetry, a minimalist look, or even no cabinets at all! Open shelves are surprisingly popular for displaying dishes, allowing for extra easy access as well as making a stylish statement.
It is highly recommended to include several deep drawers into your design as a minimum. Keeping pots and pans in drawers is far more functional than having to store them away in deep, dark cupboards.
7. Don’t skimp on your sink
Sinks can be an afterthought for many, considered only as a functional element that need only be basic. But, there are so many design elements that can transform the use of your sink. The depth and width of a kitchen sink can dramatically transform its usefulness, but tap design is also important to consider. Having separate hot and cold water handles can be a real pain when you need to switch quickly between the two while cooking, so a mixer tap is recommended. Pull-out spray nozzles can be handy, too.
8. Tile your splashback
While highly reflective options like glass or mirror can seem appealing and are easy to clean, they reflect back all of your kitchen clutter, making a busy kitchen look messy.
Tiling your splashback is a solid alternative, and can be a great opportunity to further add to your desired aesthetic, both with texture and colour. Tiles are easy to maintain and can often be the most affordable solution, too.
Final thoughts
There are so many design options to consider when renovating your kitchen, it can seem daunting. The most important thing to do is to fully consider functionality first, then find ways to inject your own sense of style into an otherwise timeless aesthetic to retain value and resale power.
