Tips for a Successful Kitchen Renovation

The heart of the home couldn’t reign more true with the kitchen being a social hub where you entertain, cook, eat and do daily tasks. It’s a space where you spend most of your day so why not make it the best space it can be with a kitchen renovation.

The difference between ordinary and extraordinary comes down to the fine details when planning. Though you may have set a budget and have inspiration images if your plan is poor then your entire renovation can become quite difficult. We share a few tips to help start your kitchen renovation.

1. Overall Kitchen Idea

The first step is to consider the space you have available to see how to configure the kitchen. What can you do with space? Open up the kitchen for open plan living, add a window for natural light or elongate your kitchen island for meal preparation and entertaining. The possibilities are endless! It’s easy to get carried away with the excitement of a renovation but keep in mind the kitchen needs to be highly functional to cater to all your family’s needs. Gather images of the kitchen and measure the space and store it all on your phone for easy access while talking to the professionals and shopping for materials.

2. Functionality

Time to plan exactly how you will use your kitchen space. A general rule of thumb is the ‘working triangle’, which aligns the sink, fridge and cooking area in a triangle for maximum practicality and functionality within the kitchen. At this stage also think about the appliances you have and whether you will keep or replace them. Also measure your appliances to ensure they fit into your new kitchen.

3. Style

Now decide on the colour palette and style of your kitchen. There’s a large variety of choice so to avoid feeling overwhelmed do your research online of styles and popular colours. Also, gather some images and create a mood board for an easy visual reminder of the kitchen you want to create. This also helps you to stay on track, easily see what works well together and avoids straying to different styles or colours, which is very common. Remember to not choose anything based purely on current trend; choose styles and colours that will blend well in to your home to enjoy for a long time.

4. Choose Appliances

Appliances make up a large portion of your kitchen and are items that will get regular use thus requiring you to choose appliances wisely that are functional and blend well into your kitchen. You need to choose a refrigerator, oven, cooktop and range hood to fulfil daily kitchen requirements. Other considerations include a microwave, dishwasher and if you are going for a luxury or entertainment style kitchen then doubling up on appliances can be a possibility to fulfil all your activities.

5. Storage

Storage is an element that can be forgotten during a renovation with many getting carried away with the style of their dream kitchen. One can never have too much storage so plan to utilise every inch available to your advantage and create smart storage solutions with deep drawers, internal cupboard dividers and kitchen island storage.

6. Bench top and Splashback Material

There’s no shortage of material options available varying from natural stone to solid timber though which one is right for you? Each material has pros and cons and it comes down to how you will use your kitchen to determine the best material option. Click here for a breakdown of bench top materials.

Splashbacks are a great opportunity to get creative by add some colour and texture into your kitchen. Splashbacks can match or contrast your kitchen bench top and the best thing is both materials don’t have to be identical. Read a few of our tips on how to coordinate your kitchen benchtop and splashback here

7. Lighting

Lighting is required to pull your kitchen together. There are 3 types of lighting needed in a kitchen and each preforms for a different need.

• Task Lighting: bright lighting above preparation areas to help you preform daily tasks
• Ambient lighting: overall illumination of the kitchen such as down lights
• Accent lighting: adds interest and creativity into the kitchen

A combination of lighting layers will create a well light kitchen.