Design

Before we start

Before we get to work on your designs we recommend you first do some research and decide on a basic outline of your dream kitchen. Be it magazine cutouts, colour swatches or a Pinterest page the more information you can provide us at the start of the process means the sooner we can understand the needs and your desires for your perfect kitchen.

We want to ensure you love your new kitchen and have a few questions you might wish to consider while planning your dream kitchen:

What aspects do you love or hate about your current kitchen? Would you like more storage or work surface? Are the appliances too high or too low? Do you have cabinets you struggle to reach?
Have you decided on your finished layout? Are the appliances where you want them or will an electrician be required to rewire sockets or appliances?
What sort of budget do you have to work with? Does this include new appliances or do you plan on keeping your current ones? Have you consider everything down to the kitchen sink?
Are there any time constraints? Do you require your new kitchen in a certain time frame?
Who is the kitchen for? If you have a young family you may want to go for something hard wearing, low maintenance and easy-to-clean.

Popular Kitchen Layouts

One major decision you will need to make is what layout will best suit your new kitchen. There maybe some limiting factors such as the size and shape of the room you will have to account for. A useful guide is to consider a “working triangle”, This is a simple shape made by drawing a line between the three main working areas of your kitchen, the sink, the oven/hobs and the fridge. Ideally you want the total distance between these points to be no longer than 4 to 8 meters.

A kitchen that is too far spaced with large distances between these main areas could quickly become annoying, especially if getting from the stove to the sink involves circumnavigating an entire island.

Here are some example of typical layouts for you to consider:

Single wall

The simplest of layouts best suited for areas where space is at a premium, expanding upwards rather than outwards to maximise on the height of the room.

Galley

Also know as a walk through kitchen, this simple and efficient layout makes the most out of a small area and maximizes the storage space available. One of the major considerations for this design is ensuring that there is adequate space between the counters to allow for the opening of appliances

U-Shaped

One of the most flexible layouts a U-shaped design is highly adaptable and customisable, well suited for medium to large kitchens. While this design can feel quite “boxy” with a full layout of cabinets, clever use of shelving can ease this considerably and simply shortening one of the legs of the “U” for a breakfast bar can add some character.

L-Shaped

A popular choice, the L-shaped Kitchen provides both ample work surfaces and plenty of storage with short travel distances between the main areas. This layout allows you to have all you want from your kitchen while keeping a large area of the room free for a kitchen table/dining area. One of the the traditional weaknesses of this design was access to the corner cabinets but modern solutions such as carousel units have effectively rendered this point moot.

Island

For those with the space to house them island units are ever popular for their style and the extra utility, with the possibilities for an islands usefulness near endless. Highly adaptable, modern island designs are able to accommodate all manner of appliances just as easily as the more traditional sinks and cookers. Another popular choice is to face your island in towards the rest of the room allowing you to chat with guests while cooking.

Have a project for us?

With over 50 years of experience we have the knowledge and expertise to help bring your dream project to life!