Hints and Tips for planning your kitchen
planning your kitchen
Most householders are unfamiliar with buying a new kitchen – after all it’s unlikely that we will have to do it more than twice in a lifetime – so it’s natural to feel daunted by the choice and not a little wary of the pitfalls. An expense of this size is not to be undertaken lightly, so the more help and advice available the better.
Before you buy a new kitchen, think carefully about what you really need or you could end up with something totally unsuitable. Work out what works well and what doesn’t in your present kitchen, then make notes for your kitchen retailer so that a kitchen can be tailored to your precise specifications.
What to consider
The style of your kitchen
From modern to farm house style kitchens, there are many different styles
and materials to select from when choosing a new kitchen.
The layout of your kitchen
There are a number of recognised types of kitchen layout and most new kitchens
will fall into one of these basic designs.
Your lifestyle
At bespoke we will ask a myriad of questions about your lifestyle (and
that of your family), so it’s as well to have as many of the answers ready
as possible. Armed with the right questions and answers you can create
the new kitchen that perfectly fits your lifestyle
kitchen styles
Like any other industry, kitchens have their fashions - In recent years
there has been a shift from cathedral arch doors and fussy detailing
towards a more modern, clean look. Plain door styles make up as much
as 80 percent of the door sales of KBSA retailers. Demand for painted
cupboards in broken paint effects such as dragging and rag-rolling has
diminished, too, but kitchens painted in a flat finish are still popular.
The ‘Shaker’ look remains popular, with its simple frame and flat panel and light woods such as maple or beech are also best sellers. KBSA research showed that maple is still the most popular wood with 48 percent of KBSA retailers followed by oak and beech. Retailers are reporting that a wider range of woods is being specified as consumers continue to be influenced by trends from Europe and designer makeover programmes. Cherry is rising in sales and the more unusual woods requested include applewood, pearwood and bamboo!
A mix of wood and painted cupboards is still fashionable, with more than 80 percent of respondents stating that cream is still the most popular colour. White and yellow are the other two colours requested.
In a modern scheme, flat-fronted doors offer that sleek, metropolitan, "architect-designed" look which appeals to young professionals and those who aspire to loft-living but can't quite face the discipline of life without clutter! Simple stainless steel handles enhance effect and make a compact kitchen look larger, as do wall cupboards with satinised glass panels and furniture on legs rather than plinths. This is an evolution of the unfitted look which still has quite a following. Also popular are curves, whether that be a shapely handle, wave-shaped worktop contour or rounded door front.
Stainless steel is still a major trend in both modern and traditional kitchens and it is likely to remain a strong influence in kitchens for some time to come. Aluminium is also beginning to gain in popularity.
Granite has become much more popular as a worktop material. Just under
50 percent of retailers claim that this hard wearing, easy to care for
material is most popular. The reasonably priced laminate worktop is also
still popular with just under 50 percent of retailers, the remainder is
taken up by sales of Corian.