TIME FOR A KITCHEN MAKEOVER?

A kitchen makeover will almost always have a major, positive impact on your home.
The possibilities are pretty much endless, -make sure to settle for details that make you tick, and you’ll get a kitchen to LOVE for years to come.

PLANNING FOR USE
Think of how you’d like to use your kitchen; will it be a space for entertaining, are you a dedicated foodie? Do you have children? Plan the space accordingly. If you want to entertain a large number of people in your kitchen/living area for example, make sure to assign more space to seating rather than installing wide counters. Do you want to go Ramsey? Prioritize sufficient work space.

THE GOLDEN KITCHEN TRIANGLE – as practiced by architects
No matter how you use your kitchen, make sure your layout provides for a good movement flow between hob, sink and fridge. This is usually referred to as the “kitchen triangle”, a principle used by architects when designing residential kitchens. Don’t underestimate what a difference a good flow can make.

CABINETS
Cabinets are the canvas of your kitchen art, and good ones will see you through many years to come. This is a big decision and maybe the hardest thing to get right, but choosing well-made cabinets will future proof your kitchen. Cabinets obviously provide a large percentage of your kitchen surface, consequently their visual impact is huge. A good advice is to coordinate them with colour tones of your home. They don’t need to be the same, but they do need to work in harmony in order to create a coherent feel throughout your home. 

A grey kitchen can for example work really well in relation to a blue, green or pink living room, by picking up some of the existing pigments and mixing them into the grey, you will achieve a smooth transition. Talk to your paint trader, they can advise you.

KILLER COUNTERTOPS
We love raw materials such as stone, granite and marble. Wood gives a warmer feeling, is easier to modify and usually cheaper, however it’s also more sensitive to water. Stone makes for a killer worktop and will last forever if you take care of it, just be aware that some stones (e.g. limestone and marble) are prone to get stains from acidic materials (citrus, wine etc.).

HARDWARE TO FINISH
How many times a day do you open your drawers and cabinets, 20? 50? Don’t settle for ordinary. Pick high quality, statement hardware which stands the test of time and adds the visual finishing touch to your kitchen.

Again, look at the rest of your home. A good trick for achieving a coherent feel throughout your home is using the same finish in all rooms. Does your living room contain a lot of prominent BRASS details, well then it might be nice to settle for brass in your kitchen too. For a crisp feel, pick STEEL. For a strong yet lively impression, opt for SMOKED BRONZE. Remember, all finishes answer differently depending on their backdrop; higher contrasts will make your hardware pop, while similar tones give a calmer impression.

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image 2 / Graham Atkins Huges
image 3 / Project by Sola Kitchens
image 4 / Alexander White