Starting your kitchen plan

7 considerations to make when beginning your kitchen plans

As the saying goes, your kitchen is the heart of the home- the place where your family comes together to cook, dine, relax and socialise. This arguably makes it the most important room in your house, so its design deserves careful planning and meticulous attention to detail.

Your local independent Second Nature retailer will be there to guide you through the entire process of planning your kitchen, with the passion and industry experience needed to help bring your kitchen vision flawlessly to life. However, there are a number of careful considerations you can make before or whilst working with your retailer, to make sure your finished kitchen is everything you have been dreaming of.

The first consideration to make before delving into your kitchen plans, is how and when you will be using your space. In many households, kitchens are no longer solely used for cooking and food preparation, with the room becoming the social hub of the home- where the family gather to relax, socialise, dine and entertain.

If you form a list of ways your kitchen is used at the present, and ways you would like to use the space after the upcoming renovation, this can help you and your retailer to form a clear idea of what your kitchen design needs to complement your everyday life perfectly.

Main Features and Storage

After deciding how you want to use your kitchen, it will be clearer what designer features could be introduced to improve the functionality and the aesthetic of your space.

From clever storage solutions solutions to store away kitchen essentials, to a feature island with integrated seating for family dining, to an impressive wine cooler or American fridge freezer- writing down your feature requirements in terms of priority will help your Second Nature retailer understand what you’re looking for from your dream kitchen.

Budget

The choice of door, worksurface, appliances and finer details can all effect the price of your kitchen renovation. It’s important to enter the design process with a figure in mind that you’d like to stick to, as this will help your Second Nature specialist to make considered suggestions that equally suit your budget, style and functional requirements.

Finer Details

As it becomes clear the demands you will be placing on your new kitchen, it’s time to consider the finer details you would like to incorporate into your design. From a practical perspective, you need to consider the appliances, worksurfaces, storage solutions, sink and tap- both in terms of appearance and functionality.

You may already have a look and style in mind for your space, but it would be a great idea to collect inspiration from magazines, websites, brochures and social media, so that you can present these to your retailer when expressing your wishes.

Layout

There are many factors to account for when deciding on the best kitchen layout for the dimensions you have. It’s a decision that needs careful consideration, as the perfect layout will help to maximise and complement your space, whilst making time in your kitchen enjoyable.

Your local Second Nature retailer will be able to talk you through the options for your individual space, but if you’d like to help to process along, it could be helpful to sketch how you see the layout working, taking into account the features and appliances you’d like the design to include.

Lighting

Lighting is no longer just a kitchen accessory, it’s a necessity, offering benefits for both the practicality and aesthetic appeal of your kitchen design.

To plan lighting effectively, you will need to consider the times you use your kitchen the most, the areas you will need the best visibility- such as food preparation areas and in dark cupboards- and whether you want to use a combination of functional, task lighting and mood/ambience lighting.

If you’re ready to take the next step towards bringing your dream kitchen to life, find your closest independent Second Nature specialist today.