February 15, 2022
Designing Your Dream Kitchen? These Are The Three Most Important Things To Consider.
When you start designing your brand new kitchen – perhaps because your current one is old and worn out or your family dynamic has changed – it is easy to get overwhelmed by all the options on the market. And if you don’t focus on the most important aspects first, you’ll quickly find that your design (and the subsequent cost) of your dream kitchen can spiral out of control! In this blog, we’ll focus on three important components of a kitchen that you need to consider before you start the kitchen design process.
Don’t Get Overwhelmed With Design Details
When you first start thinking about what you want your new dream kitchen to look like, you will quickly find that there is an abundance of design options and resources available online. Add to that the opinions of your friends and family and any sales people that you speak to and you quickly have a recipe for total design confusion!
After many years in the industry (and after assisting with thousands of kitchen designs over those years!) we know that to be successful, a good kitchen design needs to not only look at the the flow and style, but probably even more importantly, it needs to take into account the problem areas in a kitchen. At the top of this list would be:
- Corners
- Microwaves
- Rubbish bins
- Don’t Forget About Your Corners
Corners are one of the most important – but oftentimes overlooked – components of a kitchen design. All too often we will hear these statement from our clients
“I hate the corners in my kitchen”
“I haven’t seen the back of my cupboard for years”
or “please don’t open that door!”
There are three main types of corners used in kitchen design:
- The standard corner with a bi-fold door
- The blind corner (with only 1 access door)
- The reverse cupboard (i.e. common under a breakfast bar)
Each corner option has its pros and cons, but when used correctly in a design they can actually do a lot to seamlessly connect the different zones of the space. There are also some great corner mechanisms now available on the market that can greatly assist with the accessing of hard to reach spaces.
We advise talking with your kitchen designer as to the best option available to suit your specific space needs.
- Microwaves Have Come A Long Way Since 1955
There are not many modern kitchen designs that don’t include a microwave these days
Nowadays, microwaves are useful for far more than just reheating meals and drinks. The technology has evolved to a point that their cooking effectiveness can oftentimes rival a conventional oven, making them an integral part of any modern kitchen. With this in mind, finding the perfect location for your microwave is vital, whether it is under the bench or in an oven tower. If it is possible, we always advise clients to keep their microwave off of the benchtops to both clear up usable work space and to help with the seamlessness of the design.
Another thing to consider is that pretty much every microwave currently on the market has a door that is hinged on the left hand side, which means that there are some areas of a kitchen design where placement of a microwave won’t work.
- How Do You Rubbish?
It is usually thought of as a last resort, but when we work with a client designing their kitchen, we make these our first questions. Do you separate your food scraps? Do you compost? Do you recycle? What about soft plastics? Do you have a large family that needs a large bin? Do you need a small bin? How many times a day do you want to empty your bin?
If you understand your waste needs, then your kitchen designer should be able to find the perfect solution for your needs. Get it wrong though, and you could be left with a smelly (and unattractive!) design problem that will definitely take the shine off your new kitchen.
Start By Talking To A Design Expert
As someone who may have been dreaming of their new kitchen for a while, you could be feeling pretty confident about the design process from the outset. But there is far more to a successful kitchen design than feature walls, appliance brands and colour pallets. At the end of the day, you need a space that is versatile and usable, which is why you speak with a kitchen design expert.
At Hobart Kitchen Transformations, we believe that designing your dream kitchen should be an enjoyable experience. With our unique design discovery process, we take away the headaches and leave you with a kitchen design that’s suited to your needs, tastes, and lifestyle. To start the process, come and visit us in our showroom or make an appointment for an in-home design consultation today!
