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New kitchen time
This week I will start with the basics .So you have finally decided to get that kitchen that you have been dreaming of.
You are sick of the old one that you have been using for years, so now it is time to get that dream kitchen. Getting all excited you race down to the local kitchen show room or ring a designer and arrange to get a price.
Right? Wrong.
If you do that and you plan on getting three different prices you will end up with three very different plans and three very different prices. Because of the large variety of materials that are available and different companies ideas of how a kitchen should be planned you may end up being more confused than before you started, or worse end up with a kitchen that is badly planned for your requirements.
Do your home work
First of all you need to work out what your requirements are. Next time you use your kitchen, think about how you use it, what part you use the most i.e. where you do your prep work for cooking etc. Then ask some questions like:
I guarantee you when I start asking questions like these the answer is usually I hate this kitchen it is a nightmare. I have put up with it for too long. It makes me wonder if people in my grand parents and great grandparents day ever complained.
Recently I have done a couple of custom kitchens where the clients lived in very old houses. They wanted new kitchens but in the style and character of the house. After hours of research and pouring through old books I came to the conclusion that we are a lot better off today especially with the help of organizations like The National Kitchen and Bathroom Association who have put together hours of research into good kitchen design by providing training courses for kitchen designers.
You don’t need to know anything about kitchen design to make a list of what you do and don’t like about your old kitchen. This makes it easy for the kitchen designer to come up with a concept and more likely for you to get designs that are comparing apples for apples when you get other prices.
Materials
The other thing I consider most important is doing some research on materials. These vary in price, looks and properties greatly .If you are not sure what is good and what's not then ask around. Everyone knows of someone who has put a kitchen in at some stage. Look in magazines, go to show homes, look in kitchen show rooms. This is quite important, as there is so much variety and they vary a lot in price I will cover all the options in a later article.
Benches and doors are mainly what I am talking about here. Cabinet interiors in general don’t vary so much they are usually white with only the substrate material and thickness that change.
Appliances
This is another area which is important to do some research. There is so much variety out there. It is important to decide on things like double or single oven, extra width oven, gas or electric hobs etc.
These can all make a difference in design and price of the cabintry. Not all appliances are created equal. Some have a huge price where you pay for the name through to good quality but less expensive down to cheap and nasty.
Extras
Don’t forget the extras. What extras? I hear you say. If you are renovating you will roughly spend as much on the extras as you would on the kitchen.
Extras include plumbing, electrical, flooring, painting, gib stopping window treatments any building work etc.
Of course this will vary depending on how much you are spending on the kitchen. The dearer the kitchen the less in proportion the extras will be.
Start planning now
If you want to do your kitchen in six months then start planning now. Go look at kitchens, talk to people ask questions, buy kitchen magazines cut out pictures, write a list of things you like and dislike about your kitchen. Write a list of what you would like in a kitchen, look at appliances get the specification sheets on them.
By doing these things you will have a good idea of what you want when it comes to getting your new kitchen and chances are if you get a couple of prices you will get similar designs that will be what you want and what is right for you not what some kitchen sales person thinks is best for you.
Conclusion
Well that’s my first article what do you think? E-mail me and let me know.
What I am trying to achieve by these articles is to give advice on the pros and cons on what's available, give advice on good design and get you thinking on what your needs and requirements are.
I feel that a well-designed kitchen shouldn’t be expensive. What makes it expensive is the size, materials used and the uniqueness.
Even cheaper modular kitchens or in Designer Kitchen Companies case with its semi custom kitchens can be designed to work well and fit the needs of the clients as well as a very large and unique custom kitchen.
If you have any questions regarding kitchen design e-mail me. If I get enough interest I will do an article on it.
See ya next time
Alex Marton
Article 2 - "Materials" | Article 3 - "Benchtops" | Article 4 - "Planning"
