Choosing a new kitchen is an exciting time and the impact of a great kitchen design can make your home a success for many years to come. The kitchen is the heart of your home and for many it’s the place where everyone congregates whether that’s at parties, gatherings or just during day-to-day life with the family or visitors.
The kitchen has a lot of work to do so getting it right is important.
Where do you think would be the best place to start with the project of your new kitchen?
You probably think I’m going to convince you to come to our kitchen showroom in Leamington Spa, but that’s not the best place to start.
(Although you’re always welcome to visit my fantastic showroom!)
No, actually the best place to go when you’re thinking about a new kitchen, the best place to get ideas, the best place to stand and think about a new kitchen is…
… your existing kitchen!
I always ask my customers to do some homework… at HOME before they make a trip to the showroom. You see, your existing kitchen has a lot for you to learn from and will tell you what works and what doesn’t work with a kitchen in your home.
It’s really important that we gather this important information before any decisions are made as a new kitchen needs to be an improvement and the best kitchen possible.
So learn from your current kitchen – what does and doesn’t work?
What do your kitchen habits tell you?
One thing to be very careful of is not to use your current thinking if you can. Research shows that we develop habits in as little as 21 days so you can imagine that the way you use your kitchen may well be deeply engrained in years of habitual usage.
Now is the time to think long and hard about what does and doesn’t work in your kitchen with a fresh perspective and not those long learned habits from your past.
What do you really want?
What do you actually want from your kitchen? This isn’t about replacing what you already have – it’s about learning from your mistakes and successes and then adding in some dream goals!
So, what do you want from your kitchen? How do you want to use it? What have you always dreamed you could do and have in your kitchen?
I usually suggest spending a couple of weeks with a notepad to hand and each time an issue comes up make a note of it. A great place to store this list in on the fridge so it reminds you to fill it in!
Some ideas to help you work on this list:
- Are you happy with the current location of the sink, worktop and fridge?
- Is there work top space near the fridge for unloading shopping?
- Are the teaspoons too far away from the coffee/tea making facilities?
- Are your plates easy to get to when you’re cooking?
- Can you reach everything if you’re short like me?
- Is there enough natural light or would you prefer more light?
- How many electrical sockets will you need? It’s probably more than you think!
- Will there be room for your washing machine/dryer/dishwasher?
- Are your ingredients easy to reach or are they hidden and buried at the back?
- Can you store away infrequently used appliances if you’d prefer not to have them on show?
- Is the bin in the most useful place and accessible from where you chop your ingredients?
- What height will the oven or microwave need to be?
- Do you have room for, or do you want, an island?
- Is there storage for your recycling?
Give yourself a few weeks to brainstorm these types of problems and of course record the things you like about your current kitchen too.
Things have changed
Again given that the average time between buying new kitchens can be around 17 years, your lifestyle may have changed considerably since your last purchase.
- Have you had children?
- Or have the children left?
- Has your family grown?
- Have you changed jobs and now got more/less time to cook?
Situations that have changed in your life will impact on your home and your kitchen and it makes a lot of sense to think about these areas of your life too. After all, a kitchen is literally there to serve you and your life, so don’t let it hinder it!
Where do you put your ideas and inspirations?
Creating a mood board is a great method of consolidating your ideas also great value if not everyone sees eye to eye on colours or styles. One thing I used to suggest was cutting out pictures from magazines and putting them into a folder or onto a board but life is far easier than that now.
With the wonder of the internet and sites like Pinterest, you can share ideas on boards in real time and add or remove images and themes very quickly and of course you can share them digitally with us via a link on email. It’s a great way to source ideas and crowd source opinion from everyone involved.
And NOW you can come and see us!
Armed with all this wonderful information and visual inspiration it’s the right time to come into our beautiful showroom to actually see and touch the products that are on offer to you. My team will actually take the time to ensure that every inch of your new kitchen is designed with you in mind.
Our aim and our greatest achievements to date are always when the feedback from our clients is: “The new kitchen works perfectly for us!”
That’s when we know we’ve done the right thing and created a kitchen that’s added true value to people’s lives. It’s why we do what we do – and it makes us all very happy!
Ready to plan your new kitchen?
Contact us now or call us to arrange a visit to the showroom. We can’t wait to work on your dream kitchen.