Your kitchen design ideas

The kitchen is the heart and soul of many people’s homes. In our house, it’s certainly not just a place for cooking food, it’s where we gather to socialise when friends and family visit.

At this time of year when we tend to spend a lot of time indoors, many people start planning kitchen renovations. Renovating your kitchen is a long-term investment and there’s a lot of factors to consider, so I encourage all Workshop members to share their kitchen design ideas.

What are some of your top tips for designing a new kitchen or renovating an existing one?

I hope the video below also gives you some ideas.

Jason

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Renovation

Plumbing

Building and Construction

Decorating

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Kermit

For cabinetry, I've mentioned before that I reckon the most important thing is the craftsmanship of the cabinetmakers. Ask for testimonials and look at previous installs for perfect joins, nice straight lines, smooth edges, no gaps or overlapping.

You will probably find that most cabinet makers use MDF so the only difference is the thickness. Obviously the thicker the better. Make sure you get solid backs (not stapled thin Masonite).

The hinges and drawer runners etc can vary in quality a lot so you will want a reputable brand, and preferably soft close.

And remember that the finished result depends on multiple trades working together well – eg plumber, electrician, possibly also stonemason, tiler and glazier – that need to be coordinated and not destroy each other’s work!

Kellie

I didn't design my kitchen from scratch but made a few changes to the plans. The big one for me was ensuring that the kitchen island bench was as big as possible. I go to so many people's houses and the island bench becomes the centre of all activity, whether it be cooking, or hanging out, so it's really important to get it right - somewhere that is comfortable to sit at and serves multiple purposes. I also think that it's worth sinking a lot of money into the stone for it so it lasts a long time and looks great for years.

Isobel

My advice would be to be careful about following the latest trends with colours, tiles, splashbacks, surfaces etc. You only have to see the average 70s or 80s kitchen to realise this. A kitchen is a very big investment and you want it to last and look great for a long time. It's particularly important to be conservative with your design and decorative choices if you don't plan on being in the house forever as kitchens have a big impact on potential buyers.

darylhewston

My advice, don't just jump into it. Planning is the key. Discussions with family and friends bring about some really good ideas. During my kitchen reno (actually every reno) I have taken the time to plan it out and put it on paper. Luckily our old kitchen was reasonably sound so all we had was cosmetic and appliance changes. The layout was adequate for what we needed. Put away plenty of time to shop for materials (especially tiles) as there are so many to choose from. Last of all - Stick to the plan. Last minute changes (unless unavoidable) will cost you plenty of beer coupons.

RenoQueen

Kitchen reno dos and don'ts - http://www.domain.com.au/news/kitchen-renovation-dos-and-donts-common-mistakes-to-avoid-20160909-gqsph6/

Selecting appliances too late
Ignoring storage needs and workflow
Opting for the wrong surfaces
Ignoring the style of the rest of the home
Forgetting to forward instructions to tradies
Going too trendy
Ignoring your corners
Not including enough bench space
Choosing poor-quality hardware

Kermit

The bench space and storage tips in that list seem the most important to me. You can never have enough of both.

Isobel

Some good ideas here for easy kitchen updates:

http://www.domain.com.au/advice/15-kitchen-updates-wont-hurt-hip-pocket/

Maggieaggi63

Maggieaggie63 I am looking to do my kitchen it is so disabled I know what I wont but have one big problem that is my kitchen is not level I mean all over from floor to ceiling how can that be done

Kermit

Find a good cabinet maker @Maggieaggi63. Our house was built by the previous (original) owner and none of the walls are square, not the floors level. The cabinet makers took everything into account and hid the impections of the room beautifully.

Isobel

Some good tips here from Darren Palmer of The Block - https://www.domain.com.au/advice/the-block-2017-darren-palmers-guide-to-getting-the-kitchen-right-20170919-gyb3un/

Jason

Visitors to this discussion might also be interested in the top tips for renovators from @2Belindas here - https://www.workshop.com.au/t5/Blog/A-lifetime-of-renovating/ba-p/17493

Feel free to also share your tips with the community.

Jason

There are plenty of ways to transform your kitchen, even on a tight budget. A new Bunnings video about updating your kitchen focuses on the first major decision to make: whether to tackle a rejuvenation, renovation or total relocation project.

Hope you find it useful when planning your kitchen transformation.

Jason

Isobel

Some good points here - https://www.domain.com.au/living/the-nine-biggest-kitchen-decorating-mistakes-people-make-20180806-h13lfc-756692/

I particularly like this one:

“I often see doors, drawers, and appliances that are too close together or open into each other at inside corners,” says Smith. “Remember to consider the projection of the cabinet hardware and appliance handles when planning inside corners. Visualise each door and drawer open at the same time to make sure that things clear one another and that access to countertops and upper cabinets is not blocked.”

Walter

Well, this article and video is Just In Time.

We are about to renovate the kitchen (and I'm not that good at knocking nails in but I'm willing to give it a go, and I have a mate who is a good carpenter.) Since there is only just the 2 of us now (PHEW!!), we are going to rearrange. No need for a big dining room table, since it's the kids turn to feed us, and anyone who comes over gets the barbecue treatment. Benchtops for me are important, and yes, a wine cabinet somewhere in the mix. Going through the kitchen now, we have found a ton of Tupperware that we haven't used in age, so that's on the way out.

As part of the renovations, I'm about to knock a hole in the wall to the lounge room and put in a benchtop between the kitchen and the lounge room, to both extend it, and use it as a breakfast nook.

Hence the reason to renovate the kitchen. Everyone will see into it 😄

Jason

@Walter,

I would encourage you to start a new thread and post your plans as well as a few "before" shots of what you are working with before you get started. That way community members can provide some suggestions and advice before you get on the tools.

All the best with the project,

Jason

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