Share
Hello, I've just bought my first home and every room needs some TLC. But thought I'd start with the kitchen and looking for some quick ideas to give the space a face lift and where possible arrange the layout. I don't feel the space is being used efficiently, especially the wall where the pantry and fridge are.
I'm a complete beginner and struggling to get started or where to start..
Any ideas would be appreciated.
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @heidistander. It's brilliant to have you join us and many thanks for the question about your kitchen.
You might like to look at our Top 10 most popular kitchen projects for inspiration and read through this helpful guide on How to plan a kitchen renovation.
There are certainly a few things you could do to improve the look of your kitchen and which would give it a quick facelift. If you start talking about the layout and efficiency of space, you are moving into renovation territory. A decision needs to be made on whether you want to improve the current look or whether you want to do a complete renovation.
Items that age your kitchen are the laminate benchtops, border tiles on your splashback, white rangehood and cooktop, the brick on the bench return and verticle blinds.
Unfortunately, the bench and cabinets are cream coloured. If they were white, you could work with them. I'd consider replacing the benchtop with a manufactured stone and painting the cabinetry white in the long term. The splashback tiles also look cream, and painting over them with white tile paint would improve their look.
I'd suggest timber panelling over the brick for the bench return, and EasyCraft lining boards would be a great way to achieve this. You could even use these boards for the brick surrounding the oven. Check out @ProjectPete's amazing Kitchen island EasyVJ panelling.
Some white Venetian blinds would be a good upgrade over those verticals.
Efficiency wise, what would you like to see change, and where do you see the kitchen in 5 - 10 years? Are you planning a full renovation in the future, or are you just looking to update and make the current layout a bit more functional?
Let me mention one of our expert renovation experts @redbournreno to see if she has any thoughts.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
Hello @heidistander
It's great that you've received excellent advice from my colleague @MitchellMc. His recommendation for making a decision whether to fully renovate it or just cosmetically fix it is important. I've seen a lot of kitchens where the owner has modified their kitchen with a half baked approach resulting in a mixed look of new and old cabinets. I think the renovation should have been put off until they had the proper resources. I agree with your assessment when you say that the kitchen is not being used efficiently.
Would it be possible for you to post the measurements of your kitchen wall? This will allow me to draw some kitchen layouts for you. Is there something beside the oven wall cabinet? Can that brick structure be torn down? How deep is the pantry in your kitchen? How much space do you have on the other side of your island?
Once you provide more information I'll be able to draw you a more accurate layout. In the meantime, please enjoy these ideas I've made.
If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.
Eric
