While a big budget certainly helps, money isn’t necessarily the biggest factor in the success of a kitchen renovation. Proper planning and creativity are just as important. Here are 7 kitchen renovation tips from your local Brisbane kitchen experts, Exclusiv Kitchens:
1. Allow Plenty of Time To Plan
Don’t rush it. A kitchen reno is challenging enough without having to deal with tight deadlines. Give yourself plenty of time to plan. Start by focusing on style.
Style is something an interior designer can help with. We have a very helpful interior designer, named Nadine. Give her a ring if you like.
Definitely scour the web and magazines for design ideas. We love houzz.com.au.
We provide a comprehensive pricing guide that will help you estimate an approximate budget for the renovation. Leave some room in your budget for contingencies and things you haven’t considered.
2. Think About the Flow
The kitchen is a hub of activities that need to flow together smoothly.
It’s easy to focus on aesthetics but pay just as much (or more) attention to functionality. Ask yourself, how easy will to be to work in the new kitchen?
Different components should be arranged properly such that one can move effortlessly from one activity to another.
For example, where are your storage areas in relation to the cooking area and sink? Ensure that you can move from the fridge to the cooking area to the sink to the storage cabinets with ease.
A poorly designed kitchen will be a daily source of irritation and frustration.
3. Include plenty of natural light
Most homeowners tend to neglect natural lighting, focusing mostly on indoor lighting. But having plenty of natural light brightens the kitchen, giving it a joyous and lively feel.
Consider installing sliding or bi-fold doors with lots of glass and minimal frame.
Consider large windows especially over work areas.
Exclusiv Kitchens can help with the entire kitchen renovation process.
4. Stick to one style
Choose a style you like and stick with it. This style will then guide all other aspects including the finishing, painting, lighting and countertop materials.
Style options include modern, traditional and contemporary. Check out this great post: 12 Great Kitchen Styles — Which One’s for You?
You can also base your overall style on a specific colour.
You should decide all this in the planning stage. Look through as many pictures as possible.
5. Layer your indoor lighting
To shine, your kitchen needs multiple lights. With so many surfaces and levels – from the countertops to the floor – you need a range of fixtures for proper overall lighting.
Layering also gives your kitchen a warm feel.
There are so many lighting options to choose from including overhead lights, pendants, under-cabinet lights, mood lights, up lights, down lights and so on.
Try to mix in several styles to keep the design interesting.
6. Think of the Utilities
Kitchens have plenty of utilities – gas, water and electricity.
Do not forget to factor these in when planning your renovation.
Talk to your contractor to determine how they will be affected by the renovation and how to go about handling them. Exclusiv Kitchens can help with all aspects of your renovation including plumbing and electrical.
Look into the permits you might need to make any modifications or simply ask us.
7. Think Low-maintenance
Elegance aside, you need to think of how easy it will be to maintain your new kitchen.
Certain materials may look nice but are difficult to maintain.
So when you are designing your surfaces such as floor and countertop, find materials that last long and are easy to clean.
Exclusiv Kitchens provide laminate and stone!
Do your research during planning, finding out what materials are best for your kitchen and their price ranges. Check out our kitchen renovation pricing guide for more detail.