To support self-builders who are looking to create their dream kitchen, Debra Hutt of Wren Kitchens shares her insights into how to get the most out of the process.
With homeowners generally upgrading or replacing their kitchen space every 15-20 years, a new kitchen is a substantial commitment, both in terms of time and financially, so it’s important to make sure you get the design process right.
Many people are keen to be involved in their own kitchen design from the very beginning, to bring their own thoughts to life with the help of retailers.
Where should you start when designing a kitchen?
Making the most of your kitchen space is one of the most important aspects of any design. No matter how big or small the room, you’re striving to make efficient use of every square metre.
Therefore, settling on a layout that you’re confident will open up the space you have available is a non-negotiable starting point for any first-time kitchen planners.
Whether it’s the positioning of the worktops to maximise room for food prep and home working, or the strategic placement of larger appliances such as your fridge, wine cooler and oven, you should be tactful to ensure the kitchen space works for you and other family members.
In recent years, we’ve seen an increase in demand for kitchen islands – if that is a feature at the core of your design, be mindful of how you utilise the space around it to make sure it doesn’t overwhelm the room.
Self-builders should consider whether they want in-built or free-standing appliances, as these will also impact the space utilised in the overall kitchen.
Bigger, heavier appliances are often installed last with any kitchen fitting, so the best practice is to have your entire design mapped out, so that features like cupboards, shelving and worktops are in place for the appliances to slot in to complete the room.
How can you incorporate the best storage solutions into your kitchen?
Creating smart and efficient space for storage is key to any kitchen design. Maximising available space helps homeowners ensure their kitchens will be safe, practical and tidy.
Consider the positioning and size of your kitchen cabinets, feature units, cupboards and shelves to see what works best. When mapping out the kitchen itself, you may be surprised at the amount of storage space you can find in what appears to be a limited room.
Whether that’s installing in-built corner units, introducing draw inserts or including open shelving for a more spacious look and feel, there are so many things you can do to increase the storage potential of your kitchen, without compromising on the style element. Kitchen designers can help any household fine tune their vision to suit their taste and needs.
How important is getting the right colour for your kitchen design?
As much as the practical side of a kitchen is fundamental to any design, it’s also important to get the colour scheme and aesthetic right to effectively personalise your space.
Depending on what you’re looking to achieve with your kitchen, the colour palette choices can have a huge impact on the overall feel of the room, with more neutral tones like whites, creams and soft greys opening the room up more. Such classic hues remain popular across Wren’s ranges and offer timeless appeal.
However, we’re seeing a strong trend toward bolder, more dynamic colours like blues and greens.
As we approach the end of 2024 and head into a new year, homeowners are increasingly seeking the ‘wow factor’ in their kitchen, choosing rich, striking shades and accents that make a real statement. Fuller, more vibrant colour schemes paired with contrasting worktops are set to become more commonplace across British homes as people embrace kitchens that are as unique and expressive as they are functional.
How can you make the most of the lighting in a kitchen?
The lighting in your kitchen has a huge bearing on the overall look and feel of the space and it’s important to utilise the natural light available.
Whether you have access to grand open window frames, sky lights of more subtle sources, the natural light in your kitchen can really complement the artificial light fixtures you choose to give the room ambience and that homely feel.
Not only that, but the right lighting can really help highlight the key features of the kitchen, such as striking, sparkling worktops, shelving and kitchen islands, to bring the space to life and make it feel bigger in the process.
WHAT aspects of kitchen design DO people TEND TO overlook?
One thing that self-builders may not consider when designing their dream kitchen is the layout of the utilities, such as water supply, waste and electricity.
When fit a kitchen as part of a renovation, it requires the previous design to be completely removed, leaving the bare shell of a room and a seemingly blank canvas to work from.
However, historical features such as water pipe placements and electrical wiring can be costly to relocate. It’s important to consider this when designing your kitchen space from the outset, to reduce the need for supplementary works.
For example, if you are introducing an island and would like a sink, hob or extractor unit in it, you will need electricity, water and waste plumbed supplied to the location before finishing floors and walls.
Having sufficient access to electrical feeds such as wall sockets and charging points is a must when planning any kitchen, but they should be discreetly positioned to avoid looking untidy.
How can you simplify the process of designing your kitchen?
The whole process of designing a kitchen can be quite daunting and time consuming, especially for first time self-builders.
To make the process easier, customers can kick start their journey online 3D kitchen planning tools, which can provide a fully immersive service, allowing you to personalise your design to match exactly what you want within your kitchen.
Whether it’s a more striking, contemporary look you’re going for or a more traditional, homely kitchen space, these tools can allow you to experiment by mixing and matching styles, colour schemes and worktop materials before working closely with trained experts to bring the vision to life.
Wren’s planning tool, for example, has become extremely popular among customers at the start of their planning journey, and it’s anticipated this will continue to be used extensively in 2025.
Debra Hutt is a kitchen expert at Wren Kitchens