The essence of great kitchen design in 5 images

The ideal kitchen is like a cross between Meghan Markle and Mr Spock – beautiful, but rigorously functional. As home designers and renovators, we spend a lot of time thinking about what people see and feel when they walk into a room, but with kitchens it’s also essential to think about how everything works together.

Let us show you what we mean.

1. Stop hiding away

Our perception of kitchens has changed over the years. They used to be separate rooms where you beavered away in isolation making meals out of sight of the rest of the family. Now they’re considered the heart of the home, an interactive environment where everyone comes and goes freely. 

One of the most important things to think about when designing a new kitchen is how it will be used. Your floor plan influences everything from construction costs to how you spend time with your family. To create more space, giving you and the family room to move without tripping over each other, consider removing a wall between the kitchen and an adjoining living room or dining room.

One of the best reasons for working with Pzazz Building rather than a kitchen maker is that we can do so much more for you.

2. Get zoned in

Kitchen designers used to talk about the “work triangle” – a space where you everything you needed came easily to hand – but as kitchens have opened up and become the hub of the home, we now refer to the range of different functional “zones”. Ideally, your kitchen should have snacking, conversation and resting zones as well as the zones you see in the image above.

3. Get lit up

Lighting is often a bit of an afterthought in kitchen design, but appropriate lighting is actually as important a design feature in a kitchen as it is in a bathroom. Versatility is the key. Allow plenty of natural light in so your power bill doesn’t go through the roof. Use task lighting when you’re preparing meals. And consider feature or mood lighting for dining, relaxing and entertaining or simply for effect.

4. Storage isn’t what it used to be 

Thank goodness. My pet peeve in our kitchen is how hard it is to access anything in our cupboards (especially the one in the corner which is almost totally inaccessible) and the pantry. The kitchen above eliminates those peeves with drawers below bench level, pantry sliders and shallow touch-to-open above-bench cupboards. These are all designed so that you don’t have to pull out tons of stuff from a cupboard to find what’s lurking at the back.

5. Keep it clean 

It’s so tempting to incorporate the latest trends in your kitchen design without a thought for the time you’re going to waste on cleaning and sanitising it. Splashbacks made up of tiny mosaic tiles are a case in point. So are stainless steel benchtops. I have a friend who has both in her kitchen and she seems to spend every waking moment fruitlessly wiping marks off the benchtops and scrubbing at the endless grouting between the tiles. Granted, she has a stunning kitchen, but there are so many other materials which are beautiful without chaining you to them.

Hate your kitchen? Like to talk to an expert about a new one? 

To arrange for an a free, no-obligation In Home Consultation with your local Pzazz Building renovation expert, call us free on 0800 792 992 or send us this Contact Form .