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When people are buying a new home, a kitchen with a wow factor is a great incentive. However, well designed bespoke kitchens must not only look good, they have to function well too. If you are planning a new kitchen installation follow these design rules to ensure that your new kitchen is both stunning to look at and a joy to use.

1. Lighting

A kitchen looks and performs better when it is fitted with more than just standard overhead lighting. The following 3 types of lighting work well together:

General overhead lighting

Task lighting

Mood lighting

 LED spotlights or pendants are perfect for general overhead lighting, whereas under cabinet lighting projects light directly onto worktops making performing kitchen tasks much easier. For a more relaxed ambience in the evening, mini pendants hung over breakfast bars or kitchen islands provide great accent lighting and add a touch of glamour.

2. Patio Doors

If your kitchen backs on to your garden and you have enough space, patio doors are well worth incorporating into your design. They let in extra light and make the kitchen feel much bigger. They also make outdoor dining much more accessible and allow parents the opportunity to keep an eye on their children while they are cooking.

3. Good Ventilation

No-one likes their home smelling of last night’s dinner so a good cooker hood (extractor) is essential. Extractor hoods come in all shapes and sizes but work in one of two ways:

Extraction Hoods: The cooker hood draws smells up, traps the grease in filters and then the air including fumes are passed to the outside through pipes.

Re-circulation Hoods: The cooker hood draws smell up, the grease is then filtered from the air and the air is then passed through charcoal filters before being recycled back into the kitchen.

An extraction hood will usually far outperform a re-circulation hood, in terms of speed and the effectiveness of removing odours. However they tend to be louder, need to be mounted on an external wall and usually require a professional installation.

4. Walking Distance

Whatever the shape of your kitchen, L shaped, galley etc, a kitchen with the sink, fridge and cooker forming a triangle is still reckoned to be the most efficient design. Ideally, for ease of movement, the total work triangle distance should be kept under 7 metres.

5. Useful Storage

Storage is essential in every kitchen and good use of space is a must. However in a small kitchen, lots of wall cabinets can really encroach on the space and will make it look even smaller. If possible do without wall units or restrict to one wall only. In this case, neutral coloured units, open shelving and units with glass fronts can work well at enhancing the feeling of space.

6. Recycling

Every home must now separate and recycle an array of different waste, so it makes sense to include storage for this in the initial kitchen design. Options include clever hidden storage ideas or sleek stainless steel containers positioned discretely out of the way.

7. Installed to Perfection

A kitchen designed well but fitted shoddily is a scenario that everyone wants to avoid. Always take the time to find a company you can trust to install your kitchen. Ask friends, family and neighbours for recommendations and check reviews and testimonials online. A kitchen that is fitted badly may look ok at first but will not stand the test of time and will quickly deteriorate through normal wear and tear. A new kitchen costs a lot of money so it is worth taking the time to find a company that will provide experienced, qualified tradesmen who have the skills to ensure it installed correctly, finished well and is built to last.

If you are thinking of remodelling your kitchen and would like to speak to us, we would love to hear from you. Please get in touch or give us a call on 07500 061 010