5 Key Decisions For Your Kitchen Renovation

If you’re planning a kitchen renovation, don’t fall into the trap of jumping into the car and driving straight to the kitchen appliances store to be baffled by choice. Instead, work through these 5 key decisions to guide your kitchen renovation and create the culinary hub that facilitates your tastes, lifestyle and food preferences….your life!

Decision 1. How Do You Use Your Kitchen?

First and foremost, the question you should always ask is how you like to use your kitchen.

Creating a layout that delivers on your lifestyle is the goal - as opposed to employing a layout that doesn’t consider your own personal requirements.

It’s your kitchen renovation. Make it work for you!

You should always consider:

• Who uses the kitchen in your home?
• Does it need to cater for two or more people using the kitchen at once?
• Do you like privacy when cooking or are you happy to be ‘on display’?
• When guests come over do they mingle around you in the kitchen?
• What type of food do you cook most?

Decision 2. What’s Your Aesthetic?

If you look at various kitchen renovation magazines, websites or kitchen downloads you will identify particular kitchens that appeal to you. Once you’ve compiled roughly 10 of them, you’ll begin to notice a theme emerge in the images you’ve selected.

Modern/Minimalist – if you're looking to create visual space with a clean finish, a minimalist kitchen with consistent colours might be the go.

Earthy/Rustic – Create interesting textures and finishes using earthy finishes such as warm timber, stone

Period – For the client who wants a sense of grandeur in their home.

Fun and frivolous – If you’re looking for some fun, use colours and playful styles to give your kitchen renovation a point of difference.

This isn’t an exhaustive list of kitchen styles but you get the idea.

Decision 3. Cabinetry

Once you’ve developed your aesthetic, choosing the cabinetry becomes so much easier. After all, you’re now working to a plan.

You have four basic materials for your kitchen cabinetry – laminate, vinyl wrap, 2 pac paint and timber (in ascending order for budget).

The way you use the kitchen will also guide your designer in developing a kitchen renovation plan, allocating drawers and doors a required.

Decision 4. Benchtops

Just like cabinetry, your benchtops will be guided by your aesthetic and how you use your kitchen.

Your benchtops can be laminate, composite stone, timber, natural stone or resin based synthetic (again in ascending budgetary order).

Decision 5. Appliances

OK. Now’s the time for you to start thinking about appliances.  You’ve got the look, you’ve got the functionality and you’ve got the layout.

These previous decisions will guide your appliance selections being:

• Gas, electric or pyrolytic cooker.
• 600 or 900mm stoves/oven (depending on how you entertain and cook)
• Colours – white, stainless steel, boutique or concealed
• European/Australian/Budget appliances

This outlines the key decisions you’ll need to make for your kitchen renovation.

A professional kitchen renovation designer can offer you the support and guidance you’ll need to bring your ideas to life.

If you’d like to find out more contact us.

Richard Armstrong is a Director of Melbourne firm The Makeover Group. With more than a decade of home-renovation experience, including kitchen design and build, Richard has helped thousands of Melbourne clients undertake renovations to modernise their homes.