Designing a kitchen can seem a daunting task; there’s so much to consider and so many moving parts to get right. Plus, as the hardest working room in the house, and one of the most permanent and expensive to decorate, getting your kitchen design right first time is really worth doing. So what are the most important things to consider when designing a kitchen?
Start by working out how you use the kitchen, where you cook, when you cook, if you have space for a kitchen table and how often you shop to sort out how much storage you need and what layout to have. It’s also the most important way to work out where your kitchen lights will go. Think about how often you might want to entertain in the kitchen – including whether you want it set up to do so at all; you may prefer to chivvy guests into a dining or living room and keep the kitchen to yourself as a space where you can cook with more room to breathe.
What are the six types of kitchen layout?
Of course, few kitchens are the same, but there are six kitchen layouts that nearly all will fall into. A single wall kitchen is when the units run down just one side, while a galley kitchen is a narrow, long space with cabinets and units on either length of the kitchen. An L-shaped kitchen is just that, providing two sides of work surface, while an U-shaped kitchen adds a third length to it. An island kitchen can be any of the above (except for a galley) with that all-important island in the middle, often used as a place for the cooker so that the space is more sociable. Finally, a peninsula kitchen incorporates an island of sorts, but one that juts out from a length of units and is attached to those.
Our columnist Rita Konig says number one is the kitchen’s layout. “Think hard about how you will move around it. I make sure that the dishwasher and kitchen bin are on either side of the kitchen sink. I like the cutlery drawer to be away from the main action (the stove and the sink) and ideally close to the dining area, so it is easy to access for laying the kitchen table without anyone getting in the way of the cook or the person washing up.
“I also like separating the hob and the oven. My hob is on a stand-alone counter with shelving underneath for the saucepans. I prefer to give an island a different treatment to the rest of the kitchen to save having acres of the same surface – mine is painted a different colour and has stainless-steel kitchen worktops instead of Corian. You might also choose to have a kitchen island higher than your counters to make using it more comfortable.”
Jane Taylor, on the other hand, emphasises the personality of the kitchen. “It is a sense of place and personality that I aim for when designing someone else’s kitchen. I often start the conversation in terms of how a client might like their kitchen to feel, rather than look. I’m very keen on hanging art in kitchens and cookbooks on display warm up a room. They are comforting, a record of one’s life – the restaurants you love, the holidays you enjoyed.” She also considers that the kitchen should be at the heart of the house, in contrast to more old-fashioned domestic set-ups. “In older houses, the kitchen tended to be in the basem*nt, often miles away from rooms thought of as more important. I usually suggest they are moved into the middle of the general living space, so as to be part of the flow of the house.”
How much is a new kitchen?
This is one of the most frequently asked questions about kitchen design, and one of the hardest to answer, as so much is dependent on size and spec. At the very affordable end of the spectrum, a small IKEA kitchen installed by your builder can easily come in at under £10,000. High street merchants like Magnet and Wickes are somewhat more expensive, especially if you use their installation services. Once you start looking at bespoke kitchens, you may be able to do it affordably with a local joiner, but many bespoke companies have a lower spending limit of around £25,000, and this can obviously go much higher for a large kitchen. If you're after a more affordable renovation, it's perfectly possible to spruce things up by replacing your kitchen cabinet doors, painting your kitchen cupboards, or installing new kitchen tiles and a new worktop.
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Below is an endlessly useful gallery, updated every week by our editors with fresh inspiration and pictures of favourite kitchen ideas from the archive, designs executed by some of the world's most revered decorators and taste-makers. If you can't find what you're looking for here take a look at our other features on small kitchens, modern kitchens and find case studies and even shoppable kitchens designed from scratch on our kitchen hub page.
