Let’s face it, kitchens can be expensive, but we spend a lot of our time there, preparing food, having meals with our families, entertaining our guests, relaxing after long stressful days. So your kitchen has to be just right for you and your family. As time goes on our circumstances might change but with the right kitchen, thought out for the long term, your kitchen wont have to!
I have been planning and designing kitchens for a while now and over time, my own tastes, lifestyles and budgets have changed drastically , and that is clearly reflected in the kitchens I have installed in the different properties we have lived in. Young and child free, we bought a small flat with a small kitchen. The whole flat needed renovating, and our kitchen took the most thought to plan to ensure we could have the small space suit our needs without looking too overcrowded. We ended up with a very light room, with glossy cabinets, tiled walls, A light worktop and a little breakfast bar. Although I will always remember my first kitchen, I’ve always loved cooking and socialising, and this kitchen was far from perfect for me as there was only enough space for 2 people, so when we decided to have children, it was time to move on….
Our second property was a large house with a big kitchen that had double doors opening into an open lounge. The downstairs already had some beautiful solid wood floors that had stood the test of time, and I decided I fancied a country house look kitchen to sit with them overall theme of the existing property. So in went some oak wood cabinets, cream and brown wall tiles, an Aga double oven/cooker, black worktop and dark brown ceramic floor tiles with a round wooden dining table. It was incredibly cosy! One downside was that because the garden was north facing, there wasn’t a huge amount of natural light and at times it did feel a little dark. Lesson learned…..
Three years later, with two little kids in tow, we moved into our third property. The house already had a large open plan kitchen space. When we installed our new kitchen, we decided to go for off white cabinets, light solid wood surfaces, light cream wall tiles and large cream floor tiles, The kitchen looked absolutely amazing. The space was functional and the open plan allowed us to entertain guests and cook at the same time. The only real downside was that the wooden worktop did require more maintenance that I would have liked and due to cooking various types of food, including curries, it was an effort to keep it all sparking, especially for a mum of two!
Three years on and we moved yet again. This time for kids schools, but it gave me the chance to put in yet another Kitchen in yet another one of my own houses. However, as times gone on, I’ve learned more about kitchen planning and design. Not just about what looks good and whats useful but what stands the test of time and what its like to live in a kitchen that was designed to be used. With our new house, we had the benefit of doing a complete top to bottom refurbishment, including a rear and side extension. We went for a open living space and created a large kitchen/dining area and a lounge combined. Now I can cook, entertain guests, supervise my kids doing their homework and watch TV, all in the same place. I still wanted my kitchen to be light, but this time around wanted it to be a lot less maintenance. So I opted for almond white cupboards with handleless design (no more sticky handles!), A toasted honey colour quartz worktop (easy to wipe!), off white glass splash back (sparkling in a minute), a functional island (more cooking space, more storage space with cupboards underneath), and dark oak engineered wooden floors (just hoover and dust once a day). With an 8 seater oak table, sky lights, a bi-fold door opening into a south facing gardens, the room is spacious, light and practical. After a few learning curves, I feel I now have the kitchen I love and deserve!