Whenever you decide to refurbish your kitchen, it takes a long time to get the final design right. We should know. Countless times we’ve spoken to clients about their kitchen refurbishments in and around London – and even when they are speaking to an installation company, they’re not quite sure what exactly they want to install.
But that’s ok! Because when you think you are ready for your kitchen renovation, there’s always something else that comes to mind. It’s a huge investment not just financially, but in your time, your daily lives, and – transforming your home. No matter how many pictures you see you will never know what to expect until you experience them. And that’s why we encourage every one of our clients to speak with professional designers, architects, authoritative kitchen showroom personnel – someone with experience in the fittings. We can help you make your design a reality.
Where Do I Start Kitchen Renovation?
From our experience, the next step is to decide – what will my kitchen be used for. There are many ways a kitchen can be utilised and amount to the beating heart of the home. But what will it be? Is it where you host? Will you be entertaining guests and hosting family time? Or is it somewhere you can escape to and let your creativity run wild? These questions will set you on the right track when you begin planning your new kitchen, as they will guide you on the layout, the amount of storage, the amount of worktops, the lighting, and the appliances… all these considerations are affected by the intent of usage, so get that clarified first.
Kitchen Nightmares
You’ll want to address why are you getting a new kitchen in the first place? We’ve seen many kitchens – indeed homes in general, which simply don’t have enough storage space. This insufficiency is not only frustrating but creates clutter and mess, making your kitchen a foreboding negative presence. Even in small kitchens, you can create ample storage space for your needs.
With a touch of creativity and planning, you can add storage, remove the clutter and keep the room spacious and desirable to be in. On our TeamMax Kitchens – Thing To Consider page, we suggest the ‘magic corner’, a cupboard, often used for spice racks or even the kitchen waste; which fits into the corner, seemingly uninhabitable for any of your kitchen items, swinging outwards and revealing a clever use of otherwise dead space. For those of you who are looking for a kitchen renovation in your London property, you’ll know you simply cannot afford any dead space.
As anyone who has had their kitchen refurbished will tell you, you need to reconsider the layout. How many people will be using your kitchen? Do you cook together? Or are you regularly hosting? Do people need to access appliances like the fridge or the dishwasher without getting in the way of the chef? Where will you need the electrical points and how many will you need? Consider with all the extra storage space you plan to include, the spacing between these new units, so all the doors and drawers can open properly. Seems obvious now, but trust me, we’ve seen it…
Extraction fans are a necessity because you don’t want those food smells to cling to you and linger in the air all day. Plan what model will best suit your kitchen size and requirements, when you choose the right one it will be quiet, effective, and durable. Lighting is often overlooked – it’s worth going the extra mile in your design to provide variable lighting underneath your cabinets. Here at TeamMax we relish the opportunity to offer our clients added value by designing attractive lighting circuits, often using LED strip lights, we can give your kitchen not only the added sparkle, but it makes them more functional, as often lighting consists only of ceiling lights create too much shadow. With variable lighting, you can create an atmosphere suitable for the occasion and this not only adds value but gives you greater satisfaction.
One electrical consideration we like to offer our clients at TeamMax is to take all those appliance fuse switches and keep them all in one place, usually covered inside a cupboard. We have done this for many clients and they love it. It’s easy to access and the room is more aesthetic with fewer ugly switches and fuses all over the place!
To Extend, Or Not To Extend?
This will come up when you are planning your layout and the usage of your new kitchen. You need to consider that kitchen extensions can add up to 25% to the value of your property and that is not something to sniff at when you consider the prices of property in and around London. If you plan it right, you can even extend your kitchen on permitted development grounds – which every house is entitled to (flats and maisonettes are not) and this removes the lengthy and costly process of applying for planning permission.
However, if you really want to add a large space and increase the capacity of your home – and kitchen in particular; we would always recommend whenever you start a project, do it properly. Consult with your local council, define what process you need to go through, and in the meantime, consult with an architect who can help you design the entire space that you dream of. Do it properly and get it right. The increase in property value and the resulting satisfaction will make it all worthwhile, even when you consider the top-quality building teams will charge £2500 per square metre of new space, separate from the cost of installing the new fittings. It sounds a lot but you can make your money back in the value of the property.
Flooring
Flooring always seems to be the least glamourous part of any kitchen renovation – there are so many other exciting components, the floor is just – the floor! Right?
Wrong. Everyone, including you, will notice if you get the floor right or completely wrong. What type of flooring really is affected by the intended usage of the room? Will there be high traffic through this room? Will you be showcasing your space and design? Wood can look great in a kitchen if it matches the design within the rest of the house, but we will always sway towards porcelain tiles. They are resistant to wear, easy to clean, and absolutely beautiful. A strong flooring statement can justify the rest of the room and complement your choice in style and layout. The larger the tile, the better. Less grout, less maintenance. That’s all you need to worry about.
While we’re on the subject of tiles, consider what will go underneath them. Underfloor heating in your kitchen will really be the cherry on the cake and it is not just a luxury item for the rich and famous. Underfloor heating is a concise way to increase the open space in the room, a faster way of heating the room which will ultimately improve your utility bills and it needn’t be such a large capital outlay as you may think. Remember you will only lay the underfloor heating where you will walk, so the square meterage in a kitchen is much less as you will not be placing it underneath all the cabinets or islands. Controlling the temperature from a digital pad or via Wi-Fi connection to your phone will lift your living experience into the future and you will never look back.
To Conclude…
There’s no right or wrong answer when you consider what you will do with your new kitchen renovation, you need to keep in sight what you will use it for and what you will need it for. There are many professionals out there who can help to give you options based on their experiences and the many kitchens they have worked on, but ultimately, it’s down to you, to make that initial decision.
Let us know your thoughts, we are always ready for questions and inquiries if you are in London and considering your next kitchen renovation!