Seasoned With Style: Creating a Gorgeous Kitchen
There’s one thing that home buyers value possibly above all others, and that’s a great kitchen. With it being such a well-used room, a space that’s practical and beautiful is needed to truly become the heart of the home. So if your home has a fantastic kitchen, not only is it something you can enjoy in the here and now but if you come to sell your house later down the line you’ll make an incredible profit too. So if you’re deciding on what area to spruce up next in your home, it should be the kitchen! Here are some of the things to consider when you’re creating your perfect space.
[Photo courtesy of Kaboompics // Karolina/pexels.com]
Clear Out The Old and Rejig Any Walls
Ripping out your old kitchen is sure to be satisfying! Pull out the old worktop and units, rip the tiles off the walls and get everything into a skip. Unless you already have a large space, you might want to remove a wall or move it to a different place to open up the room and give you more space to work with. You could go with a full open concept design or have a stud wall put up in another location.
Talk To a Kitchen Designer
The thing about kitchens is in order to get the best out of your space they actually have to be cleverly designed. One trick is to keep the ‘working triangle’ in mind. This keeps you in the middle of a triangle with the refrigerator, stove and sinks at the three points. This allows you to move around the space in the most efficient way. If you want an island, you need to work out how big you can go with it and the kind of features it will include. Talk to a kitchen designer who will help turn your plans in reality and advise you on what will and won’t work.
Choose Your Units and Appliances
Possibly the most fun part of buying a kitchen- picking the units! While you want your kitchen and home to be personal to you, it’s worth bearing in mind that some styles will be more timeless and age better than others- meaning that if you sell in a few years, the kitchen doesn’t look dates. Avoid anything too trendy which will fall out of style quicker- while high gloss and stainless steel might look cool now once the trends change (which they will) your kitchen will be stuck in a time warp. White or wood units stand the test of time, a wooden or granite worktop will again always look classic. If you choose solid wood as opposed to veneers, they will last for a much longer time and also mean you can paint them in the future if you need to. For appliances, going with integrated pieces will make your kitchen look far more streamlined. Do your research into each piece so you know exactly what you’re getting.
Plumbing and Electrics
Once your space is clear and you know exactly where everything is going to be put, you’ll need to get plumbing and electrics in. If you’re having extra sockets or an island you’ll need an electrician to install these in the correct places. If you’re having things like an American fridge freezer with a plumbed in water and ice machine, you might need some additional plumbing put in. The same applies if you’re completely changing the layout, or adding things like a dishwasher chances are you’ll need new pipes installing, A company like Brentwood plumbing could tackle jobs like this, or you could look at tradesmen in your local area. You should have all of this done before the units, and tiles things go in, to make the job easier and avoid having to remove and redo certain jobs.
Think About Wall and Floor Tiles
Again choosing a plainer design will stand the test of time with style, although if you don’t mind getting your tiles redone in a few years, you could go with something cool and trendy. Plain White is an easy choice, if you want to keep on trend right now, gray is a very popular choice. For flooring, a real tile looks smart and will be long-lasting and easy to clean. Avoid wood and laminates which can warp and rot if they get wet which is a possibility in the kitchen.
Don’t Overlook Lighting
Lighting can be trick in the kitchen, after all, fittings like chandeliers as well as table lamps certainly don’t look right. Go with a sleek light fitting or have some spotlights installed. Another cool way to light the kitchen is to have led strip lighting installed under cupboards and kick boards. A nice modern touch and another way you can light up the kitchen in the evening without lamps.
Find The Right Window Treatments
Curtains rarely look right in kitchens. Go with something more simple and sleek- blinds and shutters make a good choice. You can add privacy without blocking out that all important natural light. If your kitchen feels dark and dingy, you could even consider having your window extended and made bigger. Other alternatives would be replacing any doors with glass doors, or in some kitchens, it might be possible to add a skylight.
Splash Out on Fixtures and Fittings
Finally, your fixtures and fittings really area everything in the kitchen. These will finish off everything and can be the difference between a kitchen which looks ok and one that looks incredible. Spend a little extra on your sink, taps and drawer handles. You could also upgrade your outlets from the white plastic to stainless steel for a more expensive look. All of these little touches all up massively.
[Photo courtesy of Kaboompics // Karolina/pexels.com]
Decorate
Using light coloured walls and keeping the decor homely and simple will make the most of the space while bringing it to life. A textured house plant, some checked tea towels, a clock and a fun plaque for example would show your personality without adding clutter. Add a couple of key pieces that showcases you.
