You’ll probably spend more money on your kitchen than on any other room, so spend it wisely. Here’s our comprehensive guide to the kitchen.
Words Sharon Newey
For a relatively small space, kitchens take a lot of planning. And decision-making. You’ll be choosing a layout, cabinetry colours and styles, benchtop materials, taps, appliances, wall colour, splashbacks… the list seems to go on forever.
We’ve made it easy for you. Look though this section and decide the options you like. Then go to our website and download the Kitchen Planner sheet. Use it to mark up each of your choices.
Remember, a good kitchen designer is worth their weight in granite. But who to use? Look in magazines for leads, ask your friends, and check out the National Kitchen & Bathroom website for a list of qualified specialist kitchen designers.
When you meet with your designer, show them your Kitchen Planner and use it as a start point for the design process.
SURFACE SOLUTIONS
Walls & splashbacks - They get splashed on, regularly wiped, scrubbed and burdened with hot pots —the surfaces of a kitchen need to be ultra-tough. You’ve spent all that money; you don’t want the kitchen looking scruffy after a matter of months.
Cabinetry - The most flexible cabinetry option is lacquered paint, which can be applied to many different styles of doors, whether they are panelled, flat or tongue-and-groove. You can have any colour imaginable. Other options include low-pressure laminates, which only have a flat finish; moulded doors, which come in limited colours; and solid timber and timber veneer. Two newer materials around are stainless steel and back-painted glass (like a splashback, but as cupboard doors).
Benchtops - Engineered stone bench tops are the current darling and come in many colours and looks. It’s a hard-wearing surface and looks glamorous. Other choices are high-pressure laminates (cost-effective and a huge variety), stainless steel, timber and solid stone (principally granite and marble).
To see more about planning your kitchen, pick up a copy of the lastest issue of homestyle. On sale now at supermarkets and book stores nationwide.