Kitchen designs - design your own kitchen

The secret behind successful kitchen designs can be broken down into a series of simple steps, but kitchen design is by no means a straightforward process. There are many important decisions to make and kitchen design ideas aren't always easy to come by.


More than anything thought it’s imperative that kitchen designs are tailored to suit a person's own specific needs and this applies across the board, whether you're creating a country kitchen design, a contemporary kitchen design, a black kitchen design or a modern kitchen design. After all, nobody knows more about what constitutes your ideal kitchen than you do. Remember, kitchen designs should be incredibly personal to your own tastes and specific needs.

A good starting point is to sit down and write a list of design essentials that you need to incorporate into your new kitchen. These important preliminary decisions can have a massive impact on the success of your final design. If you're going to design your own kitchen, then this list can also keep you focused and on track.


When considering the layout of your new kitchen, most experts agree upon the triangle principle of design or the ‘golden triangle’ theory. Broken down, this basically involves grouping together the equipment and work areas that are most important to you, creating a friendly working environment. A bonus tip is to use kitchen design software to get a better impression of how your new kitchen might look. If you're comfortable using the internet, you can do your whole kitchen design online from start to finish.

Storage is also an important consideration when it comes to designing a kitchen. A lot of people fall into the trap of not implementing enough cupboards or shelves to accommodate their cooking utensils and all those other odds and ends we all seem to accumulate.


On the other side of the coin, too much storage is also a fatal kitchen design error. A cluttered, busy kitchen is often the result of people keeping all of their old pots and pans they never use and simply building the storage to house all of these redundant objects.

Part of your initial preparation should be in determining the things you need to keep and the objects that you could probably live without. This will eventually help you create the kitchen design you’re looking for.

So once you’ve completed your list, decided on what you need in your kitchen (and what you don’t) and where everything should be positioned, what do you do next? The answer is to look at your design and see where everything fits in. If your’ ideal kitchen design has everything located in the same place it is already, you might consider a revamp over a rebuild.

Revamping your existing kitchen has many obvious benefits. Perhaps most importantly, you can save a great deal of time and cash. A lot of companies will do a simple door or surface replacement for a low cost which can change the entire look and feel of your kitchen.

Unfortunately, many people find that designing their ideal kitchen involves moving appliances round which means also moving the plumbing and electrics. This is obviously a more time consuming and expensive exercise. Therefore, it’s imperative that you get the right people in for the job.

If like most people, DIY isn’t your forte, then you’re going to need to invest in the help of professionals. Make sure you shop around and get at least three quotes to ensure you get the best price for your kitchen.

There can be substantial savings to be made from comparing quotes, as all of the costs of designing your kitchen, from installation to the units themselves can fluctuate dramatically from one price to the next.

As you can probably tell, kitchen design is a balancing act and there is often a thin line between success and failure. Make sure you follow all of these steps to ensure you give yourself the best possible opportunity of producing the kitchen of your dreams.

For commercial kitchen design, the process can be far more complex so be sure to visit the page we've created to ensure you have a full understanding.

Kitchen design ideas

It's all very well going through the motions of designing a kitchen but you still need to come up with some good kitchen design ideas for your kitchen layout, kitchen furniture and kitchen appliances. Fortunately, we've provided all of these right here to save you time and effort.

Italian kitchens

If you're trying to design a kitchen with sleek styling that doesn't compromise on functionality then make sure you read our section on Italian kitchen design. We've put together some great advice and information as well as links to some useful resources.

Kitchen Tile Ideas

Thinking of tiling your kitchen? Then you need to read our detailed kitchen tile ideas to help you achive the look you're going for. Tiling can be a tricky process, so its worth getting some advice before getting stuck in.

Kitchen Suppliers

The importance of finding quality kitchen suppliers shouldn't be underestimated. After all, it doesn't matter how well you design your kitchen if you don't get the materials and workmanship to ensure your vision becomes a reality. We've listed many kitchen suppliers from household names like MFI to smaller companies to ensure you get the quality services you require.