Kitchen design

Kitchen design can be a difficult process if you're not entirely sure what you're doing, so here are a few tips to help get things right.

Design your own kitchen how you want it.

First and foremost, do your homework. Measure all the dimensions of your kitchen and make a note of all the numbers. Don't rely on yourself to remember them because it's information that could escape you when you need it the most.

Next, think about the purpose of your kitchen. Consider why you're re-designing it and what you want from it. Do you want it to be a place you can efficiently cook dinner for a family or is style paramount in your plans? By writing down exactly what you want from your kitchen, you'll inspire all kinds of new ideas.

The next step is picking a style. There are many to choose from (we've listed them all at the bottom of this page) and choosing a style will help ensure you remain consistent with the things you put in your kitchen. If you mix and match different parts of your design then you're much likelier to end up with a disjointed finished product.

When you've made some choices about the look of your kitchen, you can start making it a reality by drawing up some designs. You can use a pencil and paper if you like but the modern way of doing things is to use kitchen design software to create a more detailed 3D image.

By this stage in your design, you should have some ideas about how you want your kitchen to look, feel and function as well as an image you can refer to that illustrates your points. You're now ready to visit showrooms and talk to some kitchen design companies. Share your ideas and see what they can contribute but don't let them hard-sell you a kitchen in the first meeting. Take advantage of free consultations and take time to think about every decision.

Make sure you shop around for the best deals on everything that's included in your design to get the cheapest prices. Otherwise, you'll end up paying well over the odds!