Dream Kitchen Design Tips

Out of all the questions we get sent, the most frequent is about how to design the perfect kitchen. When designing or renovating the home, the kitchen is top of the priority list for most.

There are many things to consider when designing a kitchen and this handy mini-guide, will take you through the main things to consider. We’ll be adding some more in-depth posts soon, which will go into greater detail on all the subtopics and link back to this post.

Contemporary kitchen with built-in appliance garage/bar area. The marble backsplash adds a refreshing accent along the handless cabinet wall. The veining in the marble also links nicely to the blue hue of the island cabinetry.

The Layout

The most important part of the kitchen is the layout. Getting this part wrong cannot be compensated for with other design choices. Most kitchen manufacturers have a free design service, but use these with caution. Usually, the assistant is not a trained designer and will translate your design into a transaction rather than make alternative suggestions. Possibly this is because most clients arrive with a scribbled design in their hand.

The layout determines how you interact with your kitchen. One rule that helps to consider is the 'working triangle’. At 1O 1O 1O call this the 3Cs and they are there to ensure that the cooking, cooling, and cleaning facilities are all readily accessible from one point. Take a look at the illustration to the right, to see how the 3Cs work together.

Firstly, measure your room accurately to see what you are working with and draw to scale on a piece of paper or computer if you have a suitable program. The shape of the room, in particular the narrowest part, will determine the kitchen’s layout.

Example - Project 3A

Here is the example of project 3A. You can see that it is a large space with large bi-fold doors and windows. There is a utility room with side access, leading out to the driveway, and doors throught to the hallway and living-dining room.

Top View.png — Option 1

A narrow rectangular island with small seating and breakfast areas

The clients have young children and want a space that could grow with their family. To start with they thought to use the extra space as a playroom/sitting area so they can watch over the kids whilst cooking. This extra area could tranform in to a bar, pantry, homework room or breakfast space later down the line. Once seeing the walls going in, they re-evaluated this idea as they have ample living space already so a second sitting area may not get used. We looked at options to increase the island in size and shape, as the original proposal was quite narrrow.

Here’s a few of the options we worked through - which do you prefer?

Top View 1.png — Option 2

Replace the breakfast area with a bar and extended the kitchen island for additional seating and make the space more social.

Final Design

Example - Maple Tree House

Below is another project in the pipeline - Maple Tree House. A similar brief to 3A from the clients, with an open-plan feel and island top at the of the list. A completely different shape room to work with, an alternative approach was needed.

Here you can see how we've made use of the long space with a narrow island drawing your eye to the bi-fold doors and out to the garden. The clients wanted the island to be predominantly a space to set out food rather than a place to sit and eat, as the dining area is part of the same room. We have still included a few stools at the end for when you want to chat over coffee.

To unite the entire space, we've added a built-in bar to the dining room area in complementary cabinetry. Whilst looking for ideas for this area, we came across tons of great inspiration so will be doing a separate post on this topic soon. For now, check out our why you need a bar post to get you started.

Cabinet Styles

We usually separate cabinets into three main categories:

Classic - Contemporary - Conventional (timeless)

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Classic usually includes intricate moulding designs on the doors with corbels, cornices and architraves.

Contemporary showcases the latest in design, whether it be a high gloss or super matt finish, integrated or handless designs, these look perfect in modern interiors.

Conventional are timeless designs. Most of the time, we consider shaker kitchens as a go-to option for their timeless appeal. Other timeless cabinets include slab doors with innocuous hardware.

Classic

Contemporary

Conventional

Regardless of colour, we prefer to choose the type of kitchen that reflects the property’s period or architectural style. Generally speaking, complimenting the building is an easy win, but there are always exceptions to the rule. Sometimes intentional contrast can add a nice juxtaposition. Now you've got the skeleton of the design with the layout and cabinet styles chosen next is to add some flesh to the bones!

“Colour, finish, countertops, taps, appliances and hardware are all ways in which to stamp your personality, allowing you to dial-up or dial-down the impact.”

— Beck - director

the details

Here's an example of a moody kitchen. The cabinets are a flat matt finish with coordinating appliances. A small contrast with the veined stone countertop, highlighted with the accent lighting provides a much-needed break. The surrounding exposed brickwork is accentuated and looks stunning.

Moody

Tonal

Consider layering details through subtle varying of tones such as these images from McGee & Co Home. A take on a conventional shaker style kitchen, you'll note that all the colours are neutral and tonal, but the elements and finishes sing.

Spot the hardware is not the same? Yes they’re the same colour, but using a mix of bars, knobs latches and pulls adds a depth that is refreshing.

The McGee Home Kitchen Tour - Studio McGee.jpeg

THE+MCGEE+HOME+KITCHEN+PHOTO+TOUR (1).jpeg

You'll note that the countertop and shelves have varying thicknesses and the backsplashes are different materials but similar colours. This detail adds much-needed texture to what can be a uniform space.

Contrast

Having the same unit style in contrasting colour can look great and provide a nice bit of variety. This is an opportunity to "dial-up" as Beck stated, through bold or conservative contrast.

Below are a couple of examples of this in practice. The first image exhibits strong contrast between the cabinet's colours and finishes, with the second a subtler option. Which do you prefer?

Clash

The intentional clashing of cabinet styles can be a way of producing a design unique to the situation. Be warned it is very tricky to get right and usually requires bespoke fabrication. We couldn't resist including some recent images we discovered, whilst looking for inspiration for our flagship Courtyard House project. Feast your eyes!