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Home decoration

Kitchen redesign

4 replies

multitasker · 04/03/2015 10:06

I need some help/suggestions for a complete kitchen refit. I have three proposals from companies so far but am not blown away.... Not that I have any specific tastes, any web sites anyone can suggest I check out? It's a fairly large room and am hoping to make it a bit brighter with a stone colour shaker style. Am definitely of the less is more when it comes to units....I have cupboards here filled with most definitely non kitchen bits Hmm

OP posts:
workingmumwith3 · 04/03/2015 15:29

One of the mums in my daughter's year just had theirs done and they're over the moon with their kitchen. The company is called Alaris. Google them?
Good luck!! :)

multitasker · 04/03/2015 16:54

Will do, thanks Smile

OP posts:
ChlorinePerfume · 04/03/2015 17:55

I designed my own a few months ago. Had building work done and tried a few designs at kitchen retailers but was not impressed so got the laptop out and looked at kitchen diner ideas online. Found something I really liked (on the Sarah Beeny website) and took my inspiration from there. Once I drew the rough plan I looked for similar cabinets and got the retailer to plan my design. I arranged for the fitting to be done by a kitchen fitter who was recommended by a friend rather than the retailer and saved £££££. Now I'm in the process of looking for soft furnishings.

MelonBallersAreStrange · 04/03/2015 18:42

I have a large kitchen. Recently redone. I love it.

A big kitchen gives you so many options that it can be hard to choose.

You'll find it hard to get a design you love if you haven't identified your specific tastes yet.

For me I worked from the two basic building blocks: form and function.

Form:
I spent hours on: Pinterest, Housetohome and Houzz, not worrying too much about whether each picture would work in my space but more about if I liked the look and feel. Before long, themes developed.

Function:
Get the layout right according to how you will use the kitchen and what you will keep in it. Then worry about the style of it.

Decide what you want within reach of each appliance or item of furniture cupboard/drawer/section of workspace and which appliances you want.

Imagine yourself doing all your kitchen activities there. First identify all those activities - I know that sounds daft but really. Cook dinner with children in the room, make and drink tea with friends, open the post, charge your phone, make the packed lunches, make your favourite dish, bake fairy cakes with DC, clearing the table, loading the dishwasher, putting the shopping away, opening a bottle of wine, loading the washing machine, etc. Imagine yourself moving around the kitchen doing each of these things. What will other people be doing in the room at the same time? Will you be getting in each other's way? Are you messy or wipe-y?

You might find that the functional side then leads to certain styles that will and won't work.

Examples:

I love the look of sleek full height walls of units. That absolutely does not work with the way I use a kitchen. I also like the look of wide drawers and no wall cabinets, now that does work.

I have people over a lot and they hang out in the kitchen. I like to make sure they and their DC aren't getting under my feet when I am cooking but we can still chat and they can still help. An island works for me.

In our house, DC must lay the table, clear it, do the dishwasher, put away some of the shopping, get their own breakfast. So everything they need to do that must be within reach, clearly organised and arranged in a way that they know what to do and won't wreck anything and it won't be too hard for them (even if it isn't the most efficient system.).

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