IN 8 STEPS: HOW TO CREATE YOUR DREAM KITCHEN

How do you create your dream kitchen?

2.   FIND INSPIRATION FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES:

Magazines can be the perfect starting point, especially if you get stuck – pick up a copy of Livingetc; Kitchens, Bedrooms & Bathrooms; Elle Decoration – whatever takes your fancy! Take your time to enjoy perusing a multitude of images and designs, keeping note of your favourite ideas. For further inspiration, Instagram is perfect for finding kitchens you love, and accessing more information on the styles and options available to choose from. You can also find advice on Houzz, where many professionals and designers are more than happy to help. Check out our gallery too, where you will find plenty of kitchens to help guide your inspiration!

Don’t forget – this is your home! Take inspiration from the things that you love – look around the rest of your house for style ideas. It will also improve the flow throughout your home to stick to the styles you are already using elsewhere. We are not a fan of “the latest trends” at Honest by Design – we believe your home should reflect you, and your kitchen is no different.

3.   PICK OUT INDIVIDUAL FEATURES:

At this stage, you’re looking for inspiration, not decisions. Pick out images that you like and actually think about why. What exactly is it about each kitchen that draws you in? We’re looking for key features – the hob, the doors, the flooring, the worktops, but also descriptive words that may be key to realising what you want in your dream kitchen. What do the kitchens you like have in common? Are they cosy, warm, inviting? Are they sleek, clean and fresh? Are they family friendly, intimate, sociable? Think about how you want your kitchen to feel.

4.   THINK PRACTICALITY:

Your kitchen needs to function, so don’t forget to think about how you use the space. Do you regularly entertain lots of guests? Do you have young children who like to help cook? How many chefs use the kitchen at once? Are you looking for an open, sociable space or separate formal, intimate dining? Make sure you consider how you currently use your kitchen and how you would like to be using it. Don’t forget to contemplate the importance of storage and worktop space too.

If you struggle to think about how you use your kitchen, it may be helpful to write it down. The same way you may write a meal planner or list, also write down your movements in and around the kitchen – consider how things could be made easier. For example, perhaps you avoid cooking certain meals because your kitchen makes it difficult – maybe baking a cake is something you would love to do, but you don’t have the worktop space, or sufficient storage for extra pans and utensils. Or maybe you struggle to reach the pots and pans buried at the back of a cupboard, and could benefit from some decent pan drawers.

If you can’t think of solutions to these awkward annoyances in your current kitchen, don’t worry! That’s what we are here for – a good kitchen designer can suggest all the ways you can improve the function of your space to fit your specific requirements. 

5.   MAKE A WISH LIST:

For the next step, enjoy feeling like a child at Christmas! Try not to get too hung up on any big ideas just yet though. At this point, you’re not necessarily looking for a list of ‘must-haves’, all of the answers, or what goes where - just ‘nice-to-haves’. Your kitchen designer will later help you decide which of these are worth having, and you can choose your priorities accordingly. This is where you can start to consider more detail – have you always wanted an American Fridge Freezer? Or does bending down to your range cooker aggravate a bad back and mean you would be better off with eye level ovens? A good kitchen designer won’t need you to have all of the answers, but it helps us if you have started to consider what you want so we are not met with blank stares to our questions!

We will also help you figure out where it might be worth making some compromises - so please don’t be afraid to go crazy with your wish list! Whilst your space or budget may not allow you to incorporate every single item into your dream kitchen, it is helpful for a kitchen designer to know each desire. This way, we can work with you to include what is really important to you, help you find compromises if needed, and even suggest alternatives that can tick more items off your list in ways you hadn’t previously considered!

6. THE PERFECT BALANCE OF FUNCTION AND AESTHETICS:

When you have written your list, you may want to revisit the previous step – think practically about which of your desires are going to change the way you use your kitchen, and which will simply look good. There should be a bit of both! It may also be helpful to your kitchen designer if you can tell us whether you feel more strongly about how elements of the kitchen work well, or look beautiful. For example, a hob in an island can look great and be sociable – but if you also feel strongly about cooking smells being removed quickly there will need to be a discussion on what is more important to you, as a recirculated downdraft extractor will not fit the bill for this. We will listen to all the ideas you like, and help you decide which of those will be better suited to your own dream kitchen. At Honest by Design, we will always offer our honest advice – even if it might not be something you want to hear!

7.   DON’T BE AFRAID TO BE PICKY:

So, you know what you want in your dream kitchen. You’ve had a look at other kitchens to decide what styles you like, discover possible new additions, and you’ve thought about how the way you use your kitchen will impact the design. Hopefully, you have compiled a list of ‘nice-to-haves’ and an idea of what is important to you in a kitchen. That’s it! You are ready to speak to a kitchen designer (hello)! Call us, email us or send us a message on social media to book your free initial design appointment.

8.   TIME TO GET EXCITED:

Seeing how the space can be transformed will help you decide exactly what you want. We will show you 3D, photo realistic images of your new kitchen, and work together to make the necessary changes until you are happy with the final design of your dream kitchen. So get in touch – we can’t wait to hear your ideas and work with you to create your dream kitchen.

-Nikita & Katie, November 2021