Redesigning your kitchen can be a lot of fun, but it is also fraught with hidden dangers. One of the biggest issues that many homes have is the simple fact that the kitchen doesn’t seem big enough. It is almost as though the architects who designed the house left the kitchen as an afterthought without taking into account just how it is going to be used. Furthermore, how much time you can spend in the kitchen when you take into account preparing and cooking meals, washing up, doing laundry and ironing, loading up the freezer, and so on.
If you are going to rip out everything and start from scratch, that can be easier than making a few alterations here and there such as changing a couple of appliances and perhaps installing new worktops or cabinets. In fact, changing the worktops can make a very big difference to the appearance of a kitchen, as can using different flooring, because both are large and in the horizontal plane, so they stand out a lot. If you are on a limited budget, just doing that can make a big improvement.
Of course, if you are limited for space, one thing that you can do is to build an extension on to the kitchen. Then you can really let yourself go, but of course you are now talking about a lot of money.
However, if you are going to start again from scratch, you really do need to sit down and give things careful consideration. The most important thing is to have all your appliances where you need them and where they are easily to hand. Put them in the wrong place and you will find yourself running about all over the room and if there are two of you there, bumping into each other.
One thing that is easily overlooked is the positioning of power points. It is probably fair to say that your kitchen uses more power than anywhere else, what with the fridge, freezer, cooker, washing machine, dishwasher, microwave, and so on, and they all need power. So, you need to plan where they are all going and then have a professional electrician install the power points in the correct position, as you don’t want long cables running about behind cabinets and so on.
Another big mistake that is often made is failing to measure the space correctly for your appliances. This is particularly important for under counter items because if they are just half an inch too tall, they won’t fit. But you also need to consider the width when you are ordering new appliances otherwise you could have much the same problem. The answer is to measure all the spaces, and then measure them again to double check before you place an order.
Another issue is failing to have sufficient storage space. There are lots of different items that you use in a kitchen, and you need to decide where they are going – into cabinets, drawers, or perhaps out in the open on shelving. You also need everything to hand, so that you are not running back and forth to pick up a pot or pan, back to the cooker, then back across the kitchen for something else.
One of the biggest considerations is your worktops. They need to be big enough to carry out all the functions such as food preparation, rolling out pastry, chopping foodstuffs, using the chopping board (never cut directly on the work surface whatever it is made of), using a trivet to put hot pans on, and so on.
Of course, worktops can also be made of a wide choice of materials such as laminate, stainless steel, natural stone, wood, cement, and so on. Many people today are opting for natural stones, and particularly granite worktops in Brentford. Granite is available in a huge choice of different colours and patterns depending upon what other minerals were around and combined into the granite when it was formed. It is also an extremely hard stone, far tougher than something such as marble. Even so, you should not cut or chop on it, although you are more likely to dull your knife if you do.
Most importantly, granite can look absolutely stunning, and can be either polished, honed, or leather finished, so you have plenty of choice when you settle for granite.
