Kitchen - the Heart of the Home

You've bought a house, or you've lived in it a while and now you want to do up the kitchen.  Make it into the uber space that you have had in your minds eye for the last five years.  If you are organised you have even got a file of pictures from magazines with lovely lustful kitchens.  Well done!

But, the look of a kitchen is only half of the battle.  What should you consider when planing and designing this important and vital space?  A kitchen is not just a space to cook, it is often the heart of the home where so much else goes on.  Obviously, where you are in your lives will affect what your require:

• Single:  microwave, dishwasher, beer fridge!
• Recently married: cooking space, more storage and entertaining space.
• Young family: ahh now this is really where the kitchen comes into it's own and becomes the multi functional area of multifarious uses. Cooking, child playing, TV watching (surrogate baby sitter - don't knock it), entertaining, coffee mornings, computer area/office.  The kitchen becomes the hub - the place of primary plastic toys, the essential room.  At this stage you should get the best kitchen you can afford.
• Teenage/young adult family: The primary plastic toys have left the room, you may have allowed (the always used and difficult to part from the opposable thumbs of your teenagers) the XBox, Wii etc into the room.  Or you may have banned this box of engrossing interest to another room.  But the kitchen now has become family eating space, grown up entertaining, some light leisure activities, homework and office space.
• Empty Nesters:  The kitchen is now your space to do with what you wish - oh bliss oh joy.

So how does one room encompass all these functions and different needs?  Planning, thought and talking to an expert.  As I said before, what a kitchen looks like is only half of the job now you need to consider:

1. Storage - you can never, never have too much
2. Electrical requirements - think of future needs, not just what you require now.
3. Fridges - size (often limited by space), material and requirements of the family
4. Sinks - what kind, style, material
5. Worktops - constrained by cost, there are many different options
6. Flooring - what works best for you, what is warm, comfortable for children, easy to clean and looks good.
7. Units - there are some fantastic gadgets and gizmos around, some are useful, some are a waste of space.  I personally subscribe to the notion simple is best.
8. Planning - Always think of the ergonomics of the room - how best you can use the space with the least amount of walking.

Good advice can save you money. 

Good advice will get you the kitchen you want and one that will grow with you over time.  

Where should you go for good advice - an Interior Designer for unbiased advice or a good kitchen company with well trained staff.

Knife, Fork and Spoon by Tracey Kendall

What should you spend your money on when doing up your home?

Money doesn't grow on trees (I wish it did) and I know that saving money is important but here you are doing up your house and you want to know where to spend your money to get the best effect or even what is important.   

In no particular order I suggest a few areas that I would  spend money on and others that you can get away with spending less.

1.   Flooring:
Get the floor that you want - don't skimp on this.  Replacing a floor sometime down the line is hugely disruptive.  So this is one item I would suggest that you spend money on.

2.   Worktops:
here you can save - replacing at a later date a  cheap worktop with a nicer one is not too difficult (depending if you have splashback tiles or not). 

3.   Kitchens:
You don't have to spend a fortune to get a good looking kitchen, what you will compromise on will be the hinges, drawer runners and carcass of the kitchen.  But if you only need the units to last for a few years.  Compromise on this.  Also remember that fashions change!

4.   Bathrooms:
Spend on taps and your plumber, save on baths, basins, trays and wc.   Tiles again are a fashion item, so don't get too hung up on an expensive tile.  Often you can find a very good looking tile similar to the expensive one.

5.   Lighting: 
This is an area you should spend your money well.  Items like table lamps can easily be up graded, but ceiling fixtures can't - so spend the money and put in the best you can afford.  Also, put in more sockets than you think you need.  With the electrification of our lives (ipods, pads, computers, hair gadgets, mobile phones etc) you always need more sockets.  I know many people who don't like ceiling lights, spots or other - so one has to find innovative ways of putting light into a scheme.

6.   Storage: 
More is best.  YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MUCH STORAGE.  The law of mess dictates that whatever storage you have will be filled.  So plan, plan, plan as much storage as you can.  If you can't afford to put all the cupboarding in now, at least plan for installing it in the future. 

7.   Furniture:
 I know you lust after that must have iconic item, you want it, you need it..............but do you really?  Being practical here, unless you are an uber cool chic person with a fabulous loft style apartment, will that steel and leather day bed actually suit your life?  No!  Well don't buy it now, but remember it and buy it later when the children have left home!

8.   Art: 
A difficult one this as art is so subjective,  I am of the opinion that if you love, love, love it - buy it!  Otherwise it will be an opportunity missed.  But it is one of those luxuries that can completely scupper your attempts at keeping to a budget so beware the impulse buy.  Sometimes a good piece of art can be the starting point for a scheme, layout or idea.

9.   Gardens: 
Love the outdoors - but you've just spent a fortune doing up the house and don't have anything left.  I would suggest that you do something simple for the short term and plan to do up the garden at a later date.   But do plan and put in electricity and water for that time!

10.   Interior Designer: 
Well what would I say except that money spent with an good Interior Designer won't be wasted.  We know our business and  know what is important and what isn't.  We can save you money by concentrating your mind and showing you what is essential.  We also know where to go to get those must have items at excellent prices.  Kitchens, flooring, lighting, storage, furniture, art and gardens - you want the look but don't have the money.  This is what we are there for; planning and strategic thinking.  Pay for us and we will pay for ourselves in the long run with money spent wisely.

Lighting under glass shelf - also access panel for the thermostatic control.