Kitchen Renovations
INVEST IN VALUE
A new kitchen renovation is a serious investment. You should always bear in mind that one of the main objectives of undertaking a renovation is to add value to your home. Unless you intend renovating again within a relatively short time frame, it’s wise to avoid ‘fads’ that come and go. Consider timeless trends rather than features that will quickly become outdated. In order to add value it’s also worth realising that if you can afford better quality appliances and finishes, you’re more likely to achieve an increase in the value of your home.
Open Plan
Open-plan house designs, including kitchens, have become so popular in recent years that they’re now favoured by the majority of people. Our feedback suggests that the trend towards open-plan living is not a passing fad. Our clients tell us that open-plan living perfectly suits their lifestyle and is likely to be a design feature that will be evident in Australian homes for the foreseeable future. The kitchen is the focal point of a home, particularly in a house with an open-plan design. It’s critical that your custom kitchen renovation recognises the relationship between your kitchen and the adjoining living and dining areas. Seamless connectivity between these critical areas of your home will yield a result that is aesthetically pleasing and practical.
Entertainment
If you have the luxury of space, your kitchen can become an ideal place to entertain your family and friends. Gone are the days when the kitchen was the domain of the person doing the cooking while guests squeezed into doorways or adjacent room … isolating themselves and the long-suffering cook! Modern kitchens typically feature stacks of bench-space and island benches, with many incorporating casual seating, making the kitchen a much more sociable and inclusive space than it was in days past.
Bigger Isn’t Necessarily Better
While it’s great to have heaps of space in your home, a beautiful, practical kitchen renovation can be achieved in smaller spaces too. The most popular kitchen designs (U-shaped, galley and L-shaped) can be adapted to suit spaces of any size and configuration. Practically, it may be important to you to maintain the kitchen ‘triangle’ (the area between the sink, fridge and the oven/stove). However, in a smaller kitchen, the distance between these essential elements may not be critical because the distance from one end of the kitchen to the other may only be a few steps. It’s important not to confuse size with efficiency when it comes to kitchen design. Don’t be discouraged …some of the very best kitchen designs are achieved in small spaces!
Trends for Now and the Future
Beautiful Benchtops
If you think about the feature that really struck you last time you admired a kitchen, there’s a good chance the benchtop was one of the elements that caught your eye. Modern composite stones are durable, easily maintained, and surprisingly cost-effective. Manufacturers are constantly adding new products to their range of ‘stones’, with recent examples featuring realistic marble and concrete finishes. These new products are extremely impressive and are being specified in many new kitchen renovations.
Clean, Sleek and Modern
In an endeavour to meet clients’ demands for a sleek, uncluttered look in their kitchen renovation, professional designers often incorporate some tricks of the trade that you may wish to consider. Modern edges to benchtops and cabinets tend to be angular (right-angles) rather than round. Integrated appliances cost more; however, they are ‘hidden’ inside the line of your cabinetry and definitely add a touch of sophistication. If you have sufficient space, a butler’s pantry helps keep unwanted clutter out of the kitchen and provides a purpose-designed location for bulky appliances and storage.
Colour Blocking
Colour blocking is the practice of grouping a single colour to create a contrast to an adjacent colour. For example, this can be achieved by choosing a contrasting colour for a line of cabinets or by using a coloured glass splashback. If chosen carefully, the contrasting colours add personality and warmth which most people find very pleasing. The most popular, contemporary block colours are grey, matt black and natural woodgrain; however, neutral colours remain timeless and are often chosen.
Whites and creams are timeless, and easily remain the most popular colours. These neutral colours reflect light, and look fresh, sharp and clear … something all home owners desire. Bold or brightly coloured accessories may be added for character if required.
Same Cost, Better Look
Handle-less cabinetry, under-mount sinks and soft-close doors and drawers are minor details that are easily overlooked, but which will dramatically improve the look and the functionality of your kitchen renovation without adding significantly to the cost.
Often overlooked is the cost of relocating services such as plumbing and electrical. Where it’s possible to work with the existing location of these services, it’s wise to do so unless it compromises the design you’re after. It’s not difficult to run up additional costs amounting to thousands of dollars if you elect to run new plumbing and wiring, particularly in an existing house.
Maximising bench-space is always a priority with kitchen renovators and designers. A simple tip is if a 600mm oven will serve your needs, don’t be tempted to include a 900mm oven. Not only will the smaller oven cost you less, you will also benefit from the additional 300mm of bench space. Similarly, wok burners and other accessories for your oven will chew up bench space in the interests of ‘look’ over practicality.
Imperial Kitchens are experts at designing beautiful kitchens. We’ve worked with hundreds of kitchen renovators over the years and we’d be delighted to share our expertise with you, to ensure your kitchen renovation is undertaken without stress or unexpected costs. Please contact us to arrange for one of our kitchen designers to help bring your renovation ideas to reality.
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Imperial Kitchens
2 Ellerslie Road
Meadowbrook, QLD