Wednesday, 24 January 2024

Kitchens are the heart of a home, so how can you upgrade this space with minimal disruption? Here’s a guide on how to redesign your kitchen.

How to Redesign Your Kitchen

Kitchens are often the heart of a home, but they can easily start looking tired. Activities like cooking and washing up all take their toll. But knowing how to redesign your kitchen with minimal disruption can be challenging. So, how can you upgrade this busy family space?

Start with a plan

Before you start choosing new counters, units or appliances, you need to create a plan. There may be easy ways to update your kitchen without carrying out a full refit. Replacing a full kitchen will cause a lot of disruption. You might have to live on microwave ready meals, and you might lose access to your sink for a while. Alongside the loss of cooking and washing up facilities, you may not have any counters to prepare breakfast or lunches.
Once you have listed your kitchen “wish-list”, research potential costs for each area, and go back and prioritise your focus. Your plan may need to change to reflect your budget, but don’t despair! There might be some really simple fixes that can make a big difference. Kitchen counters, for example, can be expensive. One option might be to leave these in place, and then paint your walls and upcycle other areas of the kitchen.

Consider your kitchen colour scheme

Depending on the size of your kitchen, your colour scheme could have a dramatic impact on the room as a whole. For smaller spaces, consider a pale cotton or warm white to reflect any natural light. If you have a larger kitchen, you could have a dark feature wall such as charcoal grey or navy blue to offset certain room features. Think about textures and shapes within the room, from taps to cupboard materials to splashbacks, tile patterns, and flooring.
Lighting is also important in a kitchen, and this is not just so you can see clearly when preparing and cooking food. Spotlights and ceiling lights can enhance your colour palette and add ambience to this room. If you have a kitchen-diner, you might want to fit dimmer switches so you can change the mood of the room when you’re entertaining guests.

Compare different styles of units

Before you rush into buying a new fitted kitchen, check whether you can upcycle existing cupboards. If you have wooden cabinets, you should be able to repaint these to match your colour palette. Make sure you choose a matt finish for a flawless look. If you’re not great at painting, consider hiring a professional decorator, which will still be cheaper than buying a brand-new kitchen. Swap cupboard and drawer handles for more modern fittings.
If you really hate your kitchen cabinets, and you only changed these in the room, this will make a dramatic difference. But it’s important to be sure about your choice of units. The reality is that you are likely to be living with your kitchen for a very long time. Try and opt for a timeless look - you could choose a style that suits period characteristics of your home.

Updating a kitchen-diner

If you have a kitchen-diner, there are lots of ways you can upgrade this part of your home for a low cost. Firstly, look at this area and see how you can revitalise the space. Throw away old, unused cookware. Use cupboard storage, pan and plate organisers to hide away clutter. If you do have shelf space, display a couple of cookbooks, pottery, glass or colourful objects that key in with your colour theme. Add a plant or two to give the space a fresh look and feel.
If you have a breakfast bar style kitchen, think about replacing your existing chairs with stylish dining chairs or bar stools. New chairs can be a simple and budget-friendly way to update your kitchen. Available in a wide range of colours and fabrics such as practical linen, simply match to the style of your cabinets, fixtures and fittings. Make sure your seating is comfortable, as you’re likely to spend many hours sitting, eating and entertaining.

Kitchens are one of the hardest working rooms in the house, so it's no surprise this room can quickly look tired and dated. The key is to make sure you consider every aspect of your kitchen so the colour scheme, style of units, and appliances all match. We hope our guide will help you upgrade your kitchen without disrupting your busy home.

Need new dining chairs? Keep an eye on our website for our new collection - coming soon! For advice, speak to our customer service team or use our online web chat tool.