It is not difficult to get swept away by fancy tile patterns, colour schemes and beautifully shiny finishes when creating a brand new fitted kitchen makeover. Naturally, aesthetics matter – you would like your brand new kitchen to be unique. Perfect looks should not occur at the cost of practicality, particularly in such a heavily used, practical room such as a cooking area and kitchen.
A well-designed fitted kitchen has to be:
*Uncomplicated to use and very easy to clean.
*Versatile – used for food preparation, entertaining, family time and whatever else you want it to do
*Able to handle heavy use and traffic – besides a kitchen should be able to take just about everything that kids/pets/culinary disasters can throw at it!
*Durable – so that your family avoids easily scratching, marking, chipping, or damaging a kitchen area; a kitchen should be able to withstand the knocks.
So, exactly how do you get a super practical fitted kitchen makeover?
Bare these pointers in mind when pulling up the plans for your brand new or renovated space:
- Choose hard-wearing flooring;
Hard-wearing flooring is an essential component of any practical, durable kitchen. You might love the look of a specific floor surface, though it’ll prove to be the wrong choice if it’s not hard-wearing, anti-slip easy to clean. Steer clear of thin, super cheap materials, opting instead for flooring that’s found to stand the test of your time. - Go for wipe-clean, quality paint finishes; Choose a quality kitchen or bathroom paint, don’t skimp on this, as the paint you pick needs to resist the everyday events of a dedicated cooking area, from steam, splashes and condensation.
- Do not overlook the importance of an extractor fan! Do you seriously need an extractor fan over my cooker? The answer to this is most certainly a resounding yes! A branded quality cooker hood can help you eliminate those lingering cooking smells and extra kitchen moisture resulting from cooking. Miss out this crucial element and you can wind up with future problems of mould or even damp.
- Stay away from blocking thoroughfares; Does your kitchen offer access to another part of your home, such as your garden or conservatory, for instance? Be sure to arrange your kitchen carefully. Go for a through design. It’s maybe better to use sliding doors where possible over hinged access doors, so removing obstacles. Would an island kitchen really be your best choice in a narrow kitchen too?
- Splashbacks are essential in a practical cooking area, and to offer easy and hygienic cleaning. A splashback is a necessity sited behind your cookers and sink/veg prep area. Splashbacks can catch cooking spills, heat splashes, and they protect your walls and paintwork.
- Declutter your workspace! The more clutter on your worktops, the more you’ll spend time cleaning your kitchen. It’s so easy for grease and grime and cooking mess to build upon and behind crocks, pots and knife racks. Do you really want to be moving all these items every time you need to clean? Consider these storage solutions; Magnetic knife holders & cooking utensil hanging rails, try to hide kitchen appliances such as microwaves and coffee machines away in purpose-built kitchen units. All of the above facilitates a beautifully practical, minimalist and easily maintained kitchen.
