Grime-free. A semi-gloss is highly recommended for a kitchen where there is high traffic, spillage or grease. It is also ideal for kitchen and bathroom walls where there is likely to be water or steam, as it will help resist mould. DID YOU KNOW? The shinier the paint finish, the better it will stand up to washing and cleaning.
Sophie Seeger SaveEmail Woodgrain wonder If you love the look of floorboards but want to be practical in a wet area, then woodgrain tiles are the answer. Just like floorboards, these tiles come in a variety of shades, lengths, widths, and grains. This bathroom has the white-washed antique effect, which reflects light around the room, suits a neutral palette and has a slight texture so it’s non-slip.
SPEND ON: Quality workmanship A well-made, good-quality kitchen will really stand the test of time and serve you well for many years to come. Do your research into the suppliers that you are considering and the materials they use. Regardless of the supplier you use, check out their warranty and check online for reviews. Ask friends, family and work colleagues for recommendations and, best of all, talk to other Houzz users – they will be more than happy to share their experience with you; both good and bad. TIP: When it comes to installing new cabinets, it’s tempting to save a buck or two by installing it yourself. Only consider this option if you are confident that you can do a good job. If not, leave it to the professionals. It’s definitely worth the investment. Not only is it faster, it will also save you a lot of money spent on fixing out-of-square walls, uneven floors and misshapen kickboards.
SAVE ON: Fancy gadgets Don’t get me wrong, I love pull-outs and gadgets as much as the next person, and I’m not going to suggest that you rule them out altogether, but you should choose them wisely. Before you go for a fancy new solution, have a look to see whether you can recreate the same functionality without the spend. For example, I often find that my clients get much better use out of an L-shape under bench corner cabinet that has a simple shelf in it as opposed to one that has an expensive spin around carousel in it. The shelf allows them to store large appliances such as their rice cooker and smoothie maker – items that often take up too much space on the bench. Also watch out for flashy drawer inserts. Simple cutlery and utensil dividers are essential to keep your drawers neat and tidy, however many other drawer inserts and dividers can cause more confusion than ease. In any case, these inserts and dividers can be added at a later date so you can try the kitchen out before you buy.
SPEND ON: Benchtops Your kitchen benchtop will take a bit of a beating over its lifetime. Heavy items will get dropped on it, hot items accidentally put down on it, harsh cleaning chemicals spilled on it, and strong coloured foods (turmeric, red wine) splashed on it – and that’s before your children get into the kitchen. Regardless of what material you choose for your benchtops, ensure it is good quality, carries a good warranty, is stain, heat and water resistant, and is easy to clean. Expect a quality engineered stone benchtop (like the one pictured here from Caesarstone) to carry around a 10-year warranty. A natural granite or engineered stone benchtop will be resistant to all of the above if you choose a good quality product. Cheaper materials will be prone to chipping and cracking and are not likely to resist stains very well; they’ll cost you more in the long run.
SAVE ON: Cabinet fronts You don’t have to blow your budget on the fronts of your new kitchen cabinets – the main thing is to ensure that both the cabinet internals and the doors are hard-wearing and will stand the test of time. You can update the cupboard door fronts again and again, depending on your budget. The material used to make the cabinet fronts (doors, drawer fronts and external panels) in this kitchen is a high quality laminated board in a semi gloss finish, which is one of the most cost-effective materials. It’s hardwearing and good quality, and won’t break the bank.
STEP 5: Finally, it’s all in the details You will need plans and elevations drawn up of the new kitchen. Within this plan, all the appliances you have selected will be shown, the benchtop will be shown, the break-up of the cupboard doors and drawers will be shown, and the pantry will be shown. Once this is done, it’s the details that will make your new kitchen. Think about the finishes on the benchtop, splashback, cupboard doors and drawers, flooring and the walls surrounding the kitchen. After Step 3, you will have figured out your style, so you’ll just need to research what type of finishes suit that style best. Now, you can get planning like a designer!
STEP 4: Assess your storage needs Think about what you need to store away. Write a list of all the appliances you own that need storing, and recycle the ones you don’t need or haven’t used in more than five years! Think about the pantry area you will need. Does the floor space allow for a walk-in pantry or will it be part of the overall cupboards. Again, it comes down to practicality with storage … you may like the European-style kitchens of recent years where there little in the way of overhead cupboards and it’s all about sleek bench space. This can work, if you have enough floor space to allow for a butler’s-style pantry where everything is hidden and stored behind a wall. Measure the amount of storage you have now and ask yourself, ‘Is it enough?…or do we need more?’ Storage is crucial in any kitchen. We always say you can never have enough storage regardless of the size of the kitchen or the kind of space you are working with – you just have to be clever about it and use the space you have creatively.
STEP 2: Decide on style and function Think about the relationship between the kitchen and the rest of your home. Does the style of the new kitchen need to blend with an existing style within your home, or will the new kitchen dictate a fresh new feel to the place? Next, look at the function of the new kitchen space. For example, if you have an open-plan style, you could reinterpret the dining table scenario and incorporate a dining space within a breakfast bar, voiding the traditional dining table altogether. Think about the space in a different way – and this is where Ideabooks work well. Create a Houzz ‘Kitchen’ Ideabook for your renovation, as the visuals of kitchen concepts will help you lock in your style, as well as ideas for alternative layouts.
3. Electroluminescent Produces electromagnetic radiation (usually visible light) in response to an electric current. This type of light is the most efficient, both cost wise and for the environment. LEDs are also very flexible, allowing you to choose anything between a cool and warm light (the temperature/colour of light is measured in Kelvins, which we will go into further detail below). You can even purchase LEDs that have the option to change colour and warmth via a remote!
4. A warming drawer Do you consider yourself a serious entertainer? Then you should seriously consider investing in a warming drawer. Why? You can use this nifty appliance to warm up cups and plates so they’re at an optimum temperature when you’re ready to serve hot drinks and dishes. It will also keep pre-cooked food at just the right temperature if you’re waiting on guests to arrive or in between courses.
Internal height of drawers Incorporating lots of drawers into the design of your new kitchen is a great way to gain extra and more user-friendly storage space. Think about what you will store in your drawers to help determine how high you should make each one. You may want to use your drawers to store coffee mugs, wine glasses, or even appliances, so its worthwhile spending some time planning your drawer storage and measuring the heights of the items you want to store in them before talking with your cabinetmaker.
Height of the top cabinets Most cabinetmakers can make your kitchen cabinets to any height. Designing your cabinets to go all the way to the ceiling is a great way to gain extra storage space. It eliminates the need to dust the tops and it also makes your room feel bigger by drawing your eye to the ceiling. Keep in mind that you will need to factor in a safe way of accessing the higher cabinets, such as keeping a ladder or footstool in a cupboard nearby. While very high storage is great, practically it is best for kitchen items you only use once a year at Christmas, for example. If your home is short on storage you can even use these extra cabinets to store non-kitchen items you need to keep but don’t have to access regularly.
Storage height When you are planning your new kitchen consider all the everyday items you use most frequently such as plates, pots and pans, food etc. With these items in mind, plan where you will store everything. Reserve your lowest under-bench drawers and cabinet shelves, and your highest overhead shelving, for items you don’t use everyday. Then keep your most regularly used items in your top drawers and lowest overhead shelves to avoid excessive bending and stretching.
Height of the oven and other appliances Having your oven raised off the floor by building it into a wall cabinet instead of going for the standard under-bench oven is a great way to eliminate excessive bending down in your kitchen. Your microwave or steam oven can also be built into the same cabinet for efficiency and a more streamlined look. The top appliance should be positioned with its centre at around eye level. A height of 1570mm from the floor is the average eye level, but consider the height of the main cooks in your kitchen to determine the most suitable height for you and your family. Note, it is recommended that the height from the floor to the top of the highest appliances is no more than about 1700mm. This will ensure you are not lifting hot food out of the oven at a dangerous height.
Clearance height for your fridge If you are planning to have your fridge built into your new kitchen cabinets its important that the space allowed is wide enough and tall enough for your fridge. Even if you are going to use your existing fridge for now and are planning to purchase a new, bigger fridge in the future, do some research into the type of fridge you may like to buy. This will help you to determine what space you should leave to avoid a tight squeeze, or worse, later. All manufacturers will recommend an air clearance gap between the top of the fridge and the underside of any cabinets above it. The measurement of this gap will vary depending on manufacturer and can be found inside your user manual or on the manufacturer’s website.
Benchtop height Low benchtops are a common cause of back pain so it’s best to plan a bench height that is most pleasant for the main cook in the kitchen. Bench heights of 900mm to 950mm are most common.
1. Appliance cupboard Want to get rid of the benchtop appliances taking over your workspace, but not sure where to put them? An appliance garage (designed for one or multiple gadgets) is just what you need. Install a few power points inside and you only need to slide your heavy appliances out a little way to use them, then slide them back again when finished. The cupboard can sit flush with your existing cabinetry, which means there’s no bulk, so no-one will even guess what’s going on behind those closed doors.
Provide landing areas next to major appliances For safety and efficiency, consider placing a benchtop landing area next to your major kitchen appliances, especially the range, cooktop, microwave and wall ovens. You want to be able to quickly set down something hot without having to trek halfway across your kitchen. This will also give you a cooking work zone; you can store items such as knives, cutting boards and pots and pans in the cabinets and use the benchtops for chopping and cooking prep.
While you’re at it, why not look at the rest of your cupboard storage? You can install great shelving for bulky items, such as those aforementioned pots and pans, so they’re not stacked haphazardly on top of each other.
You could also install a special drawer just for your spice collection. This one has been carefully considered, given it is position right under the stove. Imagine how easily this works in practice when the owner needs a quick sprinkle of oregano or dried chilli.
3. A shelf for the mixer This is the best invention ever. Anyone who owns a stand mixer knows how heavy these suckers are and how bulky they look on a benchtop. Enter the custom-built shelf that lifts easily out-and-back. You literally don’t even have to move the mixer when you’re using it. Genius.
Handy herb garden above sink
8. An appliance haven That is, a space where all your frequent-use (but let’s face it, mostly ugly) appliances can live. Power points in this area are mandatory, because they allow you to use the appliances there (and only there). Once you’ve finished using them, simply close the doors and walk away.
Don’t have the space (or the budget) to put a walk-in or butler’s pantry into your new kitchen? Pull-out storage and generous drawers with inserts will ensure entertainers have everything they need within easy reach when prepping for a party.
9. A table extension for extra guests Do you often entertain extended family and friends? Chances are your dining table or breakfast bar doesn’t cut it when you need to accommodate extra guests. The solution? An extendable island top that seats additional people.
4. Translucent windows In lieu of a traditional splashback, architect Steve Schappacher installed translucent pivoting windows in this loft. Each window opens up into a narrow pantry set right behind the kitchen.
In a small household, full height bins might be overkill and will waste space. If side-by-side bins or just one shorter bin deals with your rubbish load, use the extra drawer depth for a bag holder. This creates a cavity underneath for infrequently used items and room for a handy drawer above the kick space.
Put rubbish in its place We all recycle now, right? Double bin drawers neatly separate recyclables, or general waste from paper and glass. TIP: This joinery design allows bins to be easily removed from the side, rather than lifting them clear of a side rail.
This is a practical arrangement for under-sink storage. Narrow drawers either side store cleaning products while rods multi-task to hang paper rolls and tea-towels.
Simplify under-sink space Under-sink drawers that fit around plumbing fixtures are often an awkward shape. They can quickly turn into sorry chaos, chocka with bits and pieces. Crawlies love the warmth and sometimes moisture of this cavity so don’t cram stuff in. Which items do you actually use in the kitchen? Do you wear more than one pair of rubber gloves at a time? Could some of it go, say, in the laundry? Pare down items like gloves, brushes, cloths and detergent for day-to-day use and top up from a centralised supply as needed.
A drawer insert with holes cut to fit metal or plastic buckets (very cheap) will help you get a handle on cooking clutter. TIP: Separate utensils into wooden, plastic and metal so you can grab something quickly.
Make a ‘go-to’ multi-purpose drawer close to your prep surface. Keep frequently used herbs and spices and, if you bake, items like flour and sugar dredgers alongside everyday implements like vegetable peelers, can openers and tongs in side compartments.
Look at the hole picture What a mouth-watering display – no more delving in the pantry. Do you love to make curries and spicy Asian and Moroccan food? This spice ‘library’ does need space, but saves plenty in the pantry. I like how it is at convenient bench height and how the lids can be popped off when you want a pinch of this or that.
“Egg of an hour, bread of a day, a wife of twenty years” … or something like that. Crusty artisan bread should be eaten as soon after baking as possible. Commercial sliced bread is best stored somewhere cool, but not cold, and sealed against any wandering pests. Bulky benchtop bread bins take up prep space, and fridge storage can actually accelerate staleness, so consider a bread drawer with a cover and an insulating pad in the base. TIP: Freeze sliced bread after two to three days for toasting, and crusty bread after one. There are many uses for less-than-fresh bread, from garlicky, olive oily panzanella salad, bread crumbs for gratin dishes, to yummy, eggy French toast and berry-soaked summer puddings.
Give drawers air for food storage Store some vegetables, for example, onions, garlic, uncut pumpkin and potatoes, in ventilated drawers to maintain their flavour and save fridge and bench space. Potatoes particularly hate the cold, as the starch converts to sugar, and texture and taste suffers. Don’t refrigerate tomatoes, either – they taste better at room temperature. Lemons and oranges also give up more juice when not chilled. A low-level drawer with a mesh screen front is ideal for fruit and veg storage.
Toe-kick drawers are handy for: horizontal wine storage; infrequently used platters, trays and boards; table linen and tea towels; instruction books and paperwork; oversized cooking pans, like a paella pan; a hidden supply of chocolate for when you feel down; storing pet bowls away from other items; or as a lockable spot for valuables. TIP: Avoid storing good wine in the kitchen if you can help it. It’s probably the hottest room in the house. Lie bottles down in toe-kick spaces – a better, cooler option than out in the open kitchen area.
Get a kick out of your drawers Who thought of toe-kick drawers? Give that person a medal. Depending on your cabinetry construction, drawers can be retro-fitted in this forgotten space. Keep drawer pulls simple and flat to avoid accidentally kicking them.
Don’t waste an inch of space – fit a removable chopping board over a shallow drawer.
Get on board Another use for a narrow space is a pull-out chopping board and tray drawer. It can be integrated behind a door like the rest of the cabinetry but is a good spot to display decorative boards and trays.
By sacrificing 15 to 20cm of cupboard space, you could put a timber knife block fitted into a narrow pull-out cavity near your prep bench.
Oh for storage like this with plenty of room for pots and lids to cohabit. Two-tiered shallow drawers in a bench-to-floor cupboard mean no stacking of pots. Does anyone actually cook in these beautiful things?
A dedicated lid drawer with vertical storage slots is a space-savvy way to keep lids neat. TIP: Talk to a kitchen designer about squeezing extra depth into your benchtops – the deeper the bench, the deeper your drawers. An average bench is 50cm deep. By adding just 10cm to the depth of a 2.5m bench run, you gain .25sqm of drawer and cupboard storage.
Store glassware upside-down on non-slip rubber draw liners, sold in kitchen and cookware shops, to cushion rims and prevent sliding. Silky smooth soft-touch drawers are best for glassware storage, especially stemmed wine glasses, which may tip.
Keep cups at the ready You’ll never regret a cup drawer – it’s so much easier than digging in an overhead cupboard. Make sure it is deep enough for your tallest mugs, about 18 to 20cm, storing them upside-down to protect their rims. Cups have a habit of multiplying, so estimate how many you really need. If you have half a drawerful unused after two or three average usage days without running the dishwasher, donate them or store them elsewhere for emergencies. A side compartment for tea, coffee, spoons and sugar completes a tidy and convenient coffee break station.
4. Sorting storage The Swedes are masters of practicality and cleanliness, and in nearly every home you’ll find this inexpensive, very efficient waste-sorting system. With a large bin for paper and cardboard, two smaller ones for glass and cans, and a final for rubbish or compost, your household garbage will always be organised.
9. Appliance drawer If you can’t fit a corner cupboard, install a deep drawer tall enough that you can store your blender, for example. If you can store these appliances already assembled, it will save you a lot of effort and time. TIP: Lifting your small appliances out of a drawer under your benchtop will be far easier than bending down to pull them out of a deep cupboard. Try to position these appliance storage drawers under the bench space that you will use them on to make life easier for yourself.
7. Under-sink drawer Under-sink cupboards are great for storing cleaning utilities, but are not always practical. Instead of routing around for bin liners, plastic bags, washing up liquid and hoards of cleaning products all jammed into a deep, dark space with the one item you need always hiding away in the back corner, try an under-sink drawer option instead. A set of under-sink drawers are probably the most popular drawers with my clients. They jump for joy when I show them how we can make a U shape drawer that fits around the plumbing pipes under their sink, giving them an easy-to-organise and easy-to-assess space to store all their cleaning products. Use the top drawer to store washing up liquid, hand wash and dish cloths so they’re off your bench but within hand’s reach. And fill the subsequent bottom drawers with less-used items like cleaning products, bin liners and scourers.
5. Spice drawer I love my spices, but when they are not organised properly, I just end up buying extra of what I already have and forget about some until they have passed their use by date – I’m guessing I’m not alone. Looking down on the top of all your spice jars trying to guess which one is which as they sit on a shelf in your pantry is no fun. Instead, work a shallow drawer into your new kitchen design next to your cooktop and pop in a spice insert so the rosemary and thyme are always close to hand. There are several spice drawer inserts you can buy, which you could put into your existing kitchen drawers, too. Check out the kitchen department in hardware or storage superstores, or if you are designing a completely new kitchen, ask your kitchen designer to suggest a suitable organiser they can supply and incorporate into your new cabinets.
4. Kickboard drawer Shallow kickboard drawers are inconspicuous and offer secret storage you’ll continue to thank yourself for. Since they’re shallow in height, they’re the perfect place to store baking trays, oven racks and chopping boards. They can also be used to store other flat items such as placemats and table linen.
3. Extra benchtop If bench space is limited in your kitchen, you will love this clever little drawer. From the outside it looks like any regular shallow drawer in your kitchen, but in fact, it pulls out to reveal some extra bench space. Position one near your cooktop so you can use it as chopping space or as an extra surface to arrange plates on as you dish up dinner. TIP: These pull-out benchtop drawers can also be worked into an appliance cupboard or into your pantry to give you another easy-to-access surface to use appliances on.
1. Bin drawer Having a bin full of rubbish sit on the floor in the kitchen can be unsightly; it also takes up floor space, making the area look cluttered and untidy. Incorporate a pull-out bin drawer into your new kitchen design. Depending on the plumbing arrangement, it may be possible to fit one under the sink. Otherwise, dedicate a small cabinet close to your sink. Being able to pull the bin out – as opposed to having it sit on a shelf inside a cupboard, and you having to tuck a hand full of rubbish inside – will make it easier for you to see where you are throwing your rubbish; this way none of it ends up sitting in the bottom of your cabinet. TIP: For an even better bin drawer, look for one that has the ability to have a push-to-open mechanism attached to it. This will allow you to push against the drawer front with your hip or knee to open it when your hands are full of rubbish.
Ladder for Kitchen
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