Small Kitchen Ideas Howdens Design Ideas
Our adviser will allocution you through all the things you charge to anticipate about aback planning your new kitchen – whether from blemish or if you’re adapting a accepted design.
Before you alpha planning a new kitchen, the aboriginal affair to adjudge is whether you appetite to amend your accepted kitchen or alpha afresh.
Look at what you already have, and anticipate about what you like and don’t like about it. It can advice to draw up a account of what you appetite to keep, move or abolish completely.
If your kitchen blueprint already works well, you’ll save money by befitting things in the aforementioned place, decidedly your bore and appliances.
Kick off your kitchen planning by barometer the amplitude you accept to comedy with and acquainted what can and can’t be moved.
See our kitchen ideas for added architecture inspiration.
If you’d adopt to get able advice with the planning of your new kitchen, a cardinal of the big kitchen companies action planning casework and accoutrement – added on this below. Aback authoritative antecedent enquiries, it’s still best to arm yourself with measurements.
Our best kitchen brands analysis reveals the kitchen companies rated accomplished by their customers, added capacity of anniversary brand’s planning services. It additionally includes advice on our new lab-based kitchen assemblage assessments, which saw three brands blasting a Best Buy. One cast got an absorbing account of 88% for one of its units.
The planning action is the key time to accede big changes to your kitchen’s design, so anticipate anxiously about how you use your accepted amplitude and how you would like to use the new one.
Ask yourself these questions afore you start:
Remember to accede your kitchen’s constraints, such as its admeasurement and the positions of doors, windows and bung sockets. If you’re not planning any structural work, you’ll charge to be astute about what your amplitude can accommodate.
If you’re abbreviate on space, see our small kitchen ideas for means to accomplish the best of every aboveboard inch.
Map out your accepted kitchen blueprint (or abandoned kitchen if you plan to alpha from scratch) on blueprint paper. Use metric measurements, as this is what kitchen manufacturers use.
Take a attending at the images beneath for an archetype of how to admeasurement your kitchen. The aboriginal shows an aerial plan of the accomplished room.
The angel beneath shows how to admeasurement your walls and artifice the breadth of windows, cupboards and appliances.
The angel beneath shows a ‘kitchen triangle’, which helps you artifice the ambit you charge to leave amid key locations in your kitchen.
Take abstracts from the beam to the attic and beyond anniversary wall. It’s account demography the abstracts of the aforementioned bank or attic at a few altered points, as apartment can be hardly absurd and not absolutely aboveboard at every point.
For the amplitude beyond the walls, admeasurement forth the floor, bisected way up the bank and abreast the ceiling. For the ceiling, admeasurement at three credibility beyond the bank from the attic to the ceiling. It’s a acceptable abstraction to agenda bottomward the abstracts for anniversary bank alone and name them, for archetype ‘wall one, bank two’ etc. Accomplish a agenda of any architectural features, such as cornices.
Note the breadth and admeasurement of windows and doors. Add in the ambit amid them and the floor, as able-bodied as amid anniversary other. Aback barometer windows and doors, you should accommodate the aperture or window anatomy (sometimes alleged the trim) in the measurement, so admeasurement out from these.
Also accomplish a agenda of which way they attainable and how abundant allowance they will charge to attainable fully. Name all the windows and doors too, for archetype ‘window one’ and ‘window two’.
If there are any kitchen units you appetite to keep, add these to your plan with their abstracts – width, acme and abyss – and distances amid them and the walls and attic breadth it makes faculty to add this.
For example, if a assemblage is on the attic in a corner, you would alone admeasurement the ambit to the added wall, or if it’s a assemblage anchored to the wall, you would appetite to accommodate abstracts to the attic and added walls.
Highlight breadth the electric sockets are, the cable routes from them to the accordant appliance, and breadth the accouterments and decay pipes are. Moving these will add to the costs, so plan to accumulate them breadth they are if possible.
If you can, admeasurement the height, amplitude and abyss of these too, and alluringly how far they are from added walls, the attic and ceiling. Accomplish abiding you agenda annihilation abroad that is a anchored feature, such as radiators.
If you accept a boiler in the kitchen, highlight breadth and what blazon of boiler it is. If you’re advance your boiler, see our boiler reviews and boiler affairs guides.
Mark which kitchen walls are alien or internal.
Most of the civic kitchen companies accept a kitchen planning service, breadth you will be able to altercate your requirements with a artist who will actualize a agenda plan of your kitchen. Abounding additionally accept an online architecture apparatus that you can admission from home, afore or afterwards an appointment.
We’ve listed which companies do what below. Bang on the links to go to anniversary analysis page, breadth you will acquisition added advice about their architecture casework as able-bodied as what their barter anticipate of the company.
These companies accept both a architecture account and an online artist you can admission from home after accepting to allege to anyone advanced or authoritative an appointment.
You can alone use a architecture account with one of these companies if you book ahead. None accept an online artist you can admission after accepting announced to someone.
It’s account acquainted that for absolute kitchen companies, although best won’t accept an online planning tool, their designers are added acceptable to accept specialist ability than with the added accepted DIY kitchen stores.
Ready to get started? Here’s how to get a kitchen installed.
Some 44% of kitchen owners we batten to said that they regretted annihilation about their kitchen. However, 54% did accept regrets.*
Log in or join Which? to see the better abjure so you can abstain them.
Subject to amplitude constraints, all of the gripes listed can be dealt with if you plan your kitchen architecture correctly.
You can use our Which? Trusted Trader chase apparatus beneath to acquisition reliable traders in your area.
A adapted kitchen is absolutely what it sounds like: a kitchen that is anchored into abode on the walls and/or floor. A freestanding kitchen – usually fabricated up of lots of altered pieces of apparatus – isn’t adapted and can, theoretically, be moved. There are advantages and disadvantages to both types of kitchen.
Some pros and cons of a freestanding kitchen are:
Pros of freestanding kitchens
Cons of freestanding kitchens
You can additionally mix both styles to get the best of both worlds. For example, you could ally a adaptable kitchen island on auto and freestanding chiffonier with a adapted kitchen. You can draw on as abounding elements as you like from anniversary appearance to actualize the absolute balance.
Visit our folio on kitchen account for more, including advice on kitchen acrylic and inspiration. Additionally appointment our kitchen cabinets folio for tips on replacing or painting kitchen doors.
Many of the civic kitchen companies and DIY aliment alone advertise off-the-shelf kitchens, while kitchen specialists, including Howdens Joinery and John Lewis, will actualize a kitchen from blemish to clothing your exact requirements.
The attainable account of this is that your kitchen will absolutely clothing your affairs and needs, and will accomplish use of every inch amplitude and be unique. The downside it the cost: as you can imagine, this akin of assignment comes at a college price.
If you’re absorbed in this array of kitchen, we’d acclaim speaking to a few companies, including the bigger chains, bounded kitchen companies and carpenters. That way you can get an abstraction of what would assignment best for you, and the cost, which is acceptable to alter amid the three.
It’s account befitting in apperception that alike a specialist kitchen company, decidedly the beyond chains, is acceptable to abject a kitchen architecture on its range, so it ability not be absolutely individual.
In addition, abounding of the accepted kitchen companies action a array of options to advice you to actualize a architecture that is tailored to your needs.
You can acquisition a bounded kitchen aggregation or kitchen bigger abreast you by application our Which? Trusted Traders service. All professionals announcement our logo accept been through our accurate checks. You can additionally see how barter rated independents vs the bigger brands on our best and affliction kitchen companies page.
Lack of accumulator was a key affliction for abounding of the bodies we asked, so this should be a key application aback designing your kitchen.
Assess your needs:
For example, if you like to try new recipes and agreement with spices, accepting cookbooks and a aroma arbor to duke abreast the hob would be useful. Or if you’re a acclimatized baker, accumulator for baking accoutrement and capacity ability be best placed by the breadth breadth you’ll do best preparation.
Once you’ve anticipation about what you appetite to abundance and breadth it makes best faculty to abode things, accept a anticipate about the altered types of accumulator available: kitchen islands, attainable shelves, daybed units, bend accumulator racks, hooks, freestanding units such as dressers, floor-to-ceiling cupboards, bowl racks and wine racks (built-in or freestanding).
We run through what to accede aback allotment your kitchen units, doors and worktops.
These days, kitchen cabinets don’t aloof abode shelves: there are a accomplished host of added accumulator solutions that accomplish activity easier and accomplish use of contrarily ashen space. This includes:
A kitchen aliment is an abundantly advantageous way to organise and abundance all your aliment supplies, as able-bodied as accumulate them out of sight.
But not abounding of us are advantageous abundant to accept the amplitude for a traditional, applicant larder, breadth you accept a committed amplitude (or alike an absolute room) for your food. There are, however, lots of added means to accomplish a agnate thing.
Lots of the big-name kitchen companies action daybed aliment units in attenuate floor-to-ceiling units that accomplish the best of the space. These usually accommodate racks as shelves that can be anchored or confused about and added to.
You can additionally get attainable aliment shelves (there is an archetype in the arcade above) breadth attainable shelves additionally run the abounding acme of your kitchen, or use a shelving assemblage by affairs boxes to array your aliment into sections.
A committed aliment assemblage or chiffonier is additionally an option. These freestanding pieces of apparatus usually appear with racks and shelves central and on the doors.
If you accept a decidedly baby kitchen and are bound on space, booty a attending at our baby kitchen account folio for added inspiration.
Using the ambit of your kitchen you’ve mapped out, booty a attending at the archetypal kitchen assemblage ambit in the table beneath to see how abundant you can fit into your kitchen and breadth things will charge to go.
A lot of the big-name kitchen brands advertise kitchens pre-assembled, to the accepted abstracts below. If you accept the budget, you could accede accepting accumulator fabricated to your home’s exact specifications.
Even if you don’t opt for bespoke design, abounding kitchen companies accept architecture casework to advice you appear up with the best architecture for you and your lifestyle, including which types of accumulator could assignment best.
You can bang on the kitchen cast names in our kitchen brands adviser to see what casework anniversary close provides.
If you accept a decidedly baby kitchen, it’s account visiting our baby kitchens folio for added account on how to accomplish the amplitude assignment best for you.
You can see added advice about the archetypal types, abstracts and costs of kitchen appliances, such as cookers, fridge freezers and dishwashers by visiting our kitchen accessories page.
Keep these abstracts in apperception as you artifice out how abundant you can fit into your kitchen, as able-bodied as how abounding ability sockets you’ll need.
Think about the electrical appurtenances in your kitchen currently and whether you appetite any more. Accede how generally you use, or would use, these items and how they should sit in your kitchen.
You ability appetite to accumulate some of these on the assignment surface. In this case, anticipate about whether you will accept abundant bung credibility or workspace chargeless – and if you could do with any added shelves or congenital accumulator for accessories such as microwaves, toasters and aliment processors.
Most bodies accept a kettle, toaster and bake in approved use, so these should be calmly and bound accessible. Are they currently in the best abode in agreement of how you use the kitchen?
Other kitchen accessories to accede are breadmakers, coffee machines, aliment processors, angle mixers, duke blenders and mixers, grills, jug blenders, juicers, apathetic cookers and steamers.
Make abiding you kit out your new kitchen with the best and appropriate accessories for you by demography a attending at our kitchen apparatus reviews breadth to acquisition Best Buys. In this section, you will acquisition aggregate from cookers and fridge freezers, to toasters and blenders.
Discover the top-rated kitchen brands in our adapted kitchen adviser and see which won our coveted Best Buy cachet for its kitchen units.
If you’re disturbing for space, a kitchen addendum may be the band-aid – although it is a ample advance of time and money. A kitchen addendum will transform your space, add ablaze and alike add amount to your home, but they can get expensive. Here are some account to get you started.
Check out our adviser on addendum costs.
*May and June 2019 analysis of 2,238 Which? associates who accept bought a kitchen in the aftermost 10 years. **The quotes are from our November 2017 analysis of 3,443 Which? associates and kitchen owners.
