How Do I Choose a Kitchen Style?

The kitchen is the heart of the home where we gather, entertain and share memorable moments. This makes a kitchen remodel a particularly important project.

When choosing a kitchen style, you want to pick one that is not only functional but also aligns with the design statement of the rest of your home. To help you make the right choice and avoid any costly mistakes, here are 7 steps to guide you through your decision-making.

1. What are your needs and wants for your kitchen space

When thinking about your kitchen style, consider your lifestyle as well as the layout of the area. Are you an avid cook? Then you will need generous countertops for all your meal preparation.

Where space allows, we always recommend a kitchen island for our clients who love creating in the kitchen. Perhaps you hate cleaning, (who really loves it anyway?), stay away from glossy finishes that will require constant wiping down. Furthermore, if you prefer a clutter-free, clean look, then make sure you have lots of cabinets to hide everything away from sight.

Space is an important factor, a smaller kitchen will benefit from frameless cabinets with clever storage systems. Also, the room size will influence your paint colour, pale or reflective colours work best for small kitchens.

2. Look online and in magazines for inspiration

We love it when homeowners come in with their mood boards of images they have collected from magazines, Pinterest and home decor websites. Don’t be shy to do this. These images provide us with a clear understanding of your vision making the entire design process easier.

When you are sifting through images, there are five key elements that you should be looking at. These 5 are the puzzle pieces that you need to decide on as they will make up your kitchen style:

• Colour palette
• Cabinetry style
• Style of appliances and hardware
• Countertops and backsplash
• Flooring

With these selected, we will be able to identify the style that you are drawn to, even if you hadn’t realised what it is yourself.

3. How much can you afford to spend on a kitchen renovation

A good fraction of homeowners struggle to stay on budget when undertaking renovations - this is particularly true for kitchen remodellings.

How much you spend on your project should first and foremost be influenced by whether or not the kitchen will be in your long-term home or if you plan on selling in the near future. Designing a kitchen for the property market might require the use of more modest or standard features.

If we are to talk numbers, the general rule is that your kitchen remodel should not cost less than 5% of your home’s value and not more than 15%. The 5 to 15 rule helps you not spend too much or too little on your renovation. This will come in handy when you are selling because you risk not recovering your costs if you invest more than 15% of the property value.

Obviously, there are exceptions to every rule, when we sit with you through our planning sessions, we will tailor the work to what you can afford to spend.

4. What style of kitchen do you like?

There are endless kitchen design styles with the most common being: modern, traditional and rustic. Let’s have a look at each of these so we can help you start to build an image of what you want.

Modern kitchens

When you envision a modern kitchen, picture monochrome palettes, frameless cabinets, contemporary or the absence of hardware and sleek plumbing. This type of kitchen is free of clutter with a very minimalist appeal. It has become a popular look for UK homes, together with the accompanying stainless steel or matt appliances and glass splashbacks. Does that sound like your dream kitchen?

Traditional kitchens

Maybe the modern look is a bit too clean for you and you prefer something more homely. Traditional kitchens are not necessarily made of wood. The design style comes out through elements such as cut-in groves, raised lines on cabinets, decorative wall tiles and Belfast sinks. Wooden work surfaces are a perfect addition to complete the look.

Rustic kitchens

Rustic kitchens share many of the same elements as traditional ones. However, the look is less refined and the cabinetry and surfaces give off a handmade feel. Think of exposed beams, rough wood, mismatched furniture and patterned tablecloths and drapery.

Perhaps, none of these quite hit the spot. There are numerous other styles you can consider: Industrial, Scandinavian, Mid-century modern, and many more!

5. Do you want to do the work yourself or hire a professional

The thought of doing a kitchen renovation on your own can be alluring. Most homeowners also believe this is a more affordable route. However, as interior designers, we can confidently say that working with a specialist is more cost-effective than you may think.

We suggest watching some YouTube videos of the tasks your project will involve so that you can get a clear idea of the tools, expertise, time, and materials involved. One of the benefits of hiring a professional is that they will be able to complete the project in a much shorter time than you would.

We approach our projects with a team, so work can be easily completed the shortest amount of time.

Secondly, experts are more likely to get the job done correctly. Aligning cabinets, tiles and plumbing may appear easy, but they are precision tasks and it takes the smallest mistake to throw everything off-centre.

The other matter is customisation. Your professional contractors will have the right machinery to manoeuvre complex designs and delicate materials. This also applies to the safe installation of all your electrical wiring and plumbing.

6. Interview designers

So you have nailed down your style statement and are ready to begin. How do you choose the right interior designers? It comes down to speaking to different companies and asking the right questions.

Start by asking to see previously completed projects. At FCI, we invite customers to visit our showroom so they can experience our craftsmanship. This should give you an idea of the standard of their work. In addition, your designer should have architectural experience and a good understanding of current trends.

As you interview your designers, note if they are offering you expert advice and support. The best teams are prepared to both listen to your concerns and also give input. Ideally, the right consultant will ask you about your lifestyle, living space, style and cooking needs. Book a consultation with us and we'll talk you through you the best way to approach your new kitchen design. 

7. Get quotes from interior designers and contractors and compare prices before making a decision

You definitely want to receive quotes from your potential contractors and designers. Comparing these will ensure you know exactly what you are getting and at what cost.

With quotations, the more specific they are, the better. It may seem daunting to go over a multi-page document, but you are less likely to come across unexpected costs along the way when everything has been noted meticulously.

Don’t fall in the trap of simply comparing the final totals against each other. Be sure that you have understood all the inclusions, exclusions, line items and any jargon thrown in.

Lastly, pay attention to the lead time, materials and warranty. Remodelling your kitchen will involve a lot of moving parts so be sure that everything is catered for.

You will love your new kitchen

There might be a few steps and rules to follow on your journey to styling your kitchen but if done right, your remodelling will be nothing short of exciting. Be true to your needs and personal style and you will have the perfect kitchen regardless of its size or budget spend.

Kitchen reveals are one of our favourite client moments and we look forward to working on yours. Let’s kick off your kitchen dream; get in touch for a chat!