January 5, 2021

4 Things to Consider When Remodelling a Kitchen

A kitchen remodel can be incredibly daunting, perhaps even stressful- after all, there’s so many different aspects to consider. But we’re here to tell you that a well thought out design plan is entirely worth it for the end result. A renovated kitchen can help boost your home’s resale value, cater towards your family’s needs more effectively, and provide you with inspiration as well as a boost in mood each time you walk into your cooking space.


Below, we’ve run through a few things to consider when it comes to your kitchen remodel:


Size of Your Kitchen


Considering the size of your kitchen is important. However, you don’t have to feel locked into your existing layout. If you want to open up your cooking space, you can always knock down walls or add onto your home to accommodate for a larger kitchen. Of course, you have to make sure that these options are actually feasible. You may want to discuss them with a kitchen designer or an architect, who can point you in the right direction.


On the other hand, if you’re thinking of sticking to your existing layout, the size of the room will determine whether or not your kitchen has room for let’s say, an island, bigger appliances or more storage options. Remember to consider things such as your current kitchen traffic patterns, the type of cooking that happens in your kitchen, the workflow, and if there are generally more than one person cooking in the kitchen at one time. These will help you to determine whether you need to make changes to accommodate to the layout to accommodate for your family’s cooking behaviour more effectively.


Infrastructure and Ventilation


The arguably less ‘fun’ bits of your kitchen remodel, including plumbing, electrical work and ventilation, still need to be considered. You have to make sure that you are doing electrical work to code if you’re choosing to undertake it yourself. Alternatively, if you’re arranging for a electrician, plumber or any other subcontractors to come in, make sure you schedule them well in advance.


Benchtops


Benchtops are an incredibly important aspect of any kitchen. Not only do they act as a work and storage surface, but also as a major focal point. If you’re conducting a kitchen renovation, new benchtops are a total must-have. And you’ll be pleased to find that choosing the right kitchen benchtops can actually provide a number of great benefits for you and your family.


A durable benchtop solution will ensure to remain standing strong and resisting chips, cracks and scratches for many years into the future, proving as an incredibly worthwhile investment. Aside from this, you can also get benchtop materials featuring low porosity, which generally comes with the benefits of hygiene and stain resistance. Good hygiene is obviously quite important to uphold in the kitchen, as this is the place where you’ll be preparing food for guests and family members. Stain resistance is also quite handy, since you’ll be dealing with a multitude of easy to stain liquids and ingredients whilst cooking.


Aurora Stone kitchen benchtops are ideal for kitchen renovations, as not only do they come in a wide variety of materials, colours and styles, but they’re also manufactured to provide long-lasting value.


Lighting


The lighting in your kitchen is also important to consider. Keep in mind that there are three types of lighting you should be installing to your kitchen; task, ambient and accent lighting.


Task lighting, as the name suggests, helps you to conduct tasks more efficiently in the kitchen. For instance, installing pendant lighting over your kitchen island will help you to see what you’re doing whilst preparing food. The same goes for installing strip lighting under cabinets, or having lights in the pantry. Ambient lighting, on the other hand, provides general lighting for the rom. Down lights or flush lights are great ideas in this instance. Finally, when you’re wanting to draw attention to points of interest in your kitchen, you can use accent lighting options such as toe kick lighting, or using lights inside of your cabinets.