I am now 37 years old and I have never had my own kitchen. Well obviously I have had kitchens in the houses that I have lived in, but I’ve never done that really grown up thing of going to Ikea or somewhere and buying lovely matching kitchen units and getting them installed.
However, now that I am getting married and becoming a Real Adult and all that jazz, I’m starting to think about moving house, maybe to somewhere more grown up, and maybe finally getting my very own kitchen that I have personally designed.
If you’re thinking about planning your perfect kitchen too, here are some things you need to consider.
Colour scheme
One of the main things you need to think about that will really tie the whole look of your kitchen together is the colour scheme. Instead of just doing what I do, like painting your kitchen walls pink and yellow to clash nicely with the old wooden cupboards, go for a more neutral, sophisticated palette that will compliment different types of furniture and kitchen accessories. I really like a lot of colour, so a bold statement colour with vintage style colourful accessories would be a good choice for me.
Cupboards and storage
The cupboards and drawers in your kitchen are one of the most important things you need to think about when it comes to the look and function of your kitchen. Having enough storage space is important if you want to keep your kitchen looking sleek, especially if you have lots of chicken jugs where the milk comes out of the beaks that you need to put somewhere. (Like me. It’s fairly niche as collections go.)
Minimal, modern storage is always a safe bet, and these days you can get fun storage solutions like pop-up built in plug sockets and secret drawers. When you get your new fancy cupboards though, apparently there’s no need to make a sign saying “baking cupboard” out of paper for the cupboard that you keep the flour in. So I’ve heard.
I also like the open cupboard look, so you can show off your fancy herbs and spices or pretty crockery. In fact, when I was about 20 and living in my first house, I actually took some of the cupboard doors off to try and achieve this look. (It didn’t work well in an 80s modern kitchen.)
Appliances
If you don’t have any appliances, then is it really a kitchen? I’ve always really wanted one of those amazing big Smeg fridges, probably a lovely pink one. In a new kitchen, a dishwasher is a must as well, so that you can throw all of your dirty dishes in there when people come round to look at your lovely new kitchen. A dream kitchen isn’t complete of course without an amazing cooker.
There is a lot to think about when choosing your own oven and hob combo, whether you want gas or electric, free standing or built into the wall. I personally love the Blanco gas freestanding cooker at Harvey Norman; it’s got a quality, professional look about it but will still go with whatever style of kitchen I choose.
What would you have in your dream kitchen?
Sponsored post. Image credits: blue kitchen from Rattawich Kamol/shutterstock, crockery from kawephoto/shutterstock and vintage kitchen from Daria Gulenko