Top things to remember when you’re planning a kitchen makeover

Planning a new kitchen is a great project, and with so many different styles and options available to you, how can you decide which type of kitchen design is likely to fit with your lifestyle, your available space and your budget? Well, of course, we suggest that you speak to the experts at Paul James Kitchen Design. Before you come to us, though, it’s probably a good idea to get a few ideas of your own.

What layout do you prefer?

Based on your available space and preferences, there are different layouts which all offer their own advantages.

A linear arrangement is good for a smaller kitchen, where space is at a premium. It also works well for open plan living areas which combine a living room and a kitchen. The downside of this arrangement is that the work and storage spaces can feel a little limiting.

A horseshoe arrangement will give you more space for storage and to work, but requires more room – you need to allow for freedom of movement between both sides of the kitchen area. It takes careful planning to make the most of your storage too.

The galley layout suits square rooms well, or rooms with a window and door opposite to each other. The galley consists of two units that face each other, designed to allow enough space in between for people to move around. It works best if the room is large enough and also if the cooker and sink are on opposite sides.

The L-shaped or corner layout needs a bigger room, with space for a dining table. It’s an easy one to design around your requirements as you can double up the dining table for extra work and preparation space, or use one of the work tops as a breakfast bar or counter.

Island kitchens are very popular at the moment – again you need to have enough room, but they are great for inspiring creativity in your kitchen design.

Furniture 

To make the most of your furniture and its available storage, you’ll need to look into the drawers and pull outs, especially if you have limited space, which is where they come into their own.  You need to take height into consideration – overhead storage is great for items you might not use very often but you’ll need to make sure they are accessible!

The cabinet doors you like may look wonderful in the brochure, but if you have appliances that need to be accessible, doors that open across each other or not enough room to fully open appliances and cupboards, it will be more of a nightmare kitchen than a dream one.

All isn’t lost with a small kitchen space, though, expert kitchen designers will have tricks to make even the smallest room functional as well as attractive, with folding doors and lift doors that maximise the available space.

For ideas, advice and inspiration, talk to an expert at Paul James Kitchen Design…

The five most useful kitchen gadgets

So you’ve got your perfect designer kitchen, and it’s making your well-loved toaster and kettle look a little, well, tired. If you’re on the hunt for gorgeous gadgets that are exceptionally useful as well as being great looking, here’s our pick for 2014.

Coffee makers

Price: £129 | Tassimo – Bosch Tassimo Joy

Everything starts with a decent cup of coffee. There’s a diverse range of machines available, depending on your taste, and from Tassimo to Nespresso there’s an easy to use pod system that will wake you up in the morning. For sheer variety, brands like Tassimo and Dolce Gusto are hard to beat, while for the more exclusive coffee drinker there’s the Nespresso. Coffee will never taste the same from a jar again.

Juicers

Another breakfast staple and beloved breakfast of many a fitness aficionado is a fresh juice, with or without wheatgrass or maca or whichever wonder ingredient is doing the rounds. The best thing about a juicer is that you can design your own blends and make them as super-healthy or deliciously decadent as you like. Powerful motors make easy work of the hardest fruits and vegetables. Favourite brands include Dualit and Magimix, which will help you whizz up creamy cocktails as well as saintly smoothies.

Grills 

Enjoy an indoor barbecue, with meat cooked virtually fat-free and a range of deliciously chargrilled meal options. Compact, easy to clean and great for saving money, grills are ideal for quick and healthy dinners. George Foreman is well known for his Lean, Mean Grilling machines, but there are some excellent grills available from Russell Hobbs and Tefal which are well worth checking out too.

Blenders

Fabulous for soup, smoothies and anything that needs to be whizzed up in a hurry, a blender is a necessity in the modern kitchen. Kitchen Aid and Kenwood are top of the list for blenders able to handle everything from simple smoothie-making to hard core ice crushing, chopping and slicing. You’ll wonder what you ever did without one.

Ice cream makers

OK, so maybe the ice cream maker is an indulgence, but once you’ve got one, you won’t buy shop-bought again. That space on the worktop is just perfect, right?

As with every other designer kitchen gadget, there’s a range of options from cheap and cheerful to Cuisinart and Magimix, but they all create delicious ice cream, sorbet and gelato and the only limit to the flavours you can concoct is your imagination. You’ll never want ice cream with additives ever again…