Kitchen Planning Guide
Top Tips for Planning Your Kitchen
Top Tips for Planning Your Kitchen
Is your current kitchen tired, or are you moving house and need to ensure your new kitchen space works beautifully for you and your family? Planning a new kitchen is exciting—but without the right approach, it can quickly become overwhelming and expensive. Here’s a practical, step‑by‑step guide with the best tips to help you achieve a kitchen that looks fresh, works brilliantly, and stays within your budget. For further ideas, visit or stunning online kitchen gallery, or else contact your local Kitchen Experts for fully tailored design advice.
1. Identify Key Kitchen Needs & Lifestyle
Start with purpose and consider how you’ll actually use the space:
- Hosting dinner parties? You’ll need ample countertop prep room and integrated cooking zones.
- Kids doing homework at breakfast time? A generous, clear breakfast bar could double as a workspace.
- Multiple cooks at once? Emphasise zoned areas: prep, cooking, cleaning, storage, and social zones—each defined but harmoniously connected.
While the classic work “triangle” (hob, fridge, sink) remains effective in smaller kitchens, zoned layouts offer greater flexibility and match well with today’s busy households. These zones remove bottlenecks and give each activity—from meal prep to dishwashing—a natural place to happen without overlap.
2. Establish Your Budget (Plus Contingency)
What kitchen project suits your finances?
- Small kitchens: Expect to spend between £8,000 and £15,000, ideal for freshening up surfaces, updating units, and refreshing appliances.
- Mid-range projects: £15,000–£30,000 usually includes new worktops (e.g. quartz), semi-custom cabinetry, and top-quality appliances.
- High-end transformations: From £30,000 upwards, especially in London, where bespoke designs, premium fittings, and high-end appliances are standard.
Services like installers (£250–£400/day in London), electricians, and plumbers add up—so allocate approximately 40–50% of your budget to labour alone. You should always build in a 10–20% contingency to protect against unknowns like unexpected structural work or rewiring. budget.
3. Measure Precisely & Plan Layout Zones
Record every measurement with care: walls, door and window positions, ceiling height, plug sockets, drains and pipe runs. This knowledge is key to proper cabinet placement and avoiding structural surprises.
When sketching the layout:
- Smaller kitchens often work well with the efficient “triangle”—hob, fridge and sink 1.2–2.7 m apart.
- Larger or open-plan spaces thrive with zones—dedicated prep, cooking, storage, cleaning, and social corners.
- Include enough circulation space—minimum 1 m aisles with kitchen islands—so daily use won’t feel cramped.
4. Maximise Smart Kitchen Storage Everywhere
Decluttered kitchens feel calmer and function better, whilst smart storage prevents mess and maximises usable work surfaces. Consider how much storage space you will need, and you can integrate smart storage options such as:
- Pull-out corner units and carousel trays for wasted corner space.
- Tall pantry units, pull-out spice racks, and integrated bin drawers.
- Ceiling-height cupboards for infrequently used items.
- Hidden solutions for small kitchens like fridge/freezer drawers or relocating large fridges to utility rooms.
- Waste Disposal units can reduce worktop waste bins and improve hygiene.
5. Choose Kitchen Appliances & Fixtures to Suit Your Needs and Lifestyle
Appliance selection impacts not just daily convenience but energy use and layout flow:
- Frequent bakers or entertainers may want twin ovens, large fridge-freezers, and double sinks.
- Occasional cooks might prefer mid-sized, energy-efficient, A*-rated appliances.
- Place the fridge near prep areas, dishwasher near the sink.
- Include dedicated power points for kettles, coffee machines, toasters, and other small appliances.
- Plan isolated circuits for hobs, extractors, and sinks as required by regs.
- Remember—an appliance layout that suits how you cook is more valuable than flash but impractical gadgets.
6. Layer Kitchen Lighting for Style + Function
A well-lit kitchen feels bigger and safer—and layered lighting is often praised by professionals as more impactful than new flooring. Lighting defines how your kitchen feels and functions, with good lighting combining three key types:
- Ambient lighting: Ceiling downlights or pendant lights create general illumination and help define your room’s mood. Use dimmer switches for versatility
- Task lighting: LED strips under cabinets, directed spots over worktops, sink, and hob ensure precision cooking and prep with minimal shadows.
- Accent/decorative lighting: Plinth LEDs, pendant lights over islands, wall sconces, table lamps or rechargeable fixtures add warmth, ambience, and depth—especially in evening or entertaining spaces.
7. Choose Durable, Timeless Worktop Materials & Plan Services
AKitchen worktop materials should withstand everyday use:
- Consider worktops in quartz, composite, or butcher block wood.
- Vinyl, sealed tile or quality laminate flooring are low-maintenance choices.
- Opt for cabinetry finishes that retain their look (textured or wipe-clean surfaces) and splashbacks covering the whole hob area for easy cleaning
Let materials flow naturally with your layout zones, and ensure your extractor is correctly sized and ducted outside. Keep sockets aligned with lighting and appliances to avoid patches of rewiring.
8. Avoid Common Pitfalls & Examine Future Needs
Common planning errors can undo months of planning. Watch out for the following common kitchen mistakes:
- Poor measurements cause badly fitting units.
- Ignoring awkward corners—always choose pull-outs over wasted spaces.
- Under-planned storage leads to cluttered worktops.
- Over-investing in trendy gadgets may reduce family utility without adding resale value
Spending on timeless simplicity often beats flashy tech. Also consider future-proofing: ageing-in-place ergonomics, flexible prep zones for family life, wired charging ports, or room for two cooks. boards, colanders, drainer racks, integrated waste disposal.
In Summary
Designing a kitchen that’s both beautiful and practical is achievable with the right planning. Focus on what you do in your kitchen, invest in smart kitchen storage and layered lighting, pick materials that stand the test of time, and design a layout that suits your lifestyle today—and tomorrow. A well-planned kitchen performs better, costs less long term, and adds genuine enjoyment to your home.
