Consumers

 

Kitchen Design

The kitchen is where friends and family spend a lot of time and increasingly it's the heartbeat of the home, which is why we're devoting so much space to it.

New designs, new gadgets and features make kitchens one of the more fun elements of your new home to plan. The layout of your kitchen will be largely dictated by the available space and its relationship to other rooms and traffic flows, but there are elements within the kitchen itself over which you have a wide range of choice.

Your building designer may wish to play a large part in the design of your kitchen but often specialist companies are employed that will design and manufacture your dream kitchen off site and fit it before you move in.

• Consider how much storage space you need.
• Remember the golden triangle of sink/bench, fridge and hob and try to make sure it's not too big or things are in the way.
• Do you have enough bench space (depth as well as length)?
• Think about rubbish handling - recycling of cans and glass and compost bucket for organics.
• Consider the traffic flow in and around the kitchen. Are there areas where work collides with traffic and how can this be redesigned to minimize impact?
• Think about the possible reflection of the sun off stainless steel.
• Do the rubbish bins you've selected fit under your sink with the assorted drainage and water pipes?
• Where and how will you store cleaning products, especially for easy access?
• Water filters are regularly thought of but how about a soap dispenser?
• Are the handles easy to use - can you get your fingers in; will they be dirt traps?
• The kitchen tap is the most used in the house - get a good one.
• Are the materials chosen for cupboard/drawer facings and benchtops easy to keep clean and durable?
• Do you have sufficient lighting and lights in places where they're needed?
  

Gas is a great way to cook. You can precisely control the temperature which is one of the many reasons why chefs prefer to cook with gas. It gives fantastic indoor and outdoor cooking options, with a wide range of ovens, cooktops and barbeques in the latest styles to suit any home and budget.
Even if gas is not available in your street, you can install large home use tanks that will last a household months and can get replaced whenever you want

Quotes and Design
Be aware that when you're offered 'free quotes', expect that this often means you need to supply the plans or have your available space filled up with standard modules. Even architect drawings generally only specify the space available for cabinets with a suggested position for the sink and cooking areas. Professional design input will often be the crucial difference in making a good working kitchen! Also, make sure you are aware of who it is you are paying to supply your kitchen and find out exactly what their warranty covers.

Designer/Manufacturer
Depending on your budget and the time you wish to spend on your kitchen project yourself, you could get anything from a one hour design consultation right through to a fully-fledged design and project management service.

But how do you decide on a designer? Here are some suggestions:

• Refer to advertisers in the New Zealand Homeowner's Building Guide.
  
• Find out whether a designer is a current member of the NKBA. (Please note, there are many excellent kitchen manufacturers who are not members.)
  
• Check their qualifications (any formal kitchen design training?).
  
• Ask how long he or she has been designing kitchens.
  
• Consider the design fee
  
• Ask exactly what you will receive for such a fee (plans and full specifications) and whether you get to keep the design. Find out if this includes colour consultancy.
  
• Find out who generally makes their kitchens - does the company you're dealing with subcontract manufacture. Enquire about the manufacturer (trade membership, business history, size, references).
  

Decision Time
The following list gives you a sense of what decisions you need to make about most elements that form part of a kitchen.
It also offers useful hints and options available to you - it helps to know what goes into your kitchen!

Appliances and Range hoods
The options here, too, are many and varied. Different power supplies - gas and electricity - and different hob types - gas, electric-ceramic induction cooktops or electric - provide additional choices.

• Hobs can be seamlessly integrated with Stainless Steel benches.
  
• Solid cast iron trivets (the 'frames' on which pots and pans sit while being used) are generally better but are more expensive.
  
• Stand alone ovens are an aesthetic option for a more commercial or traditional kitchen look.
  
• Range hoods provide a way of further enhancing a chosen style. A built in rangehood is a minimalist option or the new square ultramodern designs work for contemporary kitchens. At the end of the day, choose what you like.
  
• Wall ovens can be placed at chest height or under bench - there are good reasons for each position but it's often dictated by the shape of the kitchen.
  
• Consider the new combination microwave/convection ovens for use as a second oven, giving you greater flexibility for cooking.
  
• Double door fridges provide additional cold storage if you have room and icemakers are a luxury that can become a necessity surprisingly easily once you get used to them.
  

Doors, Cupboards and Drawers
The main consideration here is the material to be used. Solid wood, lacquer, laminates and new technology plastics - even glass: each provides a different finish and all have varying price points, but they are all are designed to be easily cleaned and durable.

• Aluminium edging can add a designer touch if desired.
  
• Cupboards and drawers can be custom built to fit the space provided.
  
• Internal fittings allow orderly and easily cleanable storage within the drawers for everything from spices, to cutlery and kitchen knives or condiments to crockery.
  
• Consider the depth of cupboards and drawers and don't be afraid to go a bit deeper if space allows.
  
• Pull-out and swivel fittings allow stored items to be easily reached in what would be otherwise less accessible places.
  
• Consider the space above items such as the fridge, hob and benchtop. Unless there is an aesthetic requirement, these can be ideal places for additional storage for less used items and their use avoids creating another surface to be cleaned.
  
• Wine storage is a nice detail, but remember not to put it next to the oven - wine and heat do not mix!
  

Sink(s)
Who would realize just how much thought has to go into choosing a sink?!

• How deep do you want it? n What shape - round, square or rectangular?
  
• Consider installing a second sink - to be used either as a back up sink during cooking or cleaning, or for specific purposes, such as in a service area for coffee making.
  

Splashbacks
Splashbacks are a given in the modern kitchen but the choices
are many:

• Tiles o Glass o Stainless Steel
  
• Laminate o Concrete o Stone
  
• If using glass, ensure the manufacturer uses good quality manufacturing techniques and quality glass.
  
• Do you want the splashback to run the full length of the benchtop or just behind the hob?
  

Benchtop(s)
Today a growing number of materials are available for your benchtop and therefore selecting the proper kitchen worktop surface can be confusing. Deciding what style suits your kitchen and what material you choose defines in most cases the budget required. It is an important step to get it right.
Deciding what material to use is only the beginning, with similar options to Splashbacks. Additional decisions have to be made, however:

• What edging profile do you want
  
• How thick do you want your benchtop to be?
  
• Do you like the quality and visual impact of stone or the simple functionality of stainless steel? Laminate benchtops offer an almost bewildering array of colours and designs that can help you create a major impact.
  
• Consider different heights on the benchtop between breakfast bar and work area, or recesses within the bench for the sink and/or condiments or decorative items.
  
• If installing an island or standalone bench projecting from the wall, do you want to have a wall to hide the work area?
  
• Be aware that templating may be needed to shape the benchtop to a particular space and if this is the case then there may need to be a temporary benchtop to bridge the time span.
  

Natural Stone
is considered the top of the range choice for your kitchen benchtop, with Granite as the most commonly used material and chosen for its proven durability and lasting value. Granite worktops are available in polished and matte finishes, are heat, scratch and wear resistant, but require sealing to prevent staining and are expensive.

Engineered Stone
is a composite product which uses granite chips as its main component and adds resins to create a uniform stone surface. It is non porous, has good scratch, heat and stain resistant properties and does not require additional sealing, but is expensive.

Solid Surface
is a composite product which uses acrylic and/or polyester polymers as its main component and includes colorants and stone chips to create a homogenous, non porous surface. The surface is lesser scratch, heat and stain resistant, but easier to repair and is also expensive.
Stainless Steel is highly durable, heat and stain resistant but does scratch (although the patina of scratches gives depth to the surface over time and they come to provide a depth to the benchtop). Mid-range in price, Stainless gives a kitchen a strong, modern and functional feel.

Concrete
is strong, moldable, heat and scratch resistant but requires sealing to prevent staining. It's heavy, so requires good bracing, but gives a kitchen a strong bold statement and fits with modern decors.

High Pressure Laminate (HPL)
is traditionally the most commonly used kitchen worktop protection and available in endless patterns, textures and colours. The development of new benchtop products such as Engineered Stone has had a positive influence on the laminate industry. New laminates are being launched providing depth and texture for a new luxurious look. Better abrasion resistant surfaces are being engineered to provide improved wear and scratch resistance. A wider range of edge finishes can be achieved, such as tight radius bending "Tight-Roll" simulating an Engineered Stone edge appearance.
HPL is comparatively inexpensive, is non porous, resists staining and is easy to clean. Although the surface is less scratch resistant, with normal care the benchtop will last for many years.
Care should always be taken whatever the worktop surface product you choose. Ask your benchtop manufacturer for advice.

Hardware
Ensure your hinges and drawer runners and storage fittings are of high quality.

• Ask to see older kitchens with these elements in place to see how well they've stood up to use.
  
• Handles are of critical importance here - design is crucial to following through with your overall design theme and subtle differences make a surprising impact when you realize that your kitchen will have anywhere between 10 and 30 or so handles.
  
• Remember that there are many new fittings that will make your kitchen perform as a functional workspace beyond what you can imagine, ranging from waste bins, including recycle compost and bins, through to full height upright pantry drawers accessible from either side or electrical outlets that eliminate the need for cords.
  

Toe-kicks
These are the last thing to be thought of, but a crucial element in the finish of the kitchen.

• Can you match toe kicks with elements within your kitchen, for instance aluminium or stainless steel (or laminated surfaces that mimic these metals)?
  
• Would a colour contrast work well here or would using the same colour work better?
  With help from the National Kitchen and Bathroom Association