Tip 1 – measuring up
When choosing a flat-pack or DIY kitchen, it’s really important to understand how much space you have to work with and ensure that all your measurements are accurate.
“Measuring and checking your space seems quite obvious, but you’d be surprised how wrong this step can go!” says Kaboodle Kitchen Marketing Manager Lisa Mayski.
Kaboodle even has a simple step-by-step guide on how to measure a kitchen space to help with this part of the process.
Functionality is key in a kitchen –it’s a busy and hard-working space, after all. Start by creating a ‘working triangle’, which will help you create an effective workspace. This idea is that the three main stations in a kitchen – the cooktop, the sink and the refrigerator – should be positioned as a triangle with just a couple of steps between each for maximum efficiency.
Some common shapes in the kitchen are the U-shape, L-shape and a galley-style kitchen. If you are finding it difficult to imagine the best design for our space, try cutting out life-sized cabinet shapes and appliances on pieces of cardboard and placing them in the space to see how it will work. You can also use any number of online 3D kitchen planners to help you envisage the layout in your space.
Kaboodle also offers a “cut to measure” range – where customers can order selected products (including cabinets, doors, panels, benchtops and splashbacks) to an exact width needed. This means that you can get the look and fit of a custom designer kitchen without the high price point.
Tip 2 – get inspired
This is where you decide what you want your kitchen to look like. Beyond the practicalities, get inspired, dream big, search for kitchen inspiration and think about colour schemes.
“One of the most important and exciting parts of a kitchen renovation is collecting inspiration,” says Lisa Mayski. “It’s a good idea to collate images, textures and materials, and then place them onto a visual mood board. This will give you a clear vision of your style and colour scheme, and will help to determine the direction, look and feel for the rest of the renovation.”
Again, online 3D kitchen planners are great tools to help you explore different doors, colours benchtops and splashback options. Dark colours are increasingly on trend – charcoal and navy are big at the moment, although you can never go wrong with a white kitchen, using coloured accessories to add personality and interest to the space.
Once you’re happy with your design, talk to your chosen retailer to order and choose your cabinetry – but remember to allow space for appliances. If you’re looking for appliance measurements, check out the website of your appliance manufacturer for their specification sheets. This will tell you internal and external appliance measurements, plus any electrical or plumbing considerations.
Step 3 – installation
It’s time to create your kitchen! Now that you’ve got all your flat-pack products at home, make sure you take full advantage of how-to videos and installation instructions from your chosen retailer to help you through this important step. Talk to your tradespeople, especially electricians and plumbers to ensure that utilities are catered for.
Many builders will also install a flat-pack kitchen at a moderate fee.
There’s even plenty of resources available on how to remove your old kitchen. Our tip? Many savvy renovators choose to sell their old kitchen, with a condition of sale being the removal of the previous kitchen. Then, you can use the proceeds for a few bottles of celebratory champagne in your new space!
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