How to Start Designing a Kitchen

It’s the hardest-working room in the house with so many elements to consider and it’s easy to get overwhelmed when planning a new kitchen. Pringle & Pringle’s Creative Director Sophie Pringle breaks down everything you need to know to get your design off to the right start

If you’ve decided to redesign your kitchen, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed at the beginning of the process (and even during, truth be told.) We demand a lot of our kitchens ­– people are always going to congregate in them, no matter what size they are, and rather than just being a place to cook and eat, the modern kitchen has to also function as a place to work, relax and entertain.

A new kitchen is a significant financial investment, and you want to ensure that your choices will age well and adapt to the changing needs of your family. Ultimately, the kitchen is the most important room in the house, so you can see how important it is to get it right.

Here at Pringle & Pringle, we’re not like other kitchen design companies as we’ll usually be designing the whole house. This means we really know our clients and have a unique insight into how they’re living every element of their lives, not just in the kitchen. This allows for a more holistic approach to the design.

In our step by step guide, we advise you on how to get started with planning your kitchen, so you can get the layout and function of the room absolutely perfect to create a space which is a pleasure to spend time in.

 Consider your aesthetic

This might sound counterintuitive but the first thing to think about is the aesthetic. This isn’t about choosing your finishes, but your chosen aesthetic will dictate the function. Do you prefer a clean, minimal look? In that case you’ll probably prefer your worktop to continue up the wall and this will dictate the worktop you choose. Are you someone who is very clean and tidy, who doesn’t like clutter but might want display shelves? Or are you naturally a messy person who will want more wall units?

What kind of oven do you like the look of? This will dictate the kind of extraction you have. Do you want to have marble on your island? This will dictate the size of the island as you can’t get a single piece bigger than 3m. There are countless permutations of this where the style you choose has a knock-on effect so it’s important to be honest with yourself.

Create a Pinterest board or save images of kitchens you love on Instagram, then your designer will be able to interpret your chosen style in a way which works with how you really live.

What are your priorities for your kitchen?

Many people start off planning their kitchens by thinking of all the entertaining they will do in it, when in reality it will only be used for that a small percentage of the time. You want to make sure that your kitchen can work for you to host Christmas, but ask yourself whether you really want to be eating your mid-week suppers at a huge dining table. Would a smaller breakfast table work better for day-to-day living? If you want to be able to work comfortably in the kitchen, this needs to be factored into the design from the very beginning.

 If you are going to be doing a lot of entertaining, make sure you have space in your kitchen to store the different things you want to decorate your table with – candlesticks, linen, vases and glassware. Do you have lots of collections of crockery and glassware you’d like to display?

Ask yourself what the specific needs are of your family. Is there someone with a disability? Do you need wheelchair access? Is one member of the family significantly taller than the other? In which case, dedicated areas can be designed to suit their height.

Remember that you don’t need to put everything into the kitchen. There is a temptation among many to create an open plan kitchen where the whole family spends all their time, but think carefully about this. Do you want somebody watching TV in the kitchen when you’re trying to have a conversation? Ideally, you want to be able to shut the door on that. Do you want to spend your evenings as a couple sitting in the biggest room in the house? Probably not. Designing a separate snug off the kitchen creates a cosy space where you can shut the door is a great solution for future-proofing – after all, teenagers will not want to sit in the kitchen with you.

What utilities do you need?

These are often the most personal choices for clients and will dictate how the kitchen is designed. We give our clients a highly detailed questionnaire which asks them many questions about the type of utilities they would like. Whether you choose a range or a stacked oven, it will decide the placement of units and the type of extraction you have.

Consider whether you want a statement fridge or if you prefer a sleek integrated look. Do you need a lot of freezer space? In which case, think about whether there is room for a separate pantry where a second freezer could be stored. Other things to ask yourself are whether you’d like a wine fridge, a warming drawer and even what size bin you’d like to have.

Avoid having washers and dryers in the kitchen if you possibly can. If you don’t have space for a utility room, consider whether they can be put in a cupboard in the hall or upstairs in the bathroom so you don’t have piles of laundry in a room which is already working so hard.

What small appliances would you like (and which will you actually use?) 

A well-designed kitchen will mean you no longer have to root around in the back of hard-to-reach cupboards for the blender. Make a list of all the small appliances you use and how often you use them. Everything from the MagiMix, KitchenAid and Thermomix to juicers, the coffee machine, microwave, bread maker and blender all need to find a home. If it’s something you use every day, can it be stored in a breakfast cupboard or in the pantry? If it’s not used that often, it can stored so it doesn’t get in the way.

 How do you cook?

Your kitchen designer will need to understand how you cook to come up with the best possible design. Some people are very tidy – I worked in a professional kitchen so I stand over one unit and do all my prep there because that’s how I was trained ­– but other people spread out and use every surface.

If you’re a sociable cook, you may like to consider putting a hob on your kitchen island. I’d advise against putting the sink there as it looks messy and you’ll be constantly mopping up water. Think about how you cook and wash up so you can make sure you have plenty of space for that.

Another important consideration is how much food you store. Do you like to shop regularly for fresh goods or do you prefer a weekly shop and require lots of cupboard space for tins and packets?

If you’re a keen breakfast family, consider a breakfast cupboard dedicated to the most important meal of the day. Not only can you keep all your cereals, jams and bread and crockery here, you can also have them fitted with a boiling water tap and a drain meaning you can easily make a cup of tea without getting in the way of someone washing up.

 Think about how your kitchen will really be used

This is really essential. When you’re thinking about the function and the layout of your kitchen, you have to really think about how it’s going to be used. Is there one person in the family who tends to do most of the cooking, or do both of you do it? Does the whole family tend to be in there at the same time? Make sure you don’t put the hardest working area where the biggest traffic flow is – there’s nothing worse than you with a hot pan and there are small children running around or people are under your feet. This is why we closed the second entrance to the kitchen we designed for our Battersea project.

 It all comes down to understanding the nitty gritty of what your kitchen is going to be used for, and how you really live. This way, you’ll create the kitchen you’ve always wanted which will really work for the evolving needs of your family.

 Get in touch and discover how Pringle & Pringle can help you with your interiors project

 Written in partnership with Studio Home Page