Kitchen table

Detailed Kitchen Design Guide and Why The Finishing Touches Matter


Planning your kitchen upgrade can be a daunting task. The options available, costs involved, and desire to get it perfect can all feel overwhelming. Fear not; we’ve put together a detailed kitchen design guide to talk you through achieving the kitchen of your dreams, step-by-step. We’ll be including the big decisions and actions you need to take, along with the often-overlooked finishing touches that make all the difference to your brand new space.

Step 1: Set your new kitchen budget

Unless you have a bottomless wallet, budget is likely to be a key factor when considering your kitchen upgrade. Aside from the kitchen units, you’ll need to budget for any building work such as adding or removing walls, plumbing, flooring, decorating, labour and those all-important finishing touches.

Step 2: Think about how you will use your kitchen

A kitchen is more than just a space for cooking. Are you planning for your kitchen to be the hub of the home, with space for dining, relaxing, or even working? Do you entertain regularly and need somewhere for guests to be present whilst you’re preparing food? Thinking about how you want to use your kitchen space will be the foundation upon which you build your kitchen design.

Step 3: Measure up and consider the layout of your kitchen

Creating a practical space that works for you starts with accurate measurements. Have a play around on paper with the layout and get the opinion of an expert if you’re struggling to come up with ideas. Remember, ensuring you have adequate space for cooking equipment and dishes is essential for a frustration-free future with your new kitchen.

We recommend considering the functionality of the kitchen and where your appliances need to be placed for ease of use; you wouldn’t want to carry pans of boiling water to a sink on the other side of the kitchen, or plates a long distance to the hob, for example.

Step 4: Research kitchen units

Now that you’ve decided how you want to use your kitchen, the available budget, and where you’d like your units, it’s time to research the units. You can use magazines, social media and design brochures for inspiration to decide on the type of units you’d like and the all-important colour choice.

Step 5: Add the finishing touches

A brand new kitchen can easily lack character without attention to this final step. Add the wow-factor to your kitchen with splashes of colour and items that are quirky or bring a homely-feel to the room.

Finishing touches can be used to make a practical space look beautiful, but did you know they can also be good for your bank account? Finishing touches such as taps, flooring and tiles can turn a relatively average kitchen into a magazine-worthy dream space, without the price tag.

The texture, size and layout of your wall tiles has a considerable impact on the finished look of your kitchen. When you’re ready, be sure to take a look at our range of kitchen tiles to complement and enhance your kitchen design. Our affordable collection and sample service will leave you confident you’ll love your tiles and in turn, your kitchen.