Top Interior Design Tips For Kitchen Cabinets
Of all the rooms in the house, designing a kitchen is the most complicated. From functional walkways to task lighting to the style of your kitchen cabinets, each element must be stylish, and practical and also make the most of your existing space.
While it can be overwhelming, we know a thing or two about kitchen designs and we’re here to help. FCI designer, Lauren Austin, chats through the basics that you need to get started.
1. The importance of kitchens and interior design
The kitchen is the social hub of your home; the gathering place where you host guests and share special occasions. This makes any kitchen remodelling or refresh an especially significant project.
When considering the design of your kitchen, you should choose a style that complements the overall design theme of your home while also being very practical.
Lauren recommends creating a mood board of images and colour swatches as a starting point. “The first step is to decide on your overall style. Do you like contemporary and clean or is rustic your thing? Whatever you choose, it’s important to follow through on that style throughout your kitchen design, from layout to colour choice to fittings and furniture.”
Unlike the design of the rooms in your house, your kitchen design must be highly functional. “Think about how you’ll be moving in your space, how many seats you’ll need and where you want to prep food,” she says. “Once you’ve got this down pat, you can move onto furnishings.”
2. How to design kitchen cabinets
Once you know how you would like your kitchen to look, you can move to individual furnishings and fittings. Perhaps the most important of these is your kitchen cabinets.
Lauren suggests getting professional advice from the start. “While you might see a particular look that you like, it may not work in your space or with the style of kitchen you’ve chosen. An experienced designer can help you identify any obstacles and maximise your space.”
‘Maximising your space is of the utmost importance, especially if you have a small kitchen. ‘For kitchen cabinets near the oven, we recommend hinge door cabinets and pull-out drawers where you can store pots, pans, cooking oils and spices,” explains Lauren. “We don’t recommend using open shelves here as they will quickly get dirty.”
As we as your chosen style of cabinet, you’ll also need to consider their proportions and how you can fit them to create a sense of symmetry
‘We suggest ensuring that tall kitchen cabinets go all the way up to the ceiling,’ says Lauren. “Leaving a section of empty space makes the room unbalanced, not to mention the waste of space.”
3. Should you paint your kitchen cabinets?
While painted kitchen cabinets are very much a personal preference, at FCI we’re strongly in favour.
“Painted kitchen cabinets have a timeless appeal,” says Lauren. “You can combine them with a number of kitchen design styles, but best of all, you can easily update them for a fresh look in the future.”
Not only can a coat of paint completely refresh a kitchen at a relatively low cost, but you can also brighten up a dark space or create the illusion of more space through colour choice. “It’s all about the right shade. Go with lighter and brighter colours to really lift your kitchen and make it feel bigger. Darker colours will diminish your room, but if you have a large kitchen to begin with, they can create quite a dramatic impression.”
Another great thing about painting kitchen cabinets is that it can be done on just about any wooden surface. “It doesn’t matter whether you have raw wood cabinets or wood that has been previously stained or painted,” Lauren explains. “Scuff it up with some sandpaper and the paint will adhere to it.”
Materials that you shouldn’t paint include any kind of laminates. You can do it, but the paint will scuff easily and it won’t last long, essentially wasting your time and money.
4. Best tips for remodelling your kitchen
In our almost 40 years of interior design, the FCI team has seen it all, from woeful mistakes to bold ideas that take some courage to pull off.
Lauren’s advice is to keep it simple. “We can get lost in Pinterest and imagine that we too can have a kitchen made entirely of bright white marble, but it’s not true for most of us. It’s best to stick to simple designs and add a few striking finishing touches.”
Our team of kitchen design experts are here to guide you, from answering your questions to creating a brand new kitchen for you in a 3D drawing. Get in touch with us and let’s chat about your kitchen requirements.
