Kitchen Tips: How To Design Your Dream Kitchen

We get a lot of messages from you asking how to start planning your new kitchen so we’ve put together a guide from start to finish of how our design process works and what you can expect.

1. Budget and Choosing a Company

Firstly, if you have a budget in mind but are unsure of how much your new kitchen might cost, you can see our guide to kitchen pricing here. You can also send us an email with your floor plans, architect drawings or dimensions of the kitchen and we will provide a rough estimate. You can email us by clicking the link.

There are limitless options for choosing which kitchen company you want to work with. It is a very personal thing designing, making and fitting a kitchen for your home and because of that, we often build close relationships with our client’s throughout the process.

A good way of choosing which kitchen company you think you’ll work with best and that fits your style and budget would be to visit companies or look through their samples of work. You can dowload our brochure here.

2. Initial Design Consultation

The next step is to book an appointment for a Design Consultation with one of our kitchen designers. Your first appointment will be at our studio in Canterbury or over the phone during the weekdays. We do require you to visit us at least once during the design process as it helps us ensure you get a feel for our product.

““Yes going down to Canterbury is a pain, but I’m so glad they insist. We got so many additional ideas from being in the show room. We understood so much better what we would be getting. Having worked in property development I know everyone being clear about what is to be delivered from the outset is key to a harmonious installation. The trip to Canterbury is probably more important then trawling the web looking for ideas.”
Anna & Charles, Battersea” ”

During your design consultation, you and your designer will go through your desires and requirements of your new kitchen, covering all areas. We provide a two hour slot to make sure there is time to discuss everything you want during the appointment. We will discuss the style of kitchen, number and types of units, worktops, what sort of appliances & taps you would like or if you’re keeping your own/sourcing them yourself, the design and layout of the space,  as well as cabinet colours, handles and tiles if you’re having any. Your designer will show you around our studio and explain the different ranges of cabinetry we make. We are always excited by new ideas, so if you have a specific design in mind- just say!

Your designer will then produce your kitchen design and quote - this takes 2 weeks. It is at this point that we will make any changes and decide whether or not you would like to go ahead with the project.

3. The Details

Once you have finalised your layout and kitchen design in a broader sense, it’s time to focus on the smaller but still rather important details. Moodboards come in handy at this point.

There a few different ways of creating a mood board. Traditionally, a mood board consists of a physical board like a push pin board of foam, where images and textiles can be attached. However nowadays it’s more common to use apps like Pinterest, or photo editing software to create collages full of your inspiration images. More and more clients are using Instagram to help organise their thoughts. You may want to keep things even simpler, by ordering samples of things like paint, handles, tiles and textiles and laying them out in different arrangements. This way you can have a very clear understanding of what works with your scheme.

This is a good point to start looking at things like hardware and any decorative tiles you may want included in your design. We have a wide range of pull handles, cups and knobs available in multiple colours & finishes as well as tiles to suit everyone’s style in our online retail shop, the Herringbone Pantry.

We’ve written more about mood boarding and choosing colour combinations on our blogpost ‘A Guide to Moodboarding’

4.Pre-Fit Survey

The next step is your pre-fit survey. Adrian our workshop manager will visit you to survey the room and ensure that everything is where it should be and take measurements of the space so we can start making your kitchen in our workshop! For this you will need a room at least plaster boarded, with a ceiling, so we can get accurate measurements.

5. Making Your Bespoke Kitchen

After that, depending on our lead time, there’s a wait (think of it more like a countdown similar to Christmas or your birthday!). This is normally 12 weeks, we will be in communication with you throughout the whole process, and will be here to answer any questions you may have.

We love when clients visit us in the workshop while there kitchen is being made! To arrange an appointment you can just speak to your designer. Alternatively if you are thinking of having a Herringbone kitchen and want to visit the workshop, just click the link

5. Kitchen Installation

Kitchen installation - our fitters will deliver your kitchen and start installing it. This can take anywhere from 4-5 weeks to complete, depending on your design.

6. Moving In

The last step is moving in! Your kitchen is ready for you to start unpacking your things into and styling it. This is where all the waiting and emails will prove worth it.

Once everything is completed and the kitchen is all yours to enjoy, we are just an email or phone call away should you need anything. And if you’re in the area, please do pop in for a cuppa! We love hearing from you even after the project is finished and knowing you’re as in love with the final product as you hoped.

If you have a project waiting to start but aren’t ready to move on it just yet, why not follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter to see what we’re up to and get even more inspiration for you projects?

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