There are lots of different reasons for wanting to redesign your kitchen. Perhaps you are tired of the outdated old units and want to bring everything to bang up to date. Perhaps you want to create more storage or seating space. Perhaps you want to try a radical new layout that will better serve your ambitions towards creative culinary genius.
Whatever your motivations, remodelling your kitchen always poses one key logistical challenge above all others - how to fit in the numerous big appliances the modern kitchen is home to, not just in terms of space, but where they with the overall design.
Your appliances represent a major investment and the last thing you want is to fork out for a brand new suite of white goods only to realise within a matter of weeks that you don’t like how they fit in with your revamped new look.
How to choose the right kitchen appliances
To help you get these key decisions right, here are some tips for choosing appliances from the big three kitchen categories.
Cooking
In terms of big cooking appliances, there are four main options most kitchens feature nowadays - a cooktop/stove, oven, grill and microwave. There is lots of scope for combining these into integrated units, or else keeping them separate, creating a number of design decisions. The classic combo is, of course, a range with a cooktop, grill and oven all in one. However, if space is a factor, it may make sense to have a smaller standalone oven with a separate stove built into one of the work surfaces, or you could choose a combined microwave/grill.
Separates also give you the option of adding more specialist equipment to your cooking arsenal - Bake Off champion wannabes, for example, might want to invest in double ovens and warming drawers they would struggle to find in a combo range.
Refrigeration
Of all the appliances in your kitchen, your fridge and freezer can take up the most space, so it is important to think carefully about where these will be located. As with cooking appliances, you have the option of combining a fridge-freezer into one, although unless you have plenty of room, you can end up having to sacrifice the size of one of the units. If you don’t want to have to put up with a pokey little box freezer, an alternative is to locate a standalone version somewhere else, such as in a utility room or garage.
Another decision is whether to have your fridge and freezer fitted as part of the kitchen units. Having a fitted door that matches the rest of the suite can look attractive but adds cost.
Washing kitchen appliances
Finally, unlike with cooking and refrigeration appliances, your washing machine, tumble drier and certainly, your dishwasher is not readily combined, meaning having one of each is going to eat up a lot of space in your kitchen. This is one reason why these white goods more than any other tend to end up in garages, porches and utility rooms.
Fast Reliable Appliance Repairs
If you do have them in your kitchen, plumbing will influence where they can be located. As with your fridge freezer, you may choose to have them fitted as part of the units, but bear in mind this can cause issues should they need to be repaired or replaced. Should they need to be repaired or replaced, we are here to help.