Kitchen reno inspo: Kate Smashing Kitchens
With the help of Resene Paints we delivered one fun-loving family a new kitchen – fulfilling their dream for a modern, communal heart-of-the home.
Go on, press play – you know you want to!
Planning your own heart-of-the-home makeover ? read on for our top tips for a top kitchen!
1
Establish your brief
Are you a master-chef in training or a heater-upper ?
Do you love to entertain and keep your prep hidden from guests or will your new kitchen be the hub of congregation ? Note: Kitchens generally end up being party central whether we plan for it or not!
Perhaps you need room for multiple teenagers ?
Or places to hide things from inquisitive toddlers ?
Does the coffee machine (juicer, bread maker - enter your preferred ritual here) need dedicated space ?
Consider who'll be using the kitchen - now and in the near future - and really nail what the must-haves are.
The users of our Smashing Kitchens series are a family of five - two working parents, kids on the cusp of teenage-hood and an energetic golden lab. Their brief was to have different zones, so they could all co-create without getting in each other's way.
2
Know your givens
All projects have parameters that can't be changed. Be that the timeframe, budget, or an element within the existing or yet-to-be-built architecture. These are your givens.
Givens provide boundaries and a starting point. Without them we would be forever designing and never doing.
Know your givens and make friends with them.
Even a pillar that can't be moved can become a design opportunity - as shown in our Smashing Kitchens creation. Without that pillar we would have ended up with less zones and definitely less storage!
3
A dream kitchen requires a dream team
There are a magnitude of decisions to consider when designing a kitchen. And there are multiple ways you can put together your dream kitchen team - whether you choose to DIY or be lead by your architect, builder, interior designer or kitchen designer - or all of the above.
To maximize the budget and timeframe of this project we collaborated with a specialist kitchen company. They provided the suggested layout based on our brief. Our role was to make this new kitchen feel part of the existing home.
Whoever your team is, make sure they’re all on the same page and know their role, so you’re not left piggy in the middle.
4
Expect the unexpected
Kitchens are built on the skills of multiple trades –building, painting, electrical, cabinetry, plumbing. With that many moving parts there is bound to be a spanner (or wooden spoon)in the works.
So, make a plan, and then hold it lightly.
Have contingencies in your timeframe, and budget, to allow for a 'mis-measure' or a 'forgot-to-order' or an 'out-of-stock-on-three-month-back-order' scenario.
And, know what you're prepared to let go. To meet your style brief you might have to wait an extra month for the sink you want.
Our Smashing Kitchens spanner was discovering our central pillar couldn’t be moved… after construction had already begun! With some smart re-design we turned the unexpected into a win.
5
Honour your own style
Kitchens can swiftly become chaotic, especially in a family home. They are also often the internal focal point of the home because it's where we come together for the common goal of nourishment.
When planning your kitchen consider taking inspiration from spaces where a fond food memory was generated. Perhaps from childhood or travels.
We helped define and deliver the design details of the Smashing Kitchens space, but the overall aesthetic is very much a reflection of the homeowners personal style. We included details from places they've visited. The light-fittings are made in India, a place the couple have fond travel memories of. The paper roll is something they've all admired at thier favourite family cafe. And the general open communal feel of the space is something both parents wanted to recreate from their own childhood kitchens.
6
Have fun with colour!
Our last tip is the same for all rooms of the house – have fun with colour :)
The first creative step we take when designing a kitchen is establishing the colour palette… starting with any givens – ie perhaps the floor isn’t changing, so that’s a given colour. We take cues from colours in other rooms of the house and fill in the gaps with any colour dreams and desires.
Once you have your colour palette nailed, identify which components will deliver them. All parts of the kitchen have a colour value – the bench, cabinetry, appliances, sinks, tap-ware, splash-back, handles, lights – we even consider the pots, pans and tea towels : )
When deciding where to apply which colours think about how to balance and connect the spaces - ie from one side of the room to the other or from floor to ceiling.
For our Smashing Kitchens family we choose a modern seaside palette of white, blue, natural wood, silver and black. The walls were painted Resene Eighth Black White, with cabinetry chosen to match. A feature wall in Resene Half Dusted Blue was chosen to visually connect with the wallpaper in the adjacent dining room and blue also features in the tile colour. Pops of silver turned up through tap-ware, handles and lights. And the brown paper scroll picks up the wood tone of the floor.