Hunting For George

Renovating your kitchen can be quite overwhelming. There are so many decisions you need to make and so many options to choose from. Lucy Glade-Wright, interior stylist and founder of online home and design publication, Hunting for George, shares her DIY tips to help you create the kitchen of your dreams.

1. Plan ahead

If you need or want new appliances in your kitchen makeover then it’s important to plan ahead and select these first - before you make any other purchases. This is very important as knowing what size your new appliances are, will then help dictate your choice of cabinetry and layout. For our latest kitchen renovation in our home, we chose Electrolux appliances, including the dark stainless steel French door fridge and 90cm electric freestanding cooker, and this helped determine the space we had to work with.

2. Create a functional layout

Layout is an equally important part of your kitchen as you want to make sure the floor plan is functional. Test out some options to work out the best solution and don’t forget to measure up your space!! It’s important for you to understand the size and scale in order to decide on the best layout for your kitchen.

3. Update don't change

If you’re renovating an older kitchen, you can save a lot of money and time by keeping the layout the same. Creating or moving existing services such as plumbing and electrical adds costs to your renovation, so by simply improving the cosmetic look of your kitchen rather than a complete overhaul can be very cost-effective. That way you might be able to splurge on other items in the kitchen such as appliances and decor.

4. Decide on a style

There are so many different style options out there and it's sometimes hard to know which style is right for you. The best thing to do when you are starting out is to collect samples, swatches of materials that you will be able to collect from kitchen suppliers and hardware stores. Then put all these different materials together to see what works best and use this as a style guide moving forward. Don’t be afraid to experiment here, this is the fun bit where you can get try out different ideas BEFORE you make your purchases.

5. Functionality is key

When it comes to selecting materials for your kitchen make sure they are fit for purpose. You want to use robust materials for areas such as benchtops and cabinetry.

6. Ask for help

Most kitchen suppliers and some hardware stores offer at-home services. These services exist to make your life easier when it comes to deciding on your kitchen design, don’t be afraid to ask for a second opinion.

7. Maximise your cabinetry

If you can fit an extra cupboard, do it! No one has ever said ‘I hate how much storage this kitchen has’. This also can be said for bench space, the more surface area for countertops you can have, the better.

8. Open shelving

Cabinets are great for storage in the kitchen but these sometimes don’t showcase much personality. Think about mixing up your cabinetry to incorporate open shelving. This allows you to display decor items that will help to bring colour and personality to the space.

9. Integrate your appliances

Another important reason to select your appliances first is that you may opt to integrate these into your cabinetry solutions and joinery. This is a great option if you want a seamless look. Another option is to match your cabinetry finishes to your appliances in order to create a seamless look, without the price tag of custom joinery.

10. Add your personality

A great way to bring personality to your kitchen is to showcase your favourite cookbooks; style artwork and add greenery to the space. I love to grab some fresh herbs from the garden and put them in small vessels on the countertop, you can use them whilst cooking plus they look great and smell great!

Paid partnership with Hunting with George

All photography supplied:

Art Direction & Styling: Lucy Glade-Wright.
Photography: Jonno Rodd

Lucy Glade-Wright

Designer and Founder of Hunting for George

With a background in design and creative direction, Lucy is the founder of Hunting for George. An online publication that is your go-to source for all things Home, Design and Lifestyle. As the face behind Hunting for George, Lucy is passionate about design, interiors and is a self-proclaimed ‘homebody’.

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