It’s always been known as the heart of the home, your kitchen is the focal point for family, food and festivities. Given how much of our lives revolve around the kitchen, it’s important to get the design that’s going to work with your lifestyle.

Today we’re sharing design tips and advice that will help bring your new kitchen to life!

Appliances
It’s not just about the appliances you choose, but where you choose to place them in your kitchen that can have a big impact on your overall look and layout.

Things to consider:

Would you like your oven to be a feature in your kitchen? You have the option of a wall mounted oven, or your oven can be tucked neatly away under the bench
If you’re the type of cook who likes to have a few dishes on the go simultaneously, two 600mm ovens might be a good solution for your cooking needs, or perhaps a larger 900mm single unit would be a better fit for you
If you love grilling or roasting, consider a pyrolytic oven: these are self-cleaning and worth the investment if scrubbing out your oven is your least favourite household chore
From a practical perspective – where would you like your microwave? Your Arden Home can include an under bench alcove to house your microwave, or a shelf in your pantry can act as a dedicated space
Fridges and dishwashers can be kitchen centerpieces – with the option to have freestanding units. Alternatively, for a more seamless look, your fridge and dishwasher can be integrated into the cabinetry, with joinery door panels creating a sense of cohesion
An undermount sink can complement integrated appliances, however a sink with a drainer may be more practical for your needs.
If you’re a keen cook, a pull-out spray kitchen mixer tap might be a great option for you. It makes it much easier to clean the sink, as well as large pots and pans
Similar to other appliances throughout your kitchen, your stove rangehood can be a feature or can be concealed behind cupboard doors or a canopy

Splashback
Splashbacks are not only practical, they can be a design feature, especially if you’re looking to add some extra personality and depth to your kitchen.

Our recommendations:

A tiled splashback will add more detail and texture to your kitchen design
Finger tiles, while popular, do require more grout than normal so if you’re a keen cook, we recommend choosing a darker grout colour to conceal any cooking splatters between deep cleans
A mirrored splashback will add light to your kitchen and make the most of the view behind you, especially when reflecting garden greenery. For further depth of space, a grey mirror is also a good option
For a clean, sophisticated look – wrap the stone benchtop up into splashback. With this design it’s important to keep in mind that a Caesarstone splashback requires a minimum of 50mm space from the rear burner to the splashback, which will result in an increase of overall benchtop depth

Handles
There are so many different styles of handles and knobs these days, covering traditional to contemporary styles. The handles you choose (or don’t choose!) can make an impactful difference to your overall kitchen aesthetic.

Our tips:

Consider matching your handle colour with your tapware of choice for a stylish, contemporary finish
For a seamless look, ditch the handles and install cabinetry with a finger pull open/close to the top of doors and drawer fronts
For overhead cupboard doors, we commonly overhang to the bottom of the door for a finger pull making it both stylish and practical

Waste
With waste disposal becoming a massive problem and council recycling programs requiring more specific separation, seamlessly integrated waste solutions are sure to make your waste disposal even easier.

Our tip is to include a bin system in your kitchen that provides sections for waste/recycling/food scraps etc to make the transfer to your outside bins super easy.

Kitchen work triangle
If you’ve never heard of this term before, don’t fear; the kitchen work triangle is based on the layout of your kitchen, and refers to the fridge, sink and cooktop being in close proximity (forming a triangular layout!).

Traditionally this is an efficient way to lay out the appliances, and is a way to make cleaning and food preparation, cooking, and food storage incredibly easy to access in your space.

You can see these kitchen design options come to life at an Arden Display Home – drop in and visit us today!

Kitchen Design Tips

What our customers are saying