With the kitchen being the heart of the home, it’s only natural to want to create the perfect space. However, looking to redesign a kitchen, particularly as newlyweds or couples moving into their first home together, can be challenging with so many options available. In addition, it can be easy to get lost in the sea of mood boards and paint samples, leaving you wondering where to begin.
When designing your first kitchen together, it’s essential to have a clear plan outlining all the finer details. If you’ve already planned a wedding, there’s no reason why you can’t also design your dream kitchen. So, whether you’re looking to transform your existing space or are moving into a new home, we’ve put together the ultimate kitchen design ideas for newlywed couples.
Consider your kitchen essentials
To achieve the perfect set-up when designing your first kitchen as a couple, you want to maintain a mixture of both style and substance by choosing intelligent kitchen appliances.
In addition to offering unique style, modern kitchen appliances are now becoming more tech-savvy, allowing you to operate them via a mobile device.
Hi-tech ovens and refrigerators come with wi-fi connectivity, allowing you to monitor meals and progress from an app.
When moving into a new home, it can be good to assess what kitchen appliances you already have and what you want from your new design. You may find that many of your existing items could be reused and, if not, consider the look you are going for and what will be the best alternative.
There is an array of kitchen styles you can choose from traditional to country to modern and contemporary. Heading over to websites like Pinterest are excellent for providing style inspiration to help you narrow down aesthetic choices for your dream kitchen.
Assessing the look you are going for in your kitchen will also help you narrow down materials for worktops and flooring. For country kitchens, it is best to opt for traditional materials like wood, whereas modern kitchens benefit from sleeker materials such as granite and quartz.
If you are working with a professional kitchen designer, it’s crucial to be clear on your budget, especially if you’ve recently had to splash out on wedding costs. As a guideline, it’s said that creating a forever home usually costs 8% of your home’s value.
Look at your kitchen layout
Once you have narrowed down your kitchen appliances, it’s essential to consider how you can make your kitchen layout as workable and practical as possible.
Although kitchen layouts are often dictated by the size and shape of your kitchen, it’s worth considering the “work triangle,” particularly for smaller kitchens.
The triangle method is the space between the fridge, oven and sink – the three most functional appliances within the room. The most efficient triangle space should not be too cramped, but equally, there should not be too many steps between each area. If your kitchen layout prevents you from rearranging these locations, you can still factor them in when planning storage space—for example, hanging pots, pans and herbs near the stove and washing up accessories near the sink.
Add personal touches
There are many ways to add your personality into your kitchen style, from installing new worktops to patterned kitchen tiles or boldly painted kitchen cabinets.
For newlywed couples, consider how you will incorporate your wedding gifts into the space; whether it’s a colourful blender or luxury dinnerware, this is a perfect way to insert a bit of you into your kitchen. Instant hot water taps are functional and stylish. Beautiful gold, gun metal grey and silver taps can be paired with the colour of your other kitchen essentials to really accent the feel of the room.
When choosing new kitchen worktops, it’s good to go for a hard-wearing material such as quartz due to its resilience. Its smooth surface also makes quartz easy to clean.
If looking to incorporate some jazzy kitchen tiles, you could either go for a chic pattern or go DIY and try vinyl peel-and-stick wallpaper. This method is also used on subway tiles to glass mosaics. Vinyl is simple to install and is very affordable, so you have the option to change it seasonally to update your kitchen look continually.
Statement lighting is also the perfect way to make your kitchen stand out – almost like jewellery for the room. It’s important to select lighting fixtures that complement your kitchen layout. Chandeliers are a striking option to place above kitchen islands. Wall-mounted lighting above shelving units is also a sophisticated option.
Don’t forget about storage space
You’ve organised all your essential kitchen items; now it’s time to consider storage space. Kitchen shelves are an excellent way of storing plates and glasses and can even help add to the kitchen décor.
Many homeowners feel the need to hide glasses and plates behind kitchen cabinets; however, placing items on show encourages you to maintain orderly storage. You could further enhance your kitchen shelves by adding succulents and artwork to the area to create a more cultured vibe.
Organisation tips for small kitchens
Have no fear if your new home or existing kitchen space is on the smaller side, as there are many ways to maximise the space. We understand that money might be tight if you have just purchased a new home together or have recently tied the knot. The good news is that you don’t have to splash out on expensive storage solutions to keep smaller kitchens in order.
To maximise efficiency within your kitchen, it’s helpful to establish clearly defined workstations. The main functions within a kitchen include cleaning, preparing food, cooking and storage (food and non-food), so it’s helpful to divide the space into these five zones. This way will allow for a more efficient home, storing all food and other items close to the relevant workstation.
Defined workstations
For example, the dishwasher would be the cleaning zone. Therefore, you should keep dishes and cutlery that are used daily close to this area to make it easier to load and store away. Likewise, the station where you prepare food should have knives and chopping blocks stored nearby, and you should place items such as Tupperware in the non-food storage station. Assigning defined workstations within your kitchen allows you to create a more unified space with all items stored efficiently.
Frequently used items within easy reach
It may sound obvious, but items and appliances which you use regularly should always be within easy reach. Ensure that all your favourite plates and glasses are at the front of the bottom shelf of your kitchen cabinets, so you can grab them quickly and resume your kitchen activities. It’s also helpful to think about the meals you cook most often and making sure particular ingredients are also within easy reach, such as flour and herbs. There’s nothing worse than scrambling around for food and utensils, particularly when you need to cook something fast. This issue can always be avoided by clever kitchen organisations.
Hang up your pans
Hanging up your pots and pans is an excellent way to save on storage, particularly if you have a smaller kitchen. Placing hooks on your walls will allow you to hang up pans, spatulas and whisks so that you can place larger items on your kitchen shelves and cabinets. Not only is this a valuable storage-saving solution, but it can also look incredibly stylish, particularly if you have rose gold or copper kitchen utensils, which are currently very on-trend. If you have a kitchen island, you could even place a hanging pot rack above to make an even more sophisticated statement.
Keep worktops clear
For a tidy and organised kitchen, it’s advisable to keep worktops clear wherever possible. We recommend only storing knives and chopping boards on your work surfaces to avoid clutter. Work surfaces should be primarily used for food preparation, so any other items will limit your workspace and could become an obstruction. Any larger items that you use less frequently, such as a blender or coffee maker, should ideally be stored away from the kitchen area if you struggle for additional storage space. Alternatively, you could install some kitchen shelves to hold other items which are getting in the way.
Maximise vertical space
If you have a smaller kitchen, it’s vital to maximise every inch of space. Making the most of vertical space is an excellent way to store additional kitchen items and accessories. There is a wide range of gadgets and intelligent storage solutions on the market to help make your kitchen make the most of vertical space. From expandable kitchen shelves to stacked cabinets to magnetic fridge racks, there are many options to help you attain a clutter-free kitchen regardless of kitchen size.
Designing your first kitchen together as a couple is an exciting project, and with the right planning, it doesn’t have to be stressful.
For couples who want to instill sustainability within their kitchen, an instant boiling water tap is a perfect solution. Boiling water taps provide you with instant hot water at the touch of a button and releases only the water you need, preventing waste and promoting efficiency. Take a look at our range of chic taps on the Fahren UK website.
