The kitchen is, arguably, the most important room in the home. Certainly, if you are selling a house, a kitchen is among the main attractions for a buyer. It is not hard to understand why it is such a crucial aspect of our houses either.

Disclaimer: This post is a collaboration

We do far more than just cook, make cuppas, bake, and clean in our kitchens. We catch up with loved ones at the end of a long day, and we sit with our friends and loved ones in our kitchens for a natter.

So it stands to reason you would want as nice a kitchen as possible. Here are seven steps to follow to achieve your dream kitchen.

1. Set a budget

It might sound boring and you might want to dive straight into the fun areas, but the truth is you need to do all the boring adult things first. 

And that starts with setting out a clearly defined budget at the start of your project.

How much are you willing to spend, or more importantly how much can you afford to spend? 

It is not just the appliances and fittings, you need to think about plumbing, wiring, appliances, flooring, and decorations.

Once you have an idea of how much you want to spend, add around 10 per cent for any unforeseen expenses.

2. Consider your layout 

Okay, boring, realistic advice out of the way. Now you can think of your perfect kitchen and realistically what better place to start than with planning the layout?

All the nice aesthetic pieces can come later, first think about the ease and comfort of navigating your kitchen.

Ideally, you would have it designed in such a way that your sink, fridge, hob and oven are within easy reach.

Next, you want to plan what storage to have. Cabinets and pull-out draws for pots and pans and cooking ingredients near the over, while near the sink you would want space for your plates and crockery.

3. Seek inspiration

No one here is going to doubt your creativity, not at all. But that does not mean you still can’t garner inspiration from elsewhere. Look online and check out different kitchen designers and use social media such as Pinterest or Instagram.

Are you looking for ideas to complement what you already have? Are you after a certain style of cabinets? Get out there and look around kitchen stores and magazines to take ideas from.

4. Think of your colour scheme

One thing not to overlook is the colour scheme. Getting the wrong contrasts and patterns can throw the whole design off.The cabinet units are the big ones as they will dominate your kitchen. Neutral colours such as cream or grey are often a good choice as they provide a nice contrast to your walls, which would typically be brighter.

5. Choose your kitchen cabinetry and worktops 

It goes without saying that choosing the right cabinets and worktops is the most important part of the design, and you may want to opt for going with a luxury fitted kitchen.

Your worktops need to look good but they also need to be the most practical. Solid stone and natural wood can look incredible when installed, as can laminate options. Or maybe opt for something like marble. As long as you remember to keep worktops durable as well as aesthetically pleasing you will be fine.

For cabinets, think of the size, proportion, scale and symmetry – you don’t want some cabinets looking out of place. If you are after a more traditional look then you will want to consider the detailing on the cabinets, whereas something more modern is about the style and fit.

6. Pick your lighting carefully

The lighting is what will set the ambience of your kitchen, and it is a good idea to have various light sources to match the mood of what you are doing. I.e. you will want lights low and dim when hosting a dinner party, but require something brighter when cooking and cleaning. And you can also add additional lighting through lamps or LEDs under wall cupboards.

7. Decorate 

And finally the fun part…getting to decorate your kitchen!Consider the paint colours on the walls, but also add artwork, plants, decorative items, and vases to really bring your dream kitchen to life.