Give it a make-over

By Justine Olivier

The kitchen, being one of the most important rooms in the home, is no different. These days, the kitchen is the setting for a variety of activity – from cooking and eating to socialising and entertaining, and a warm and charming interior will draw you in and make you linger longer.

A kitchen island will maximise space. Craig Russell, of Easylife Kitchens, says: “If you design the island on the edge of the kitchen, it allows people who would usually be in the way to spend time with you while you are working in the kitchen. Children doing homework, friends visiting or a spouse doing home office duties could be close to you, but not in your way.

“Don’t feel limited in any way. You could have all three functional levels in one island, and you could use multiple work surface types on one island.”

Zaheer Adam, of SieMatic says that creative use of materials and different heights will allow the theme of the kitchen to be set by the island, and these elements can be mirrored in the rest of the kitchen for effect.

A key ingredient to remodelling your kitchen is to ensure that you have a clear vision in mind. Vision brings clarity, and as you work with the design team on possible design outcomes, your vision will in time become a striking reality. Walter De Lima, of Touchstone Homes, says that one of the smartest things you can do is to obtain formal quotes and stick within your budget. Creating a budget plan and sticking within its parameters will decrease unnecessary building costs and lower the unforeseen stress factor considerably.