Designing a custom kitchen is an exciting project. It’s your chance to make the space your own, infusing it with your personality and style choices. Partnering with a professional designer and custom home builder is essential, but that doesn’t mean you have to be entirely hands-off. In fact, having a solid idea of what you want from your new kitchen is essential to ensure you get the results you want.

There’s a lot to consider! Practicality, style, layout, materials, and more. Building your dream kitchen isn’t just about putting in the basics, it’s about making sure your kitchen space meets your needs both materially and stylistically.

Today we’re going to take a look at 7 basic tips you can follow to help design your own custom kitchen. What follows is a roadmap of how to plan, what to consider, and how you can make your dream kitchen a reality.

Make a list of the design elements you want
Kitchens are typically used in fairly similar ways but there are some habits people form that is unique to them. Analysing how you use your current kitchen and what improvements you could make to the space to better suit your needs is crucial when designing your new custom kitchen.

Before you approach your custom home builder, sit down and make a list of your current kitchen’s positive or useful design elements. Once you have this list, take in the space and brainstorm some ways in which it could be improved to better meet your personal habits or needs.

Do you need an island bench? What will you need to reach for when you use the cooktop? How much bench space do you typically require? Answering these questions will help you narrow down your list of desired design elements.

Think about the layout you want
The shape of your kitchen will often dictate the layout of the space, but there are ways you can personalise this design element as well. Having an idea of what layout you want before you approach a professional is a great way to keep the design and build process smooth and consistent.

You should prioritise how you use the kitchen and choose a layout that best supports that use. For instance, if you like to talk to others while cooking then you should opt for an open-plan kitchen layout. You should also be mindful of the working triangle – the sink, fridge, and cooktop should all be near enough to keep your cooking efficient but not so close that it restricts your movements.

Draw up your plans
Drawing up a rough floor plan (or mud map) of your intended design will ensure you fully understand the space you’re working with. When drawing your plans, if you can, you should ensure everything is to scale, including entrances, exits, and windows.

When it comes time to include the positioning of your cabinetry and appliances, it can be handy to make some little paper cut-outs of these elements (to scale) so you can move them around and try out different configurations.

Choose your styling
Once you’ve considered the layout and drawn up your basic plans, it’s time to consider the style of your kitchen. The style you opt for should suit the practicalities of your kitchen layout but also inject some of your own personality into the space.

At this stage, you should decide whether you want to compliment the period or style of your home or other room decor. Alternatively, you could choose to contrast your kitchen with these elements to make it truly stand out. Think about how you’re going to use texture or colour to influence the room’s look and feel.

By the end of this step, you should have a clear concept of what style your kitchen will have. Making a mood board of any inspirational pictures and elements is a great way to represent this visually

Choose your materials
Once you’ve finalised the style of your new kitchen you can start to investigate what materials you’ll use to achieve your desired look. Your budget will obviously dictate some of your decision making here but you should keep in mind that the better-quality materials you choose, the longer your kitchen will last.

Choose your colours and benchtop
Colour is one of the first things people are going to notice about your kitchen and it will influence the mood of the space. Most kitchens are either white or some variation of off-white. This gives the space a classic, neutral backdrop that allows for the inclusion of personality pieces such as colourful appliances and tile choice.

Opting for a colourful kitchen is an entirely personal preference. You should be mindful, though, that darker colours will tend to make the space seem smaller so if you don’t have a lot of room to work with opting for a lighter palette will help keep your kitchen from feeling too cramped.

Your benchtop should work with the colour scheme of your kitchen too while still being functional. Whatever material you choose for your benchtop, make sure it suits the style of the design you’ve decided on.

Build with Oceanview Constructions
Designing your own kitchen in your new custom home is only step one – you also need to partner with the right construction company to ensure your vision becomes a reality. That’s where we come in. Here at Oceanview Constructions, we pride ourselves on our quality service, bespoke approach, and affordable pricing and we work directly with our cabinetmaker to plan and design your dream kitchen.

Call today to find out more.