Here are a few tid bits from our ‘Mastering Kitchens’ module of The Reno School…

Of all the spaces someone can renovate, I think the kitchen can be the most challenging. It’s usually the heart of the home and whether you’re a MasterChef or ReluctantChef, it’s a major feature of your space, so you want it to look good. Yes, there are ways to renovate a kitchen on a budget but it is still usually one of the most expensive rooms in a home, so you need to be happy with the end result. And if all that wasn’t pressure enough, we know that ‘kitchens sell houses’ so this is a real reno moment where you can add some serious value #kaching #kaching.

5 questions to ask yourself (FYI, you'll get asked 20 Questions in The Reno School)!

1. Who spends time in your kitchen and doing what?
2. Do you want to entertain in your kitchen? What would that look like? E.g - Do you want friends sitting at the island whilst you face them cooking? Or do you not want anyone watching you cook and clean?
3. What do you want to see from your kitchen? E.g – backyard, pool, TV?
4. When you’ve bought groceries, how easy is it to carry them from the car to the kitchen?
5. What annoys you about your current kitchen?

How to choose the shape of your kitchen

Time to get your tape measure out people! How much space have you got to work with? Remember to take into consideration if you’re planning to knock down walls or extend. You need to know the future footprint you’ve got to work with.

Once you know the size of the potential space, most experts turn to the alphabet to describe different kitchen shapes - there’s the L, U and even P and G shapes #whaaat? To be honest, with the popularity of the island bench, those shapes are becoming more outdated by the minute and we never use that language when designing our kitchens. In The Reno School, we'll use our language to help design your dream kitchen ... and it all begins with finding your anchor for the space.

The balance between what ‘looks good’ versus what ‘works well’.

There will be some design decisions where you must CHOOSE ONE over the other – when what you think ‘looks good’, might NOT ‘work well’ (e.g – push-touch cupboards look great but are a pain in the proverbial if you’re using them often) …. and there’ll be times when what you think ‘works well’, might NOT ‘look good’ (e.g – large, easy-to-grab handles might not suit the streamlined cabinetry look you’re going for).

Here are some examples of choices Lana made in her kitchen:

+ Not to locate the oven at eye level (which is a popular location these days) because it would ruin the white, streamlined look she wanted.
+ To have no handles on the integrated fridge (even though that would make it easier to open) because it would interrupt the white, streamlined look she wanted.
+ To forgo additional storage with no overhead cabinetry above the cooktop because she wanted her splashback to run up to the ceiling.
+ To locate the sink on the island bench rather than back bench because she wanted to be looking outwards, but this meant her dirty dishes would be more visible.

Don’t get me wrong, overall you should be able to create a kitchen which ‘looks good’ AND ‘works well’ (that’s the point of doing this course right!?), but at every turn, you’ll be forced to make these decisions. Our plan is that by the end of The Reno School, you’ll be well equipped to make them.