If there’s one room that deserves to be renovated, it’s the kitchen. As the heart of the home, it’s a space everyone uses daily for meals, entertaining, and much more. It’s a space that should uplift your spirits when you walk into it and wow buyers when it comes time to sell. It’s also the space that’s often the most outdated in your home where a renovation will make a considerable impact. Here are some kitchen renovation ideas to inspire your project, from London’s leading design and build company.
Kitchen Extensions
In UK homes, the thing our clients want most is more floor space. Kitchen extensions, when designed properly, can give you much more breathing room, space for storage, and can change your small kitchen into an airy kitchen diner. Although these projects do cost more than standard renovations, they also add the most value to your lifestyle and property. A side extension such as this one in East Dulwich takes unused space and makes it functional and flowing, while a rear extension as seen in this kitchen renovation project in Forest Hill, helps you push your living space out into the garden for light-filled indoor-outdoor living and entertaining. Of course, if you have enough space, you can reinvent your home with an architectural wraparound extension such as this Richmond kitchen extension, to create living and dining areas.
Making Space Feel Bigger
Not every home can increase its footprint so easily, which is where clever design makes all the difference in your renovation. A pitched roof extension such as this kitchen renovation in Tooting, for example, adds plenty of volume to a space, using large-scale glazing and skylights to drench it in natural light, making it feel airy and spacious. Another good idea is to include large rear sliding doors that open your kitchen or diner out into the garden. This way, you can make your space flow out into a garden entertainment space, increasing your room size in warm weather and when you’re entertaining.
Reposition the Kitchen
Many UK houses were originally designed with small, cluttered kitchens that are largely cut off from the rest of the home. But that’s just not how we live today. Just because your kitchen is in one position doesn’t mean it has to stay there. And although moving pipes, walls, and plumbing can be a big job, a good design and build company can minimise this cost. In this kitchen extension project, we changed the entire ground floor of the home to work better with modern life, using the original kitchen space to create a WC, utility, and cloakroom area, pushing the kitchen and dining area out towards the light-filled garden space.
Add a Kitchen Island
Kitchen islands are a trend that isn’t going anywhere – for good reason. It’s not just an easy way to add storage and counter space, it also helps segment the flow of the room, creating a functional kitchen space that’s separate from your dining or lounge space without needing walls or obstructing flow. It also creates an eye-catching centrepiece for your space and a chance to get creative, like in this project in Battersea and this kitchen in Wimbledon. A kitchen island can add a real wow factor if you consider unusual and high-quality countertops, contrasting colours and materials, and even characterful lighting to hang above it.
Chic Hardware
Understandably, a lot of the focus in a kitchen renovation is on big items – appliances, cabinetry, and flooring. But the details really do make all the difference. One easy way to elevate your kitchen design is with elegant faucets, handles, and drawer pulls. Today, there are so many options available in all kinds of finish, from matte black to gold, silver, and copper. You can see how the gold hardware in this kitchen renovation adds a touch of brightness and elegance to this project and how the sleek matte black hardware adds industrial chic to this kitchen transformation.
Statement Lighting
Kitchens are multipurpose spaces where you want to be able to cook, entertain, or even get work done. So great lighting is key. We recommend that you have brighter task lighting around cooking appliances and prep countertops, and splurge on some characterful lighting for dining spaces to elevate your look. We love these glamorous copper lights above the kitchen island in this project, the industrial chic lights combined with undershelf task lights in this kitchen design, and these unique hanging lights over the dining table in this kitchen renovation project.
Create One of the UK’s Most Desirable Kitchen Renovation Projects with Plus Rooms
Plus Rooms is a full-service provider for all types of home extensions in the greater London area, including loft, kitchen, and kitchen diner extensions. We’ll work with you through the entire process, from designing your extension and managing planning permission to building the project and making sure it is completed to your satisfaction. See more kitchen extension design ideas here or contact us to find out more about our home extensions, and to start the journey towards your dream home.
