Everyday cooking supplies and basic ingredients are as an effective as a display as carefully arranged objects. The basics of good planning are the same whether you want to change your kitchen dramatically €" a rip-it-out-and-start-again project with new units, appliances, flooring, worktops and so on €" or if you just fancy an update or cosmetic improvements. Both require financial commitment and a period of planning if you are to achieve the optimum design. To reach the definitive layout, you need to review all the options, taking into account space, function and budget. If you decide to seek professional advice from an architect or a kitchen designer, you will still need to have a firm idea of what you want from your kitchen and what decorative style you prefer. Good research and thorough preparation are therefore indispensable. That's not to say you shouldn't follow your creative instincts, but hasty decisions can often lead to expensive mistakes.

A good design will create a good-looking kitchen tailor made to your way of working. It will also save money by helping you to allocate your budget effectively. Consider all the options and the benefits will be long lasting €" a stylish and practical kitchen that you will enjoy for years to come. A good kitchen is often at the top of a potential homebuyer's wish list, after location and price. In fact, installing a new kitchen is almost guaranteed to add value to the property, more so than any other home improvement, and will also help to sell the house more quickly. However, it is important to reconcile the cost of improvements with the resale value it adds. If you plan to move on in a few years, think carefully about expenditure; although a kitchen does add value to your home, it is rarely equivalent to the cost of the kitchen. The amount you spend must also relate to the value of the property and you are unlikely to recoup your money if you put a top-of-the-range kitchen into a small, terraced house.

The most important consideration is that you choose a kitchen you will enjoy using. However, it is wise to make changes that reflect mainstream taste now that a kitchen has become such a selling point €" your successors may not be as enamoured with a bubblegum-pink kitchen as you are, though paint colours are easy to change. Choose neutral shades and classic-style cupboards rather than quirky fittings and state-of-the-art appliances. Plan the kitchen so that it is not so idiosyncratic that someone else can't use it. That said, making a kitchen nondescript is also inadvisable, so if you live in an cider home, try to retain the character and period details such as original glass cupboards, picture mouldings and timber worktops which often end up as financial as well as aesthetic assets. You may want to update your current kitchen rather than shoulder the cost of a full refit. A solid, well-organised kitchen inherited from a previous owner can be improved by simple, cosmetic changes such as painting cupboard doors or filling open shelving with your own collection of china. Replacing tiles, worktops and new cupboard door handles can also transform a tired-looking kitchen for little outlay and is an effective way of personalising the room. You could also improve your kitchen layout and storage capacity by moving a radiator, the sink or the location of your existing appliances. If you want to read further, please click here