For most homeowners, the kitchen is one of the most important and multifunctional rooms in the house and the idea of a ‘dream kitchen’ is something that many of us can subscribe to. Whether you’re an avid cooker looking for all the latest kitchen technology or a family wanting to spend more time together by adding a breakfast bar, everyone’s dream kitchen can look very different, but all are equally important.
Sometimes, we believe that to create a dream kitchen we need to spend a lot of money, and that without spending thousands of pounds, our dream kitchen isn’t achievable. We’re here to prove you wrong and provide useful tips and tricks on how to create your dream kitchen without spending all of your savings.
Tips and tricks for creating a dream kitchen on a budget
It’s easy to find inspiration; dream kitchens can be found across social media and in countless design and home interest magazines like Elle Decoration, House & Garden and more. The kitchens featured there are hugely aspirational, finished in the latest colours with luxurious stone worktops, brassware and appliances and often with eye-watering budgets attached. There are plenty of ways to achieve similar looks without running up the same total spend!
Planning ahead
It’s really important to know where to start planning to achieve your ideal finished look for your dream kitchen. We always advise starting with the worktops and cabinets as these are not only where you’ll spend the most budget, but also the largest surface areas in your kitchen and will define the overall look.
In addition to knowing where to start when it comes to budget, by planning, you can secure your preferred installers and suppliers. This is especially important if you’re looking to complete a mix-and-match kitchen renovation or trust the entire installation to the professionals. By looking at tradespeople and suppliers early, you’ll have greater choice over who to go with and won’t be left with overly-expensive partners.
Spending money wisely
How much a kitchen costs is one of those hard-to-answer questions as, a bit like anything, you can choose to budget carefully or spend a lot of money on installing your new dream kitchen. You may also choose to invest in a hard-wearing worktop and choose more budget-friendly cabinets, or to buy those high-end appliances that you’ve always wanted.
No matter where you choose to spend your money, there are some general guidelines on how to split up the cost of your kitchen. Advice from leading kitchen designers suggests the following budget allocations:
- Cabinets – 30%
- Worktops – 15%
- Appliances – 15%
- Sink and taps – 5%
- Flooring – 5%
- Electrics – 5%
- Delivery, installation and unexpected costs – 25%.
But of course, everyone is different and has different priorities. These are just guidelines and as you go through the design process, you’ll find a budget split that works for you.
Reduce, reuse, recycle
If you’re struggling to create your dream budget kitchen, consider what you don’t need in your design, what you can reuse from your current kitchen, and if there is anything you could recycle.
For example, your chosen cabinetry is costing more than you’d hoped and you’re not sure how to make the budget work. Consider either changing just the doors on your existing cabinet carcasses or repainting the current doors you do have. Opt for a fresh coat of paint in a timeless colour like white or a bold pop like navy to completely alter the look of your kitchen. You can also update cabinet hardware with sleek pulls and knobs for a more modern feel.
Or, if you don’t feel like your budget stretches to include new wall cabinets, opt for open shelving instead. Using reclaimed wood or reusing your current worktop as shelves could work effectively and save you money. Open shelving can also create a more open and airy feel while showcasing your favourite kitchenware, especially important in smaller kitchens.
Kitchen elements to consider
As well as being referred to as the heart of the home, kitchens are also described as the most complex room in the house. This is because they are made up of multiple elements - cabinets, worktops, appliances, furniture and chairs, flooring, taps, handles, hinges, and accessories. There are a lot of things that need to come together to create your dream affordable kitchen. Knowing how to balance your budget across these different elements, and where to invest and where to save, is key.
Good cabinetry
Case Study: Elevating family living
Good quality, simple kitchen cabinets and doors can be found at places like Howdens or Ikea and these are great places to start if you want to shave pounds off the overall cost. You can enhance the look of affordable cabinetry by purchasing alternative doors from companies like Superfront or Husk, both of whom design a variety of contemporary styles of doors and end panels specifically to fit Ikea or Howden's cabinets. It is vital that whichever cabinets you choose will need to be properly installed and levelled to fit the worktop.
When choosing or upgrading your current cabinetry, don’t forget your handles. It may surprise you how much difference a new handle can make to the overall look and feel of your space. Lisa Dawson has made many changes to her kitchen over the years to give it a fresh look and feel, including the cabinets, handles and flooring.
The right worktop
Case Study: Georgian Heritage by Cameron Interiors
Similarly to your chosen kitchen cabinets, choosing your worktop is an important element of your new kitchen. No matter how you use your kitchen space, always consider if your chosen worktop is durable, stylish and easy to maintain as you’ll look to use it pretty much every day for many years to come.
For some people, stone worktops are one of the most aspirational items in any kitchen, while quartz, mineral and porcelain worktops are some of the most sought-after options. High-quality kitchen worktops made from quartz, mineral or porcelain are highly durable, look beautiful and come in many trendsetting styles. The worktop is an area in which to invest as it will get the hardest use, so you need to make sure you choose something that will withstand a lot of use.
To source a Caesarstone worktop, first, take a look at our brochure, order free samples and book a visit to one of our UK showrooms to get a better feel for what we offer. Our samples will allow you to see how the worktop could work in your kitchen with your chosen cabinetry and our showroom lets you see our worktops up close and in larger slabs so you can really see the quality and design.
Once you’ve chosen your Caesarstone kitchen worktop, you’ll need to work with a fabricator (stonemason) to fit your chosen surface in your kitchen. Fabricators will measure your kitchen, cut your stone to shape and install your worktop for you. To help make this process easier for you, we can help pair you with one of our trust stone fabrication partners, you just need to simply fill in this form.
When choosing your kitchen worktop, no matter which you prefer, we recommend looking closely at the quality of the design and checking things like certification; good quality brands will be fully certified and this can be seen on their websites and in their brochures. Our Caesarstone quartz, mineral and porcelain worktops all come with a lifetime warranty when fitted inside a residential home so you can be confident of their superior quality. And you don’t just have to take our word for it, read what our customers have to say in some of our recent reviews.
Adding appliances
Case Study: Elegance meets high design in this Sheraton Kitchen
Online shopping has really changed the appliance market in recent years with companies like ao.com having made it very easy to source kitchen appliances at competitive prices. Over recent years, instead of selling through 3rd party retailers, many appliance brands have started selling online directly too, which makes browsing for your dream fridge or oven easier than ever before.
There is a raft of different brands at different price points. From a budgeting point of view, kitchen appliances are an area in which to really think about what you need and what you don’t. Double ovens, wine coolers, cold water dispensers and the like sound great but they will push budgets up quickly and will you be using them in 12 months? Shop around for good quality ‘standard’ items that do their primary job well and you won’t go far wrong.
Fittings and fixtures
Case Study: A classic Regency kitchen with a contemporary twist
Taps and sinks are another easy area to research online. As with appliances, there are a lot of brands, many of whom are very well known. Price ranges within single manufacturers can be vast, so don’t be put off looking at what you may perceive to be ‘expensive’ brands; they may have suitable items at the more affordable end of their range that will do just nicely. Leaving out filters, pull-out hoses, boiling water taps and variable spray heads can keep costs under control, as although the units aren’t too expensive, the installation and running costs can soon escalate. We recommend pricing everything up fully and potentially choosing other options that will still allow you to get a high-quality tap that will look stunning, and using any money saved elsewhere.
Don’t underestimate the impact a material change can have on your final look. Depending on the style you’re going for, changing a kitchen tap from silver to black could add that ‘designer’ touch, particularly if you match it with your electrical sockets, light switches and even your new cabinet handles and open shelving brackets.
Ready to create your dream kitchen?
No matter your budget, we hope we’ve provided some helpful tips on creating your dream kitchen without breaking the bank. If you still need more help or inspiration, visit our blog; home to case studies where you can see our Caesarstone worktops in kitchens and more wonderful ideas and hints on how to achieve your perfect kitchen.
Or to help you decide on the perfect worktop for your space, request a sample from Caesarstone to visualise it in your home.
