Cheap Kitchen Design

If you can’t or you don’t want to be referred to the classic kitchen big names & famous producers, you can also create your own style by mixing several pieces of furniture and choosing a recycling look & a craft style; the result could be amazing and much less expensive. Here are some creative ideas to assemble an original kitchen. To create a kitchen, you don’t necessarily need a lot of things. Just opt for a simple worktop in which you integrate the sink, then add some storage units or shelves and leave a place for the oven. At all the decoration stores, you will find simple kitchen units that you can modulate them the way you want; those are bottom kitchen furniture that can accommodate a sink or stove and you can multiply them according to your needs.

 

Design a cheap kitchen

Know your budget

Functional and attractive kitchens can be designed to any budget - and while more money will buy you more opulent materials and more extravagant fittings and fixtures, there's no reason that cheaply built kitchens can't look great and meet all of the necessary requirements in terms of safety and functionality. Building a good, cheap kitchen is mostly a matter of balancing your budget with the right things in mind.

When designing your kitchen, take your time and work out what's most important to you, and how (or whether) this has to fit into your budget. This applies as much for cheap kitchens as it does for those willing to splash out on something special.

Separate wants from needs

Make a list of all that you need in your kitchen: types of appliances, benchhtops, cupboards, floors, lighting. Within these categories, separate your actual needs from your desires. 

High-end appliances may be out of reach, but it's not uncommon to find that mid-range appliances are just as good an investment, provided that you're buying trusted brands with decent warranties. There are some massive price differences when it comes to appliances - in many cases, the only practical difference is in the bells-and-whistles. As hard as it might be, try and put your emotions to one side and separate needs from wants where appliances are concerned.

Material considerations

Benchtops can be expensive, but you do have options. For instance marble and granite will set you back a small fortune; however you can get look-a-like laminates, or if you’re willing to go half way, marble or granite tiles can be easier to fabricate and install than slabs of stone. Likewise, acrylics like Corian can do a fantastic job of recreating the look you'd get with a stone benchtop.

Splashbacks can also be expensive. Glass may be out of your budget, however acrylic or tiles with borders or accents can look very artistic, meet your aesthetic needs and fit your budget.

Just like benchtops, stone floors may be out of your price range and timber or contrasting wood can also be expensive too. however vinyl, lino or floating floorboards are all inexpensive options that can tastefully be made to suit just about any style of kitchen. Your floors should be soft and easy to clean, and all three of these cheaper options perform very well as kitchen floor surfaces.

Custom cabinetry is expensive, however stock cabinets are cheap and still do the job nicely. In most cases stock cabinets will not only fit very comfortably with your kitchen design, but they'll also give you all the storage space you need.

The cost of the materials you need will depend very much on which supplier you choose - and in what area. Take the time to shop around for quotes, but be wary of prices that are too low. Buying inexpensive materials doesn't mean you should sacrifice on quality or service. 

Obviously the amount of each material you need for your kitchen will affect costs too. To get a full costing, consult with a designer or manufacturer.

Reduce your labour costs

One of the biggest costs you'll face when building a kitchen is that of labour, and again this is something you'll need to be careful about cutting corners on.

If you're renovating your kitchen, there are things you can do personally that will cut the labour costs. Removing old mouldings, arranging  your own fittings and removing wallpaper or doing the painting yourself will all help you save money - as will selling existing fittings and fixtures to recover some of your costs if you're renovating.

If you do decide to do some of the work yourself, ensure that you're not interfering with pipelines, wiring or anything that might include asbestos. Work on any of these things is dangerous, and needs to be left to the professionals.

If you're serious about doing some of the work yourself, talk to potential builders about what sorts of preparations or work you can do to help reduce costs - most will be happy to factor this into their price.



source: build.com.au 

Simple Design for Small Kitchens

Maximize the space and efficiency of your small kitchen with these design sample for simple small kitchens.

 

 

 

 

Small kitchen ideas

The suburban nuclear family of 50 years ago is nowhere near as prevalent today. People these days are far more likely to live on their own, or with a partner and no children. Many more people live in apartments these days too. This change in Australia's demographics means that not only do Australians need a greater diversity of house sizes, but also that there's a far greater demand for small-but-functional kitchens.

Small kitchen designs and renovations

Let's start with a caveat - no matter what size, if you're altering an existing plan or renovating it's always best to try and work within the existing load bearing walls and the piping. Moving load-bearing structural elements or committing to ambitious plumbing changes is opening up a pandoras box of time, cost and planning grief.
That's not to say you can't take out walls, or sections of walls though. Opening up a void between load bearing beams in an existing wall is often as good as removing a wall altogether in terms of the openness it provides, and respecting existing load bearing supports may only mean leaving a doorway or pillar in place.
This kind of change can easily transform a dark, pokey little kitchen into a part of a spacious kitchen and living room area, and can add tremendously to the value of your home. This kind of alteration is a favourite among savvy renovators of older flats these days.
Other small tweaks - including doing away with kickboards on your cabinetry to give a 'freestanding' look and using recessed handles on cupboards will also add to the sense of space, even if they don't actually increase the amount of space that's actually available.
Another favourite improvement (and a relatively cheap one at that) is to bring more light into the room - either through a skylight, or simply by painting the walls in a nice light colour. Adding mirrored surfaces in the right places can also help to create the illusion of space and project light further into the room.

Be realistic about your needs

If you live in an apartment, unit or small home and you have kitchen space restrictions, the main things you'll need to consider when planning your (small) kitchen are what layout you'll need, what storage space you need, and how to best utilise your appliances.

Small kitchen layouts

Certain kitchen layouts are far better suited to small spaces than others are. Below are three of the more ideal layouts, with an explanation of how each makes best use of the available space:

• Single wall kitchens - A single wall kitchen aligns all of your appliances, storage and workspace along a single wall, and uses very little in terms of space outside of the immediate area. A single wall kitchen's a very efficient use of space, but isn't ideal for serious cooking.
• L-shaped kitchens - These reside in the corner of a larger area, and can also represent a good use of space. L-shaped kitchens have an advantage over single wall kitchens in that they allow you to establish a proper kitchen work triangle between the refrigerator, stove and sink.
• Galley kitchens - These types of kitchens are typically narrow, and offer fantastic efficiency in terms of the storage and workspace they provide. Galley layouts are popular in commercial kitchens for the same reason.
• Island kitchens - Single wall kitchens that use an island to create a galley-type setup are well suited to open-plan apartments, because they allow a second work surface (and potentially a breakfast bar) without completely enclosing the kitchen area. 

Other layouts may also suit the space you have available - what's best for your home will depend largely on how much space you have and where it's located.

Appliances take up space

Major appliances add functionality in a kitchen, but at the same time they permanently occupy a large amount of valuable real estate. For instance, a typical oven normally takes up well more than 1m² of space. If you're not an aspiring master chef, it could be practical to do without a full sized oven in favour of a smaller bench-top oven or convection microwave.
Likewise with dishwashers - if you rarely cook anything substantial or don't regularly host dinner parties, you might find a half-sized dishwasher (or no dishwasher at all) is a better use of your space than the full sized version.
While smaller hotel-style mini fridges are cute, unfortunately in most cases they're not that practical even in tiny kitchens. A better compromise, if you're looking to save on space where the fridge is concerned, is to opt for a slimmer fridge.
Single bowl (or 1.5 bowl) sinks are obviously best in smaller kitchens, but be sure to consider how drainboards impose on valuable bench workspaces. Some sinks allow you to attach chopping or drainboards over sinks, which can also help to create more space when it's needed. Wall-hung draining racks that hang over sink spaces are a great way to make more efficient use of space.

Small kitchen storage space

To create storage space, you can utilise an adjoining closet and use it as pantry or cupboard space. Ensure you have bench to ceiling or floor to ceiling cabinets or pantry, pot racks and lazy susans for hard-to-reach cabinet areas. This will open up your kitchen and create more space than you originally thought you had.
Look for angles in a smaller kitchen, which also create space. For instance can you angle a sink into a corner, or can you install angled, corner pantries? Deep corners may well be wasted space otherwise.
Finally in-drawer storage solutions save space. You may not be able to fit a second sink, but ease of use will be much better. It may also be worth considering a built-in dining nook with bench seating.


source: build.com.au

Kitchen layouts

Know your U shaped kitches from your G shaped kitchens? When is a galley kitchen the right choice - and what are the benefits to kitchen islands? Find out more about the pros and cons of different kitchen layouts, and which are likely to be best suited to the space you have available in your home.

source: build.com.au

L shaped kitchens

L shaped kitchens are a fantastic use of available space, can be as large or small as you choose and don't 'block off' any particular area. Learn more about this popular type of kitchen design.

U shaped kitchens

Also known as a C shaped kitchen or J shaped kitchen, these layouts help to define a nice kitchen area that can accommodate an island if necessary, and which perfectly fits the 'kitchen work triangle'.

G shaped kitchens

G shaped kitchens are similar to U shaped kitchens, but extend the benchtop part of the way around the fourth side of the kitchen as a kind of substitute for a kitchen island, creating loads of space in which to work.

Single wall kitchens

Also called 'straight kitchens' or 'single line' kitchens, these types of kitchens take up as little room as possible. Straight kitchens are best suited to small areas, for people who aren't likely to do lots of cooking.

Galley kitchens

Galley kitchens incorporate two parallel workbenches, and are the type you'd most likely find in a restaurant kitchen. These types of kitchens make good use of space, and are well suited to smaller homes.

Island kitchens

If space permits you can insert an island benchtop to create a separate work surface in the middle of the kitchen. Kitchen islands are great for larger areas, and can incorporate sinks, fittings and kitchen appliances.

Butler's pantries

A butler's pantry is a small room separate from the main kitchen, typically used as a staging area in which to prepare meals, or to store cutlery, crockery and table linen. Butler's pantries best suited to bigger homes.

Modern Kitchen Design

Trends change fairly rapidly and this post goes out to all of you out there interested in finding some inspiration for a  modern kitchen design. For today we thought about gathering a collection of fabulous modern kitchen design ideas that would serve as a good source of inspiration for anyone thinking about redecorating. All the arrangements in the pictures below have a contemporary feel and fit great in modern houses or apartments. The color palette is various and we also tried to find some kitchen designs that featured a certain theme.

Fresh Green Kitchen Design

Green is a wonderful color for kitchens—vibrant yet cool, denoting healthiness and calm at the same time. And it's easy to find inspiration for the right shade; just look around.