Bespoke kitchens, in Birmingham.

Replacing a kitchen or changing the room

If the room stays as it is, identify the decisions that can improve it without unnecessary building work. Retaining a sensible sink position may leave more budget for useful drawers or a better worktop arrangement. Moving an appliance can be worthwhile if it clears an entrance or frees preparation space.

If the kitchen is part of an extension, bring the wider plan early. Glazing, doors and the route to a utility affect the kitchen as much as the cabinet layout. Furniture design is most useful while those relationships can still be discussed.

Read the room before adding an island

In a narrower kitchen, an island can take away the very space it was meant to create. Test the room with seating occupied, drawers open and a route from the entrance to the fridge. A peninsula or a well-planned perimeter may do more for the way you cook.

For a larger kitchen, avoid leaving the main work areas too far apart simply because there is room. Group preparation, washing and storage around the way you use them, then create space for guests or family outside that working area.

Compare opening fronts and circulation in our kitchen island clearance visualiser.

Use the Birmingham studio to settle materials

Showroom displays and samples can help you judge details that are difficult to assess online: the scale of a door profile, the feel of a handle and the relationship between timber and stone. Bring photographs of flooring or features you intend to keep so the new kitchen connects with them.

Find the studio address and plan your visit on our Birmingham showroom page.

A brief that moves the project forward

• ◆Share your Birmingham postcode and whether this is a replacement, renovation or extension.
• ◆Bring photographs, current drawings and details of appliances you want to retain.
• ◆Set out the main frustrations, a budget range and the stage of any building work.

Your free design visit can then focus on the changes that matter. We can discuss the design direction and the information needed for a detailed proposal, with manufacture and fitting considered alongside the room.