The Heart of the Home

Thinking of giving your home some TLC and updating but just don’t know where to start? Now-a-days the Kitchen and the Bathroom seems to be the heart of the house, these rooms make a statement about the age, style, standard and functionality of your house. In the end, you’ll not only have a beautiful kitchen to enjoy but also add significantly to your home’s value.

Holiday season seems to attract the most attention towards your kitchen so what better time to have a re-styled kitchen, right? I mean, what an awesome time to showcase all that hard work and those creative ideas, plus – imagine baking that delicious, family favorite Christmas cake in your new oven…

I have gathered some handy tips and tricks from the Director of Next Edition Kitchens who does custom builds, renovations (anything you could ever dream of really!) for when it comes to renovating because let’s be honest, the thought of all the organizing involved just makes you want to pull your hair out!

  • Know what you want – Style is everything, it can lift the mood and make being in the kitchen more inviting rather than a boring chore on your daily list of “things to do”– make sure you research current trends and previous trends and take bits and pieces of what you like and what you don’t like. Google, Instagram, Pinterest and Magazines all have some amazing ideas and inspirations.
  • Set a budget – When it comes to actually getting the renovations underway the scariest part can be the budget, it can throw you off a bit if you get prices back which is more than you expected to spend but if you pre-set a budget and let the designer or cabinetry maker know, they will try and keep it within that price range but also keeping in mind your style.
  • Practicality of the renovation – The definition of a renovation is giving a “facelift” to some of/a majority of your existing kitchen – also taking into consideration the most used aspects of your current kitchen, try not to change it up too much and to mainly focus on what’s going to make it your paradise while also keeping the practical, most used areas up to scratch with a bit of TLC . Sometimes, all you need is a fresh lick of paint and perhaps a nice splash-back while chucking in that wine rack you’ve always dreamt off… this could be a hint for bottles of wine to flow in for gifts? After all, what’s a wine rack without bottles to fill it up!
  • Who will be carrying out the renovations? Some people are very DIY and love to get their hands dirty amongst all the hard work but others are more on the designing side – if you don’t have much time to carry out the works or just can’t be bothered and would rather lax out on the beach and return to a lovely little surprise then definitely consider your options of getting someone else to handle all the constructing and installment, local & passionate joiners are the way to go, lets take Next Edition Kitchens for example – locally owned and operated, the team is highly qualified and very time efficient, they can custom build just about anything and are very flexible with great prices that won’t cost you an arm and a leg, did I just mention relaxing while someone else takes care of all the tiring work while keeping within or around your budget? Yes, I sure did!
  • When do you want it? Choose a date that won’t be the busy period, around early mid-year is the best time to renovate it gives you a lengthy period to make all final decisions (and make sure that the hubby or wife has given approval) getting feedback, changing your mind and also looking around for different ideas… this time of year also has the most free space opposed to getting a renovation all sorted in the New Year rush when everyone wants new kitchens for the family celebration, it gives you a sense of flexibility as well to work around your work hours or your hobbies that may require the most attention closer to the end of the year.

Don’t wait another day dreaming of what it could be and make it happen today – get inspired now, get a nice, cold refreshment (and maybe a few nibbles) make a list & grab some photos and head down to your local kitchen maker for a chat over some ideas!