How to assess your kitchen needs from the space and budget you have
Kitchens are probably the most important spaces in any family home and they really need a lot of design time to get right.
You have to think about exactly what your family needs so start by listing out all of your requirements. How much worktop space do you need? Do you want an island unit? Where would you like to eat breakfast, at a breakfast bar or at the dining table? Is the dining table in the kitchen or in a separate formal dining room? How big a dining table do you need? How much storage space do you need for pots and pans? Do you need a lot of space for food in wall units or would you prefer a separate larder cupboard? What styles of kitchen do you like, traditional or modern? Unfortunately, the list of questions to ask yourself for a kitchen are endless, but let me give you some key pieces of advice that you should never compromise on.
Worktops
You can never have enough worktop surfaces. When it comes to cooking for large dinner parties you will need all of the work surface you can get. Also, never compromise on the quality of your appliances. 
If money is tight then go for good quality appliances and compromise with affordable units.
I’m not a fan of separate formal dining rooms unless you live in an enormous house. They are spaces that are used only a few times a year for special family occasions, Easter and Christmas. Personally I think they are a waste of space and for day-to-day family living your dining should be in your kitchen.
If the size of your kitchen is small never put in an island unit. Some people insist on having an island unit no matter what the space is like but this is a big mistake. Island units can make a kitchen feel cramped if the space isn’t large enough.
Washer & dryer
Try as hard as possible, even in a small home, to design a small utility room near to the kitchen where you can put your washing machine and tumble dryer. Having these in your kitchen design is a waste of important space and do you really want to see and hear your washing machine while you’re having dinner with friends?
Try and create a separate food larder close to the kitchen if possible to store dry and tinned foods. This means you can have more useable space in the kitchen wall units for cups, glasses and plates.
If you live in a hard water area, always install a mains water softener to prevent lime scale. Its much better for your washing up, dishwasher and also your kitchen taps and kettle will last longer.
Take time to get your lighting design right. The old days of having strip fluorescents to light up your kitchen are long gone.
If it’s possible, put in under floor heating. It’s so comforting underfoot in the morning when you come downstairs for breakfast and you aren’t wasting vital wall space with radiators.
Light
Get in as much natural light into the kitchen as possible by adding skylights in your kitchen roof or by changing old windows into new large, glass doors.
If you are thinking about adding an extension to your house then try and extend your kitchen. Large kitchen/dining rooms opening out onto your back garden are fantastic spaces and will transform the way you and your family live.
The most important thing to think about is how the kitchen will work throughout the day and for all eventualities. Whether its breakfast for the family in the morning, or large Sunday lunches with friends and family, the space has to work.
Make a list of the current problems, the list of ideal solutions, measure the space, get your pens out and start designing. It’s worth visiting a few kitchen companies with your plans and ideas and they can help you with a design layout if you are struggling.
Budget
I’ve specified kitchens that range from a few thousand pounds to some which have been nearly a hundred grand! With a tight budget you have two options. You can leave the space as it is and make no spatial or structural changes to make the space work and you can spend all of your money on an amazing, expensive kitchen. Or, you can spend a large amount of money making the space work (removing walls, adding an extension and reconfiguring the layout) and then buy a cheaper kitchen with whatever money is left. Personally, I would do the latter; get the space right first and go for a cheaper kitchen. You can always upgrade the standard of your kitchen at a later date when you get more money in.
If the kitchen is going to be the heart of the home, then the space has to be right.
Claire Bowen
on Jul 3rd, 2009
@ 12:55 pm:
Just revamping kitchen and our 25 year old Leicht units may have to go. We are looking at Howden units and wondered if, after being used to the quality of the German units, would we be disappointed by them. Not sure if the insets – larder units, swivel corner shelves etc – will be of a similar quality and last as long. Please what are your thoughts?
Many thanks
Claire
George Clarke
on Jul 3rd, 2009
@ 8:14 pm:
Claire, Howden units are very high quality and reasonably priced. Obviously, they are not hand-built or in the mega bucks price range so there are other ranges out there that you may want to consider if you have the budget, but Howden’s provide and incredible standard at an affordable price. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching the show. George x
Bharat
on Jul 28th, 2009
@ 1:08 pm:
Hi George, I recently saw the home you revamped in Barnet on your channel 4 show. The place looked great! I was particularly interested in the kitchen worktops which I believe you mentioned were Corian and presented upto 50% cost saving over granite. Did I hear that correctly? Is there really that much a price difference? If so where did you source the Corian for this particular kitchen?
many thanks
Sharon
on Aug 3rd, 2009
@ 3:26 pm:
Hi Claire, we supply Howdens kitchen units to many of our customers and have found them to be very good value for money, but most importantly our customers have loved the finished result. We use other manufactures too so, If you need any help or advice with your kitchen revamp we would be more than happy to help (you can email me at sharon@cheshirehomeworks.co.uk). Kind regards – Sharon
Sarah
on Aug 4th, 2009
@ 10:06 am:
Hi George, love the show, you make the homes truly beautiful!
Just wanted to pick your brain..we have a 5 year old 4 bed house, and the upstairs space is great, but downstairs just doesn’t measure up for me..we have a lounge though to the diner with the kitchen next to it (typical of new builds). In the kitchen we have a small utility which is ideal, an under the stairs cupboard which is very useful, and a door leading to the integral garage. I was thinking of knocking the wall from the kitchen through to the garage, but leaving the front of the garage (perhaps 1/3) for storage (previous experience has taught me 4 bed houses need storage!) The garage is too small for a car, and just seems like redundant space, which I would prefer in my kitchen!…do you think this would be worth doing?
Thanks! Sarah
Jo
on Aug 6th, 2009
@ 3:09 pm:
Hi George
I absolutely love the show, have not missed a single episode since the first series. I am extending our kitchen by knocking down walls between an office and dinning room and a conservatory to make one enormous light and airy ‘kitchen/diner/family room’. You have definately inspired me to not be shy in knocking walls down to create one more useful room – the houses you have created on the show are proof enough. Keep up the good work, can’t wait for Renovation Man.
Jo xxx
P.S. I love the drawings you do on peoples walls to show them how their new room will look – super sketching !
George Clarke
on Aug 9th, 2009
@ 7:46 am:
Jo…thank you. I’m so pleased you have been inspired! I’ll let you know as soon as a date is fixed for Restoration Man…George x
Chetna
on Aug 11th, 2009
@ 11:48 am:
Hi George,
Thanks for sharing your brilliant ideas with us, I’ve watched every one of your shows and it has helped me a lot.
I’m currently doing up my kitchen but was wondering whether you had any tips on glass splashbacks. My kitchen is a mix and match, gloss white on the top and walnut brown at the bottom. The worktop is a dark grey but I’m stuck on what colour to make my splashback. The space is not that big sadly.
C xxx
Diane Davies
on Aug 13th, 2009
@ 5:12 pm:
Hi George, I absolutely love you!! And so do my family!! Your Home Show is fantastic; like you I used to do plan drawings in my spare time for my dad’s family building business in the 1980s & 1990’s and have a creative mind, but not as creative as you! Times have changed so much since I last touched the drawing board, the ideas are becoming more daring now to go along with the 21st C living.
I could do with pinching some of your brains, its about my kitchen conservatory roof – in summer, it’s so hot even with the blinds drawn on ceiling. I am thinking of putting up part ceiling/couple of skylights and a proper roofing on. We’ve already got 150mm x 50mm joists up there – my dad’s idea in case we want to put a proper roof on in future – however I’m not keen on using roof tiles, what are your thoughts of alternative roofing? I like the idea of using the lightweight aluminum sheets or something of that sort? Are they expensive? Thanks for your advice.
Diane x
sammy
on Aug 25th, 2009
@ 10:25 am:
Hi George
I am in a dilema over how to use the space in a kitchen diner. My ideas just don’t seem right. A second reception will be knocked into a kitchen/diner but can’t decide on where entrances should be, where to have a sofa area/table and I’d love a ‘utility’ space. I am going around in circles!
Charlotte
on Aug 26th, 2009
@ 4:51 pm:
Hi George
My mum and I are intrigued to know if you ever have issues with local planners or annoying neighbours who object to your plans? We love the show but find ourselves screaming at the telly as you make an extension or roof conversion sound like plain sailing. Planners in Poole where we live are notoriously difficult when it comes to making alterations to minor things, do you ever experience this whilst making your shows?
Lots of love from Charlotte
p.s we love the way you say “Spaaaaace”. x
Joanne
on Oct 26th, 2009
@ 7:47 pm:
Hi George,
Just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate and love your approach to homes – it’s really heart warming to see a good Architect making a big difference to peoples lives – I’m often close to tears by the end of your show! Bad design is just so stressful to live with.
I live in an attractive detached 3,200 sq feet home, built only three years ago, but it has some iritating design flaws – mainly “sunless” large kitchen/dining/familyroom built north/east north/west facing with 16 foot pitched ceiling (looks really great) but is constantly very cold, even after installing a wood burner. This is the room we mainly live in as our south facing large livingroom has been designed to be formal with no space for a tv – only practical layout is two sofas facing each other. The master bedroom has no privacy at all – located at the top of stairwell with door opening straight to the bed! We loved the location and “look” of our new home but we knew we would need to make some internal changes when we decided to buy – that just seems so crazy as it was designed by a well known Architects firm.
I love your whole approach to designing and want to thank you for giving me some great ideas as how best to tackle the changes that are needed in my home.
Lots of love and a hug from Joanne.