I haven’t ordered my kitchen yet but the whole design process has been amazing. Jane my designer has put up with my millions of changes and blown me away with solutions to any problems I may have. The fact that there are no pushy sales techniques is a breath of fresh air.

• Interior designer Joe Nahem worked on this poolside kitchen, creating stainless-steel shelving, a terrazzo-clad island, and incorporating custom cabinets by Bulthaup.
• Choose light wood cabinetry to complement finishes such as sandy beige backsplash and floor tiles, like this inviting space from Mendelson Group.
• Alternatively, consider black base units with a run of top units in white to add height to a small kitchen set-up.
• Single slabs can create drama and really dynamic movement within a kitchen.
• In this kitchen from Rashida Banks for Emily Henderson Design, the door opens toward the storage side of the kitchen.

Before you start selecting the finest granite worktops and the latest electrical gadgets, it’s important to know how much a new kitchen costs and set yourself a budget with an upper limit. This way, you have an amount in your head that you know you cannot go over. ‘Consider things that your current kitchen is restricting you from doing and try to build in features that enhance your experience,’ advises Paul Gibbs, Kitchens Buying Manager, B&Q. The first step in how to design a kitchen is simply to have a good clear-out. Then take a look around your existing kitchen and make a list of all the things you like and dislike.

kitchen layout ideas tried and tested by designers

Cut lists list all the parts and materials needed for your project and contain information on key factors like measurements and quantities, so they’re a great help when bringing your designs to life. The nice thing about using this software is that, like Ikea Kitchen Planner, it’s based on Lowe’s own products, so you can design and remodel your kitchen based on products you know are easily accessible. When it comes to designing your own 3D kitchen, you can use over 12,000 items and furniture pieces from popular brands like John Lewis, Nest, and Mark & Spencer. This kind of 3D modeling is more complex than 2D designing, but SketchUp is one of the more beginner-friendly software in this area thanks to its smart design and intuitive layout.

The massive island provides plenty of prep space, plus seating for four. This blue patterned wallpaper gives an all-white kitchen an instant upgrade. Although paint might be more affordable, you can find a wide variety of wallpaper patterns and designs that would be nearly impossible for a do-it-yourselfer to duplicate with paint. A mix ofsalvaged wood, weathered finishes, and traditional touches create a casually sophisticated kitchen. Two timbers from an old barge were incorporated into the corners of the island for one-of-a-kind detail, and the pair of light fixtures hanging above incorporates a charming patina. At any given time, there’s a confluence of design approaches considered en vogue.