Over the last 9 years since I have been designing kitchens, bathrooms and full home renovations, there are many things that I just keep coming back to over and over. These are things that are so practical for my clients that is makes no sense for us to leave them out of any job. In this blog post, I have put together 10 things that we like to add to all our renovation projects when possible:
1 | A pull out bin next to the sink/dishwasher
Adding a pull out bin in the same location as the kitchen sink and dishwasher is a must to create the ultimate clean up zone. When deciding on the order between sink, dishwasher and bin, consider your current clean up habits.
2 | A pull out mixer at the kitchen sink
Pull out mixers are incredibly useful when cooking and cleaning up. The hose allows for better reach and they sometimes have different spray functions as well.
3 | An integrated rangehood
Not only do integrated rangehoods look more seamless but they also require a lot less cleaning / dusting than exposed rangehoods. If you have enough height, you can also usually add some storage space above the rangehood within the cabinetry as well.
4 | A shaving cabinet in the bathroom
Eye level storage is always a game changer for my clients, whose main bathroom request is usually to add as much storage as possible. Shaving cabinets can still look really interesting and have fun mirror shapes, so they can also be a feature in the space.
5 | A niche or ledge inside the shower / bath
Gone are the days where you needed to add an ugly shower caddy to hold your shampoo, soap and products. We always add a niche or ledge to our showers to create a useful shelf, and often this adds a lovely design feature as well.
6 | Wall mounted basin tapware
I prefer wall mounted basins over bench mounted ones as they make the benchtop feel less cluttered and can create more bench space if you have a small vanity. They also make it easier to clean around them, particularly if you also have an above mount basin.
7 | A power point inside the broom cupboard
Power points inside a broom cupboard are always so handy. These can be used to charge vacuums, torches and all sorts of other devices.
8 | An in-wall conduit for the TV
Whenever we design a TV unit with a wall mounted TV, we will always specify an in-wall conduit that allows the cables to go from the TV unit to the TV without having them on show.
9 | LED strips
LED strips are super versatile and an easy way to add lighting where you need it most. Examples of where we usually add LED strips include the underside of overhead cupboards, above hanging rails in robes, to the underside of your shaving cabinet and/or vanity, and inside your appliance cupboard or home bar cupboard.
10 | Mitred edges
Whether it's a bathroom niche/ledge or a bath hob, a protruding section in a splashback or a fireplace wall, we always opt for mitred edges over a metal trim. This gives you a much more clean and high end finish.
I hope these tips have been helpful! If you want to find out more about how we can help you with your project, get in contact with us below:
Have a wonderful week!
Nina xx