Planning a Kitchen and Real Storage in a New Build

The kitchen absorbs a disproportionate share of the selections budget and the emotional energy in a build, mostly directed at finishes. Meanwhile the decisions that determine whether it works — where it sits, how it relates to the living space, and where the services are — get settled almost by default.

Those decisions happen at design and frame stage. The benchtop material can change; the plumbing position in the slab cannot.

The working relationship between sink, cooktop and refrigerator determines how the kitchen feels to use. Keeping those three in a comfortable working relationship, without a major traffic route cutting through it, matters more than the shape of the room.

Bench space beside the cooktop and beside the sink is where preparation actually happens, and it is the thing most often sacrificed to fit an island.

Islands are excellent when the room is wide enough for genuine clearance around them and a poor idea when they are squeezed in. If the walkway is tight, the island is making the kitchen worse.

Where the kitchen opens to living space, think about what is visible from the sofa. A raised bench, or simply positioning the sink and preparation zone away from the sight line, is what stops an open-plan kitchen dominating the room.

Storage is the single most complained-about omission in new homes, and it is almost always the thing that got value-engineered out late.

A walk-in pantry is the highest-value kitchen storage available, and it is far cheaper to plan in than to add. Beyond that: a genuine linen cupboard, a laundry with bench space and storage rather than just appliance space, built-in robes in every bedroom, and somewhere for bulky items.

Under-stair space, the space above a hallway, and the depth beside a fridge are all commonly wasted. Planning them costs nothing at drawing stage.

Appliance selections determine cabinetry dimensions, and cabinetry is manufactured weeks before installation. Choosing appliances late is one of the most common causes of delay in the fixing stage.

Plumbing and electrical positions are set at rough-in, before the walls are lined. Power points on the island, the position of the dishwasher, whether there is a filtered water tap, and where the rangehood ducts to all have to be decided before then.

Rangehood ducting in particular has to discharge outside rather than recirculate, and the route has to be planned into the structure.

A kitchen with no natural light is unpleasant regardless of its finishes. A window over the sink, a skylight, or borrowed light from an adjacent opening all change the room fundamentally.

In the Queensland climate, a kitchen that can be ventilated matters too — cooking heat and humidity in a sealed room is a genuine comfort issue in summer.

Our selections guide sets out the order these decisions have to happen in.

Kitchens absorb a large share of a fit-out budget, and the range between a competent kitchen and a high-end one is very wide. Decide early roughly where you sit, because it affects cabinetry, benchtop material and appliance selections together.

Where the budget is tight, spend on layout, storage volume and bench space rather than on finish. A well-planned kitchen in modest materials works better every day than a beautiful one that functions poorly.

Benchtops and appliances are also the easiest items to upgrade later, whereas the layout and the services positions are effectively permanent.