Many clients come to us for inspiration with their kitchen renovation, in hopes of achieving their dream kitchen. The cliché that kitchens are the heart of our homes stands true – and with modern materials, a massive range of layouts and exciting ways to transform your dining space, we’ve got lots of ideas to share.

In this article, our kitchen experts run through the leading trends for 2021 kitchen design to shed light on the options out there. We’ll also showcase how sometimes, just a tiny tweak in your property can make a substantial difference to the way you use your kitchen space.

Ready, steady, let’s cook!

Kitchen Renovation on a Budget

First, let’s clarify that there are many kitchen design options out there that fit a range of budgets. It’s easy to assume a beautiful kitchen space is out of reach, and yes, a bespoke granite worktop, hardwood flooring and marble fixtures can be expensive. Still, our kitchen design teams work with suppliers across the pricing spectrum.

Contemporary appliances offer such a breadth of functionality. You could opt for:

  • Freestanding or fully fitted cookers and washers.
  • Steel, chrome, plastic, wood – materials selected for price, quality, eco-friendliness, durability, texture, aesthetic and finish.
  • Smart appliances, energy-saving devices and remote lighting management.

If you would like to update your kitchen or elevate the design, it’s absolutely possible to do so without breaking the budget.

Easy Ways to Expand Your Kitchen Space

One of the most popular ways to enhance your kitchen is to look at the layout.

Period properties often have small, dark galley kitchens to the rear of the home, which aren’t comfortable spaces to work in, and aren’t conducive to socialising and eating together. Again, there are many opportunities to transform your kitchen and make the space feel fresh, bright and airy.

Here are some ideas to think about:

  • Removing Walls: separate kitchens and dining rooms are a prime example – knock through an internal wall, and create an ample, free-flowing, open plan space that will add value to family time and quality dinners.
  • Kitchen Islands: a brilliant way to create an additional workspace and stylish addition to a modern kitchen (under counter wine fridges work brilliantly). However, you need to have plenty of space around each side, so this option is best for larger spaces.
  • Breakfast Bars: an alternative to an island, a breakfast bar adds a dining space even to a smaller kitchen, constructed in an L-shape. Kids can tuck into their breakfast while you prepare their lunch boxes, and you’ve got plenty of extra surface area too.
  • Kitchen Lighting: we’ve mentioned the tendency to overlook lighting, and if you’re cooking in a darker room, you can make a considerable difference with a skylight or roof lantern. Optimising natural light makes the whole room feel much more inviting.

Remember – you don’t need to have a huge kitchen to make it feel generous. You can use design tricks such as lighter colours to lift dark spaces, replace tired cabinets with fresh materials, or swap solid back doors for a great glass fixture or sliding door.

Dining al fresco is all the rage, and fitting a Bifold door, for example, instantly makes a kitchen feel bigger and brighter.

Using an Extension to Upgrade Your Kitchen

If you’re considering a complete kitchen renovation, it’s worth thinking about a rear extension.

This type of project is one of the most frequently requested, and the Pinnacle Works team has some incredible projects in our portfolio that show how dramatic an impact you can achieve. Kitchen extensions offer flexibility and the choice to tailor your design, colours and materials to the style you’re after.

Think sustainable fitted floors connecting with outdoor decking, fully opening sliding doors to flood your kitchen with fresh air, and low-hanging spotlights to make cooking a breeze even in the depths of winter.

A kitchen extension offers:

  • Scope to significantly increase the size of your kitchen – the only limitation is how much outdoor room you have to build on.
  • Linking the garden with your home makes it feel more spacious and provides a great way to join outdoor dining areas.
  • Variable glazing and lighting – from skylights, large-pane windows, LEDs, under-counter lights, automatic motion sensors and mood lighting for romantic meals.

The choice is yours, whether to use the extension to add to the existing kitchen or whether you’d like a brand new space and renovate the old room into something different.

Do I Need Planning Permission for a Kitchen Renovation?

Don’t let planning permission rules put you off – our teams are always on hand to advise and help you navigate the process! Generally, if you’re redesigning your kitchen, knocking down an internal wall, or renovating a pre-existing space, you won’t need approval.

Kitchen extensions can need permission, but many fall under the Permitted Development rules. That means you don’t need local authority approval and can get your ideal kitchen project underway.

Permitted Development rules, in brief, state that you won’t need permission if:

  • The extension isn’t on the front of the house by the road and is up to one storey tall (maximum of four metres in height).
  • It isn’t over three metres tall if within two metres of the boundary.
  • Your extension shouldn’t take up over 50% of your garden or outdoor space.
  • It cannot feature a balcony or veranda and mustn’t be any taller than the house.

There are some exceptions – primarily listed buildings – but Pinnacle Works recommends kitchen design options that fall under Permitted Development if you’re keen to avoid the extra time and cost of a planning permission application.

In summary, there are so many options to breathe new life into your kitchen space. From a simple cabinet upgrade to a total refit or a new extension construction, there is an option for every size kitchen, every style property, and every homeowner budget.

To explore more inspiration for your kitchen upgrade, get in touch with Pinnacle Works, and our experienced team will be happy to share ideas!