To make the most of corner cupboards, either get a blind corner with LeMans pull out or if you're on a tight budget, stick to L shaped corner cupboards so that you can still get to the back and make the space usable rather than just available. Block your tall units together away from the window to make the most of the light and use a light coloured worktop to bounce the light into the room. If you still wanted to use colour (why have a boring kitchen) you can be bold on the base units if you keep the wall units a light colour. Using downlights on the wall cupboards will bring task lighting where you need it most and if you put them on a separate electrical circuit to your ceiling lights, they can create a beautiful atmosphere to your kitchen in the evenings.

Exciting times- I think side by side ovens have more presence and the island is a great place for the microwave. I don’t like seeing a microwave high up as I think it is dangerous. In fact you should put your ovens at a really comfortable height for you. I notice all of the designs show a draining board- personally I would choose an undermounted sink and no drainer to maximise work surface. I agree about putting the extractor in a cupboard- it doesn’t have to be a 600 cupboard though- I think it looks more luxurious if it is 20cm bigger than the hob. Consider if the 70/30 fridge planned is big enough. You could have a larder sized fridge and a freezer elsewhere. All of your designs show the breakfast bar sitting in an Lshape at the end of the bar- Personally I think that you should have the stools on the long side of the island so that they can see the TV, so you don’t have to have a cheap looking metal pedestal and so the stools don’t obstruct the sofa in the TV area. You have also shown the breakfast bar in a different material- if you want to use the island for food prep it might be easier to use and to keep clean if there are no differences in height and it is all the same material. If you want variety of materials in the kitchen you might choose two different cabinet finishes- perhaps one could be textured. I noticed the glass cabinets on one design- I would be careful about their placement because of getting steamed up. Lastly I felt the the designs with lots of vertical lines made the room seem smaller and I preferred the designs with uninterrupted horizontal lines.

Hi Sandi You have a great space to work with, and a lot of ideas for the space itself which is a great start. Ideally it would be best to sit down with a Designer and really dig into what you want from the space, taking time to really figure out how you want the space to feel as a whole. However, to get you started it's easy enough to create a concept design plan of the space from plans you have of the home, so if you'd be interested I'd be happy to take a look at the plan for both the basement and lounge, and send you something over to give an idea of how the design could look / be laid out, based upon the information you've posted above. (Free of charge of course) My email is - Kerrybryaninteriors@outlook.com If you can ping across the detailed plan (with measurements) for the two floors, I can have a basic drawing over to you by the end of the week, to give you some ideas. Speak soon - Kerry

Hello All! I’m in desperate need of some ideas/advice please. We are renovating an old dairy barn into a home and the kitchen dimensions are a tad odd. It’s 10 ft wide and 18 ft long, with walkways on both ends and an exit way through French doors. There is a brick wall (shown below) that could be saved as an accent if needed.... Would I be able to have an island? Where could appliances go w/out interfering? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!