Unfortunately, buying a kitchen is rather more expensive than other types of furniture or household appliances, as every kitchen purchase requires custom planning. This is necessary because every space has specific dimensions and connections.

Before visiting a specialist retailer for kitchen planning, you should look at your personal requirements. In preparation for the initial consultation, you should have a good think about the following issues. This will allow you to provide the planner with the necessary information, so you can soon arrive at the perfect plan together.

Gathering inspiration for a new kitchen

If you’re not sure exactly where to start or how you want the new kitchen to look, we recommend conducting some thorough research in advance. Either look through a few good magazines with interior ideas or have a browse online. Pinterest and Houzz are bursting with ready-made kitchen ideas that you can use to assemble your own board of ideas.

Gathering ideas like this is a good way of preparing. It provides a first insight into your personal taste and your preferred kitchen style, while making it easier for the consultant to make appropriate suggestions.

Visiting kitchen showrooms prepared will make for an effective visit

Find the right partner for your kitchen planning

Choosing the right consultant and specialist dealer isn’t always easy, as ideally you should be on the same page in terms of taste and price. The best thing is to start by picking out different furniture stores, kitchen studios and so on, ask your neighbours or friends about their own experiences, and finally set up an initial meeting with different planners.

Tell them what you want and let them show you display kitchens and examples. Ask about the price range for your dream kitchen, or give them a budget. You should then go away and consider the impression they have made on you.

Choosing your kitchen consultant

In the second step, think about which planner you felt most comfortable with and come to a decision. From now on, you’ll be working with your chosen planner. You’ll be able to relax a bit more as the kitchen planning continues and you’re happy with the price as per the agreed budget.

The most important questions when planning a kitchen

• How are you planning to use your new kitchen?
• Style, colours and materials: what do you like?
• How is the room laid out and where are the connections?
• Does the kitchen have to work with an open-plan concept?
• How much storage space is required?
• Who will be using the kitchen, and are there any children in the household?
• Does the type of cooking that you do call for certain appliances?
• How do you want to integrate a flexible lighting concept?
• Do you have pets like dogs or cats, and do you want to set up a feeding place for your pet in the kitchen?