If any room deserves a luxury makeover, it’s your kitchen. This room is often considered the heart of the home and renovating it can have a huge impact on the value of your home.
But just what are some features that can make a kitchen look and feel opulent? From aesthetic details to practical upgrades, here are some of the different improvements that could make your kitchen feel fit for a king.
An island (or breakfast bar)
Kitchen islands can serve as a central gathering point in your kitchen for preparing meals, laying out snacks or even dining around. They provide plenty of space around for multiple people to socialise or cook together. They also serve a dramatic centrepiece that can give your kitchen the wow factor.
Breakfast bars are another popular striking alternative that involves extending out a kitchen worktop. These are designed for eating breakfast at, but can also be used for preparing meals. Both island and breakfast bars typically require creating extra space in a kitchen – either by extending your kitchen outwards, or knocking down an internal wall and extending into another room.
Stone benchtops
Countertops can be made from a variety of materials from hardwood to tile. The most sophisticated benchtop material is natural stone. Because every slab of stone has its own pattern and because of its durability, natural stone is almost certain to add value to your kitchen.
Look for a company that specialises in stone benchtops to help you choose the right slab and install it. Consider which type of stone is best suited to your kitchen – do you prefer the scratch-resistance and speckled appearance of granite, or the cool surface and prominent veins of marble?
Custom cabinetry
Instead of buying regular stock cabinets, consider investing in custom cabinetry. This allows you to fully personalise your kitchen storage – including the size, shape, material and style.
If you want your cabinets to look truly classy, consider building them from solid wood and adding elegant hardware such as knobs made from burnished bronze. Small details like soft-close drawers and under-cabinet lighting can also elevate the look and feel of your kitchen.
Integrated appliances
Integrating your appliances involves nestling them between cabinets or hiding them behind cabinet doors for a more seamless look. Kitchen appliances that can be integrated into your cabinetry include refrigerators, dishwashers, ovens and washing machines.
You’ll need to invest in custom cabinetry to integrate appliances, and you’ll need to already have chosen your appliances so that cabinets can be built to fit their measurements. Be wary that if you ever need to replace appliances, you will need to find appliances in the same size or you will have to completely remodel your kitchen.
Smart technology
A luxurious kitchen also needs to be hi-tech. One technology that is certain to make your kitchen more efficient and impressive is smart technology – this involves being able to monitor and operate electronics using your phone.
Smart ovens give you the power to adjust the temperature remotely, while smart coffee machines allow you to start brewing a coffee in your kitchen from your bed or sofa. There are even smart fridges fitted with internal cameras that you can view from an app so that you can check which ingredients you need to buy when grocery shopping.
A spacious oven
A luxurious kitchen should also give you the freedom to cook any meal you want. This means ideally having plenty of oven space. This includes a large internal oven with space for a large Christmas turkey, and a range of hobs for cooking with multiple pots and pans.
Ovens can come in many different shapes and sizes. Built-in ovens are a form of integrated appliance at eye height that can prevent you having to crouch down to use them. Double ovens can meanwhile consist of two ovens placed beside one another – creating greater room on top for extra hobs. Both are very practical if you do a lot of baking or regularly cook for lots of people.
Fancy faucets
Splashing out on a stylish kitchen tap can also make your kitchen look more chic. This could include a brass finish faucet or black chrome tap.
There are also unique styles of tap that can have practical advantages. Pull-down taps allow you to more easily clean your sink or clean the inside of pots, functioning similar to an adjustable showerhead. Boiler water taps meanwhile allow you to instantly boil hot water for cups of tea or instant coffee.
Beautiful backsplashes
A backsplash is a way of decorating and protecting the wall between your upper cabinets and countertops. Backsplashes typically consist of tiles, but can also consist of acrylic panels or copper plating.
Try to choose a backsplash that stands out while also complementing the rest of your kitchen’s decor. For example, a red tile backsplash could work well when paired with a red rug, but you may want to keep cabinets white as not to clash.
Statement lighting
Statement lighting fixtures can be another way to make your kitchen feel chic. There are many different styles of lighting that you can choose from. Consider the height, layout and decor style of your kitchen to help you choose the right type of lighting fixture.
In kitchens with high ceilings, you may be able to consider chandeliers. For kitchens with lower ceilings, stick to flush lights or track lighting. When it comes to kitchen islands and breakfast bars, consider hanging pendant lights above. Choose vintage style lights when decorating a kitchen in a historic or rustic home, and choose modern styled lights for a more contemporary home.
A skylight (or roof lantern)
Allowing more natural light into your kitchen can also elevate its look. Installing a skylight is one way to do this – this is a window in the roof.
Roof lanterns are an alternative to skylights, which consist of raised windows in a toblerone or pyramid shape. These can cost more to install, but can have the advantage of adding more light to a room and making the room feel bigger. A specialist window installation company or roofing company can install a skylight or roof lantern for you.