Modern kitchens: 6 steps to expand yours

Leigh Leigh
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Although there are thousands of ways to make the most of small kitchens, there comes a time when the space is no longer sufficient and the basic tasks of everyday life start to get complicated by the lack of room.

As your family grows, the needs of residents change. Kitchens can very quickly become too small with the original distribution obsolete and unable to meet the demands of everyday life. At this point, it could be time to consider expanding your kitchen. This is an excellent way to renew and modify the distribution of the same space so that you can use it more comfortably. Whether it's for cooking, eating or relaxing, extra space in the kitchen will never go to waste.

Although expanding the kitchen can be a relatively large investment, the modification will add value to your property, plus enhance the other rooms in the house that surround it. 

If you are interested in the idea of expanding your kitchen, these 6 tips will help you begin your journey. 

Step 1: Work with plans and measurements

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With plans and actual measurements in hand, you'll know exactly what size your kitchen is and what space you have work with. Ask your architect or building professionals for the original plans of your house too!

Depending on the distribution and size of your current kitchen and its surrounds, you may have to tear down a wall to expand this space or incorporate a kitchen island into the layout.

If you are lucky enough to have a kitchen right next to a courtyard or exterior space, you can take advantage of this and include the square feet to your new kitchen design!

Step 2: Get creative!

Before starting to tear down walls and buy materials, it is better that you ask for some professional help or write down or draw a proposal for the new extension.

From creating a new, more strategic entrance to your kitchen or installing a kitchen island or breakfast bar, you need to be able to evaluate each option to see which best fits the space and style of your home. (Have a look at these seven sensational kitchen islands for inspiration.)

Always take into account the rooms near the kitchen, such as the dining room, and ensure that the expansion will not interfere with them. You also want to keep the same design language throughout the house.

Step 3: Calculate your budget

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Having defined the layout of your new kitchen, you need to calculate the costs of materials and labour for the extension of your kitchen. Make sure that you know exactly where to locate the gas lines as well as the water pipes so that no accidents occur while drilling or knocking down walls. This will end up being a very costly exercise if you aren't careful!

It is also a good idea to set aside some budget for anything unexpected in case of an accident or anything that crops up unexpectedly. A back up plan is always a good idea.

Have a look at these five fantastic kitchen transformations to see the effect  that a little bit of work can have on your kitchen.

Step 4: Create new enlarged spaces

All kinds of renewals or extensions requires some custom designs where new spaces can be incorporated.

In the case of the kitchen, storage spaces such as cabinets and shelves, drawers and counter tops need to feature standardized measurements to hold specific furniture such as dishwashers, sinks and ovens. 

If you are going to incorporate new appliances into your extended kitchen, ensure that the dimensions fit perfectly.

Another great idea is to build in a cupboard like this one, designed with all sorts of shelves and drawers where food and other kitchen items can be stored. This way you will have a compact space that is very functional!

Step 5: Take into account the surrounding spaces

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Depending on the distribution of the space, expanding the kitchen can mean integrating it into an existing space or simply replacing it and moving the previous room to a new location.

For example, you can break down some walls and integrate the newly extended kitchen into the dining room or the living room. Not only will you have a larger kitchen, but you'll have a more social and interactive living space. Open plan is very modern but functional!

In this picture, we can see how the dining room has been moved from its original location to make way for a large kitchen island. By rethinking these spaces, there is is now an excellent flow between the kitchen and the dining room.

Step 6: Focus on improvement and change

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The extension or expansion of your kitchen should mean improving the condition of it and creating or utilizing the space available.

Take advantage of the expansion to change the things that you do not like about your kitchen as well as incorporate new ideas and styles. Perhaps it is time to get rid of that old-fashioned granite and opt for more modern finishes such as glass or concrete. 

In this image, for example, we can see that the kitchen design by Thomas & Spierce Architects is very modern and trendy. The wall between the dining room and kitchen was removed, giving the designers a chance to add a very sleek polished cement breakfast bar to the space.

There are many things that you should consider before making the decision to extend your kitchen. Get your thoughts in order and plan everything in advance. You should also enjoy the process!

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