Renovating Your Kitchen? Where To Save And Where To Splurge!

When budgeting for a kitchen renovation, it’s often hard to tell where you should splurge and where you can save a few dollars without diminishing on quality or style – especially if you want your

kitchen to last the distance. We know every cook is different, so will want different things in their kitchen to benefit their style, but the basic remain the same regardless. Here are some of our tips on where you should save and splurge in your next kitchen renovation…

Save: Lighting

This one is controversial, we know, but with the number of gorgeous light fittings at places like IKEA and even second hands ones available through E-Bay and Gumtree, there’s plenty of options that don’t involve breaking the bank! We highly recommend ensuring any second hand lights work before purchasing, and make sure the globes required for them are easy to come by – you don’t

want to have to drive for an hour every time one busts!

Splurge: Oven & Stove Top

While in many kitchens, the oven is the least used appliance and the stove top is the most used, having these two work in tandem is essential to creating amazing meals. Many top chefs advice

cooking meats and items like frittatas on the stove top before finishing them in the oven, and if you’re a baker, you’ll definitely want a reliable oven. If you’re unsure whether you want a gas or

induction stove top, why not go half/half? This way you’ll get the best of both worlds.

Save: Plumbing

One of the more expensive kitchen renovation exercises is moving your plumbing so that you can move your sink. When designing your new kitchen, try to find a design that allows you to keep your plumbing exactly where it is so that you aren’t held up by high costs and time waiting for invasive plumbing to happen. In most cases, you should at least be able to move the sink up or down the same bench safely, or add a second sink, without any issues.

Splurge: Creative storage

If you’re going to go ahead and redesign your entire kitchen, especially if you’re re-doing your cabinets, you should spend some time looking at custom storage to use up any otherwise-wasted

nooks and crannies. We love slim cupboards for cutting boards, magnetic knife blocks and appliance cupboards at bench height.

Save: Countertops

While in a dream world, we’d all be able to afford gorgeous stone or wooden bench tops, the reality is that laminate bench tops are what most of us can afford. Fortunately, due to the efforts by

designers and carpenters, they’re also stylish and long-lasting, making them a great option. Should you want a marble or stone bench top for a specific reason (if you make a lot of your own pastry, for instance), consider installing a ‘feature’ counter-top in one spot specifically to fulfill this need.

Save: Appliances

It’s easy to get carried away dreaming of Thermomixes and Kitchen Aids for your new kitchen, but that doesn’t mean you need to purchase top of the line for every appliance. Try to retain as many of your current appliances as possible, as many are most definitely still in good functioning order and there’s no need to go and buy another. If you do choose to upgrade, wait for end of year or end of financial year sales or only upgrade on items you know you’ll use regularly.