Plan your new kitchen and add value to your home | Articles

In the current economic climate, many of us may opt to improve rather than move. Of course, after your home or a car, a new kitchen could be the most expensive purchase you‘ll make, and - if done well – even in a falling market can also add value to your property.
By Jude Keenan, Kitchen Planner, John Lewis Oxford Street

The costs, upheaval and complexity of a kitchen job may well ensure it’s a ‘once in a lifetime’ purchase, and therefore important to get right. I’d like to help you organise your research to make sure that you buy the kitchen and appliances that tick all the right boxes.

1. Before you even start looking for your kitchen

Work out how much you have to spend. The budget is one of the first questions we’ll ask, as it helps us to guide you to the appropriate ranges in units, worktops, accessories, and appliances, and in turn, helps avoid unnecessary disappointment.

Our kitchen planning and fitting service doesn’t extend to ceiling lighting, tiling, flooring, decorating, building works, moving gas/electricity meters, boilers or radiators, so you’ll need to cost these separately

Assess use of your kitchen: who uses it, how it’s used, what needs the new kitchen should serve. This will help us to guide you not only on the type of appliances, accessories, units and so on, but also how best to distribute the budget.

2 Kitchen ranges and your budget

Essentially, we offer 3 brands of kitchen:

Alno – superior quality German kitchens, aimed at the larger budget

John Lewis main collection – made in England to high standards, and spanning a wide budgetary range representing great value.

John Lewis First collection – again made in England, this range meets a tighter budget but still offers great choice.

To give some idea of cost comparison between the ranges, we have a leaflet in-store for your guidance. You can download pdfs of the John Lewis ranges here.

3. Your shopping list

You need to think about:

Range (to determine door fronts and colour)

Handles (colour, and in the case of Alno orientation and position)

Carcase colour (unit sides aren’t always the same colour as door fronts)

Plinths (the panel which runs along the floor beneath the units is usually available in all carcase colours, door colours, and stainless steel. For a free-standing look, the plinth can also be a frame on metal plinth legs, so long as there are no wet appliances in the run).

Cornice (usually the same colour as the carcase, the trim above the wall units is not always specified)

Light trim (usually the same colour as the carcase, this is used under the wall units to prevent glare from fluorescent lighting)

The door fronts you select affect the overall cost significantly, so do take care to look at the price group in the brochure. Whilst cornices and light trims are extra, handles, plinths and carcases are usually included within the overall cost of the units.We can help you decide on the type of units you need (drawers, internal mechanisms etc) when we make the planning visit, but it’s handy if you make a list prior to that of what you’d like, and how many drawers you need. To keep costs down, opt for plain cupboards rather than fancy mechanisms such as pull-out larders, wirework shelves and baskets.

4. Worktops

From glass, granite and Corian at one end of the budget scale to laminate and Maia at the other, in our shops you’ll find sample boards and brochures showing the full choice of colours available.

Granite, glass, Corian and Luxore need to be templated after the kitchen units have been fitted, so that the worktop is custom-made for your kitchen. This means that you would need temporary worktops (which we’d normally include in your installation costs), for an interim period of about 4-6 weeks, before the finished worktop is ready for fitting.

You’ll also need to decide on the profile of the front edge of the worktop, as well as optional extras such as back panels, drainer grooves, built-in trivets and so on.

5. Accessories

You’ll also need to select your:

Sink – how many bowls, what material, positioning.

Taps – material, how controlled, extras like a drinking water tap.

Unit & worktop lighting – halogen, fluorescent or LED lighting, and the switches for them.

6. Optional extras

Waste bin – freestanding, integrated or fitted within a cupboard. There are options now with recycling function too.

Water softener –especially recommended for hard water areas, and if you’ve opted for a dark granite worktop where sadly limescale build-up is more noticeable.

Hanging rails for utensils, textiles and so on.

7. Appliances

You’ll want to consider cooking, refrigeration, dishwashing and laundry but obviously appliances vary hugely in cost – our own John Lewis range is great value. If you want to keep costs down, opt for freestanding white goods rather than going for integrated, as not only are you paying extra for fascias, but the appliances tend to be more expensive too. If you want to push the boat out though, there are integrated coffee machines, warming drawers, televisions and weighing scales to name but a few!

8. Our kitchen planning services

So you’ve made up your shopping list – now come in and see us! You’ll need to fill out a Planning Request form so that we can make a booking for a planner to visit your home. The planner will take your measurements and plan your kitchen on the laptop during the visit, so do bear in mind we’ll be with you for several hours – but if you’ve done some thinking beforehand, that saves a lot of time.

We’ll work out the installation costs, based on what work needs to be done, and post or email you the estimate. The service costs £50, but it’s refundable on purchase of your kitchen. Once you’ve accepted the estimate, we’ll order your kitchen and get the ball rolling. Our kitchen planning service is available in all our shops except John Lewis Trafford, and Knight & Lee, Southsea.