You have some good ideas but if you're going to sell soon and aren't planning on taking the soffit out, I would just do some minor changes and keep the cabinets (just add a couple cabinets). I wouldn't move the sink but just get a nice stainless steel sink and update faucet. I'd get a stainless stove vent. Remove the wall on the left of the refrigerator but then just do a small pull out pantry on the right of the refrigerator. And, put a cabinet above the refrigerator and make it look built in. A glass backsplash, can lights on the ceiling and pendants above the penninsula. I think a raised counter will make the kitchen/room feel smaller.

David and Tammy bought their 1970s home a year ago and have two sons. They are a young Air Force family and their dream is to become as sustainable and eco-friendly as possible. Since moving into their home, they have added a lick of paint here and there but have a whiteboard with over 70 items on the 'to-do' list! With an oven that didn't cook, a sink that didn't drain and a pantry with no door, this family was in desperate need of a new kitchen! The existing kitchen had good bones, but just needed some attention to design, layout and functionality - and that's where we came in! Fresh off the plane from the worlds largest kitchen trade fair in Italy, our talented designer Mark worked with interior designer Melissa to come up with a kitchen design and colour scheme that would "Bring Milan to Massey!" This gorgeous kitchen has matte black cabinetry, two gold accent doors, a marble look laminate bench top and black sink, tap and handles. The Before and After images speak for themselves! Before Before After After

Before jumping into the design of your new kitchen, there are a few important points that you should carefully consider and get expert advice on. Viran has compiled a list of 5 things to avoid when designing your new kitchen and has lots of ideas to help you out of any tricky design situations. 1. FOCUSING ON THE LOOK OF YOUR NEW KITCHEN BEFORE YOU CONSIDER ITS FUNCTION We see a lot of people focus on having the right style of bench top, thinking about what splash back to have or even having their minds fixed on a handle-less look without first getting the functional design and layout of their kitchen confirmed. I understand why people do this as this is the most exciting part of the kitchen renovation process and it's what can set your kitchen apart from others. But this can ultimately cost you more in the long term if energy and thought isn't put towards a good functional design for the way you and your family use the kitchen. You can't change the design of the kitchen once it's installed, but you can change the bench top, splash back or even handles in the future at a fraction of the cost of redoing a whole new kitchen. This is where your design consultant is invaluable as they work with you to gain an understanding of your current pain points and then they work to achieve the best possible design within your allocated budget. 2. INCORPORATING A LARGER PANTRY AT THE EXPENSE OF THE OVERALL KITCHEN DESIGN Just because you may have a large corner pantry or built in internal pantry currently doesn't mean you need to, or should incorporate another one in your new kitchen. There are now smarter storage solutions on the market such as the Blum Space Tower or base drawer units which allows you to maximise storage but achieve more benchtop space or incorporate larger appliances into your new design. 3. PURCHASING YOUR APPLIANCES BEFORE YOU HAVE MET WITH YOUR DESIGN CONSULTANT By doing this, you could be limiting the design possibilities of getting a much more functional kitchen based on your current pain points and how you and your family like to use the kitchen. It is always best to have an idea of what size appliances you would like to incorporate and discuss this with your designer but I suggest you wait to buy any appliances until you have seen and discussed a potential design concept. Kitchen Mania works closely with Harvey Norman Commercial division for appliances and in many cases can achieve a great result for their clients when it comes to cost savings on appliances. 4. NOT ALLOWING ENOUGH WALK-ABLE/WORKABLE SPACE By not allowing enough circulation space, you can make your kitchen feel cramped and not workable. You need to allow enough space for 2 people to work comfortably in the kitchen and for appliances such as the fridge and dishwasher to open without any obstruction. To allow enough circulation space it is recommended that you have between 1200-1300mm minimum of space between benchtops, in smaller kitchens I wouldn't go less than 1000mm of space between benchtops. 5. HAVING A KITCHEN ISLAND WHEN THERE JUST ISN'T ROOM A kitchen island is a great feature and very functional, but if your space is too small it is best to forget about this option rather than try and squeeze an island in and realise that it affects the flow of your kitchen and its functionality. In most cases it is best to incorporate a kitchen island when your room allows for at least 1000mm of space on either side of your island for traffic flow.

Hi, I am in struggle street with my kitchen design. I probably have one of the ugliest Kitchens in history so I really want to get this design right. The brief was open up our kitchen, if possible a walk in pantry and a 90cm oven. We are opening up the wall between the dinning room and the lounge which means we have to have a structural post. We didnt want the Island bench right up to the lounge as we dont want to lose lounge space. I have included a few concept pics and plans that I have been given...Im not in love with them but dont HATE them and think a few tweaks may be the difference. My concerns are the drawers by the cooktop, I dont think are large enough for pots etc. The designers have said my walk in pantry is not likely in the space so have done a large pantry and an 'on bench appliance garage'. I am now re considering a smaller oven size if that means a better design. Im ok to have a wall oven or under bench. The colours used are not the colours I will be having. Any help would be soooooo appreciated!! I probably havent given enough details but please aske away :)