We all have a different perception of what is and isn’t important in the family home. However in our house we would all agree 100% the most important room is the kitchen. It’s the place we all congregate at the end of the day. And we ALWAYS dine together, it’s a rule in the Christie household.
The boys being teens spend an awful lot of time thinking about food in there. I feel like I spend the budget of a small island on food every week, but ask them? There is never any food in! Recognise that statement? I am confident you will if you live with a hungry teen.
The kitchen is the place I lovingly craft my food posts, share a bottle of wine with friends, and stress as I pour over school league table results on my mac. The kitchen is the hub of our family home so it has to be right.
And as we are currently planning to move home, it is the room I find myself considering first when looking at houses. There has to be scope for a great family kitchen or it is struck off the list. We have seen a new build home that we love, but again the kitchen is uninspiring it needs changing to make it feel contemporary.
You may be rolling your eyes and thinking I am too fussy but you know what? The most important room in the home has to be right!
Last week I took a trip to the Magnet kitchen design Showroom in Blackburn to discuss some of my kitchen concerns. The Blackburn store offers interactive technology. Â And the perfect place to check out what new kitchen innovations are available at planning stage. But also to see if the team could help me find a way of making the kitchen in the new build work for us, how we could change or add to it to make it the perfect family hub.
We started out by taking a tour of the showroom and carrying out an interactive quiz to find out my kitchen personality. I must say at first I felt this may be a bit of a gimmick, but it allowed me to identify what is most important to my family and move forward in planning.
Next I sat down and discussed style options, this is where I would love to start from scratch. My favourite being the Somerton Duck Egg with white quartz tops creating the ultimate light and bright kitchen that would be oh so very Instagram worthy. Which poses the question; do we find a home that needs a whole new kitchen? Or do we go for the new build and make the kitchen our own. It is great to be able to design your own kitchen.
I spent some time with Zoey one of the fab kitchen designers looking at kitchen layout ideas and how to make the cream gloss kitchen more contemporary. I kid you not this lady is a kitchen genius and offered me quite a few solutions, my absolute favourite was to replace the worktops with a chunky cool wood laminate and incorporate a huge contrasting island with a light modern work surface.
This would give us space for 6 people to dine comfortably and allow room for an additional fridge and oven with lots of extra storage. Making a dull but quite big kitchen look modern and airy, rather than dark dull and badly planned. It astonishing how a pre-existing kitchen can be totally overhauled to look like a new modern kitchen, which certainly puts the new-build back in the running. Although part of me is wondering if finding a home for Somerton Duck Egg is the way forward?
Once we had decided on style we looked at innovation.
Magnet’s Tech Lab offers so many storage and space-saving solutions. And also options for that bit of extra luxury and quality, such as larder cupboards with incorporated wine racks, pull out larders and electrically operated drop down storage thus making full use of the back of cupboards and make all of your storage space work for you.
I especially love the interactive area, which allows you to browse kitchen  appliances, sinks, taps and other kitchen additions. This really helps you to make an informed decision, such as whether a combi oven is a great option. Zoey was very knowledgeable on what appliances would suit our family’s needs. Having plenty of oven space is a priority and Zoey ensured the kitchen would work for us.
The great thing about Magnet is they have so many options to tailor to your budget.
There are currently several kitchens on sale which offer great value but don’t compromise on style. You can buy your kitchen and fitting as a package. Or the option to buy a kitchen from the trade counter and order a pre built kitchen, or alternatively flat packed to save even more money. I love how you cannot only build a Magnet kitchen to suit your style but also your budget and indeed capabilities. For customers in the trade or who need an instant or budget kitchen solution there are also kitchens, appliances, sinks, taps and worktops in stock to take away the same day.
We now need to see what hand fate deals us, as to whether we go for a totally new kitchen or remodel the new build kitchen, but I have a very exciting set of plans all ready. Watch this space exciting times ahead.
Check out some of the exciting kitchen innovations below.
Pin For Later
