The amount of time an average family spends in the kitchen dwarfs almost every other room in the home. It’s why properties with renovated kitchens sell well, and why they are one of the most commonly renovated spaces in Australian homes.  

Another huge factor, not only for resale, but for your own enjoyment, is the quality of your kitchen appliances. Before commencing a kitchen renovation project, it’s important to know the latest kitchen appliances that can help improve efficiency and add to the functionality and beauty of your newly designed kitchen space.

In this months’ B&C Journal we’ll share our guide to the latest kitchen appliances to help you select the products that will best suit your upcoming kitchen renovation.

Robert Fonti

Director, Balnei & Colina

Kitchen renovation by Balnei & Colina

How To Choose The Right Kitchen Appliances 

To make shopping for your kitchen renovation easy, our team of expert designers at Balnei & Colina have put together this general buyer’s guide to the latest kitchen appliances:

Kitchen renovation by Balnei & Colina

1. Cooking Zone 

How you cook in your kitchen will affect you every day. Discovering how you move, cook and eat in your kitchen space is vital. It is important to consider what your families needs are and how your appliances can help you achieve them. 

One of the most important decisions is whether you want a combination cooktop & oven or standalone appliances. There are quite a few factors that a good designer should help you with, for example, if you have young kids in your home and need to keep safety in mind aspect, you might want to consider installing an oven at wall height. 

You can fill your kitchen with appliances that range from electric, gas to steam options, induction cooktops and more. Compact ovens are have proven to be extremely popular as they have a smaller footprint and most brands provide the versatility of oven, steam/microwave function as well as convection cooking. 

Integration has become a buzzword as more Australians want their kitchen renovation to have a more modern aesthetic, without the clutter of appliances breaking up the overall design style. For 2019 kitchen designs, we’re loving the Smeg Dolce Stil Novo integrated ovens. They are sleek, modern and easy to use. 

Image credit: YellowTrace -Smeg Australia - Dolce Stil Novo Range

Image credit: Smeg Australia - Portofino Colour Range

Kitchen renovation by Balnei & Colina

 

Image credit: Kresko Site

2. The Cool Zone

If you haven’t been fridge shopping in a while, you’ll be amazed at how far they have come! Modern-day fridges have proper segregation for fresh vegetables, cooked foods, packaged foods, dairy products and with advanced cooling systems, keep your food fresh for a longer.

From a design viewpoint, you can choose between French doors, single or double door. The former requires less space for the door swing and has wider shelves for greater storage. You can opt for a fridge with either a bottom/top-mounted freezer. It’s estimated that the average person will access the fridge compartment up to 15 times per day compared with the freezer’s once per day so we suggest opting for a bottom mounted as the freezer compartment  for convenience as it is less used that the fridge compartment and consumables are harder to access closer to the ground level. 

Are you a batch cooker or frequent freezer? A side-by-side model fridge maybe for you as it offers a larger freezer space.  Different brands offer different configurations and models so you can choose one that fits your needs and budget.

Also consider whether you want to integrate your fridge within your kitchen cabinets. For example, the Fisher & Paykel Column Fridge is the latest in integrated appliance design and a popular choice for modern kitchen renovations. It has independent temperature zones and the ability to mix and match sizes to integrate with your custom cabinetry for maximum customisation and the ultimate in design freedom. Fridges can also be used inject some personality into your kitchen renvovation, as they can come in varying colours and stykles. Check out the Smeg Retro Range for a little inspiration.

Image credit: Fisher & Paykel Column Fridge

Image credit: Samsung Australia

Image credit Fisher & Paykel

Image credit: Smeg Australia

3. Rangehood Choices 

It isn’t uncommon for rangehoods to be overlooked during the kitchen design phase of a kitchen renovation. However, this is one of the items you should discuss with your with your kitchen design expert as your kitchen layout can be affected by ducting options.

The design team at Balnei & Colina love using ranges hoods as another opportunity to give your kitchen a point of difference. Coloured upright ovens from Smeg and Ilve are bringing kitchens to life, and their matching coloured taps and sinks from suppliers like Astrowalker, Brodware, Abey, Oliveri and Franke ensure that even the wet area of a kitchen has some flair. 

Kitchen Renovation by Balnei & Colina

Image credit: Vogue Australia

4. Easy Clean

Choosing the right dishwasher is all about size, placement and style. Integrated dishwashers are on trend and help keep the kitchen design clean. The size of your family coupled with how often you eat at home are key determinants that will assist in your choice of the best dishwasher appliance for your kitchen renovation. We love the semi-integrated Miele G6620 SCi or the ILVE Integrated dishwasher.

Balmain Kitchen renovation by Balnei & Colina

Balnei & Colina recommend that you finalise your appliance selection prior to commencing the design phase of your kitchen renovation. This way our designers can factor in your appliance preference in the new kitchen layout.

Still unsure which appliances are the best fit for your next kitchen renovation? Book a design consultation with a Balnei & Colina kitchen renovation expert today on 1300 450 320. You can also send us your project details via this Contact Us form. 

To stay up to date with the latest kitchen design trends connect with us via Facebook and Instagram.

Image credit: JohnLewis.com

Image credit: James Knowler