The kitchen is often said to be the heart of the home, but a kitchen is always going to mean something different to everyone. It might be that yours is the hub of the house and the place the family chooses to socialize the most, or maybe your kitchen is the least used room, and you’re just looking for something stylish and simple.

Whatever way you choose to use your kitchen, it’s always important to have one suited to your taste and equipped for your needs — especially when it comes to preparing healthy food and having space to shape a healthy lifestyle.

• Go for Practicality Over Style if You Use Your Kitchen A Lot

Of course, it’s always possible to have both: a practical kitchen that looks stylish and designed to your taste. If you have an extremely busy family life with lots of cooking and cleaning up to do, a practical kitchen will take precedence over stylish design features.

You don’t want to be worrying too much about everything looking good or perfectly in place if you’re going to be making a mess baking with the kids or cooking up extensive family meals.

What’s more important for busy kitchens is a practical space with room to move and cook how you need to. For example, if you have delicate ornaments or expensive design features in your kitchen, you don’t want to be worrying about the family knocking things.

If you’re not someone who spends a lot of time in their kitchen, such as someone living alone who likes to whip up a quick meal, then there’s more freedom for decorating or style if you’d like an attractive space that you don’t make too much of a mess in.

• Think About How Much Storage You Need

Storage is essential in a kitchen area and makes all the difference in how well you can use your space. When planning for a kitchen, you should think about how creative you need to be about storage.

For larger families, or if you like to stock up as much as possible, then creative storage like cupboards and island counters with shelving will always be a bonus.

If you’re someone who usually eats fresh and on the go and usually has a fairly empty shelf or fridge, then you won’t need to incorporate as much storage into your kitchen design and can make room for other things.

• Invest in Items You’re Going to Use

Plan properly for the kitchen items you’re definitely going to use to ensure you don’t waste money on pointless items and also make sure you have everything you need tool-wise for whipping up healthy meals. This also makes sure you don’t use important storage or counter space for bulky kitchen equipment that will only gather dust.

When thinking about kitchen items, plan for your menu and food preferences and think of what you’re always going to need. This could be the best electric food processor, the latest model of your favourite coffee machine, an electric whisk, baking moulds, or whatever you use in the kitchen for your chosen dishes.

Once you know what you’re absolutely going to need and use, you can plan for a design scheme that suits your personality and make sure that all utensils and items on display match in colour and style so you can enjoy using them.

• Consider Different Lighting Options

The right kitchen lighting can be the difference between a cold, harsh space and a warm, inviting room. It’s always possible to make a kitchen as cosy as you would like, and lighting is a key element to support your style and taste for your kitchen environment. If you spend a lot of time in your kitchen, both cooking and socializing, then a variety of kitchen lighting options will always be a plus.

This could be:

• Under the counter LED lighting for ambience (maybe even colour changing)

• Bright overhead spotlighting so you can always see what you’re doing when cooking

• Ambient lighting

• Hob lighting

• Table or breakfast bar lighting

• Think About How and Where You Like to Eat

Some people enjoy eating all of their meals in the kitchen, such as a morning coffee at the breakfast bar or a family meal around the table they like to have in the kitchen if they don’t have a dining room. Others might prefer to eat their meals casually in front of the TV.

Thinking about how you like to eat your meals will help with planning for a kitchen design that suits your purpose so that you know whether you need a useable space for eating as well as cooking. If you like to eat in the kitchen, but your kitchen is too small to fit a dining table, there are always creative options like bar stools at counters or even a small corner table.

• How Much Time Do You Have for Cleaning?

Those who lead busy lives and usually whip up meals on the go — or maybe don’t spend a lot of time at home — may not have much time for household cleaning. The kitchen can easily become messy on a daily basis, as well as requiring the deepest cleaning. So, when planning for your kitchen design, it’s always a good idea to think about how much time you have to commit to thorough cleaning.

If you don’t have a lot, then a more minimalistic kitchen design might be more suited for you, so you don’t have too many counter items or design features to clean and avoid clutter.

If you’re happy to clean and keep on top of a busy kitchen environment, then you may enjoy a more maximalist kitchen design.