While an entire house contributes to a sense of luxury, it's in the kitchen where you truly experience it. Bringing together form and function, there's no denying a luxurious kitchen when you see one.
But curating a feeling of luxury can often be challenging when it comes to renovating an existing kitchen, rather than working with a blank canvas. In this guide, we've gathered together our ideas and tips for a luxury kitchen renovation, and highlighted the key elements to consider in a luxury kitchen renovation project.
Our top tips and gallery of luxury kitchens will give you the inspiration you need to get started and help elevate an old kitchen, making it so much more than just a room, but rather a beautiful and functional space for family and friends to gather, cook, entertain, and live in.
Luxury kitchen design starts with elevated style
A luxury kitchen will exude opulence down to the finest and most intricate details, but the starting point should always be an overall style. Every style has unique elements that set a different mood and impression, and one person's ideal kitchen design won't necessarily be the same as another's dream kitchen.
So, the first stage in any luxury kitchen renovation, whether you're an interior designer, architect, or homeowner, is finding a style tailored to your family, or your client. As lovers of all things design here at Zip, here are five of our favourites:
1. Traditional luxury
Working with a historic home? Traditional luxury could be your perfect match.
A timeless style, remaining popular thanks to its sophisticated feel and focus on intricate detail. Elements of a traditional luxury kitchen include glass-front cabinets, statement pendant lights, and ornate moulding.
The focus of the space is often a stunning kitchen island, usually characterised by the classic colour scheme of soft blacks, navys, and whites. This is often complemented with a luxurious stone (such as marble or quartz) or dark solid wood countertop, giving a pop of opulence and structure to an open plan kitchen.
2. Modern and contemporary
In contrast, modern kitchens are stripped back with simple contemporary styling. Saying more with less, the style opts for neutral colours and textures – nothing too showy. This low-contrast look gives a bright and airy impression, which is especially important for inner city properties that might be limited in terms of space.
Though stripped-back with features like handleless cabinetry and all-in-one kitchen taps, modern and contemporary kitchen design maintains classic detailing such as shaker cabinets and marble tops, as well as clever hidden storage, making the most of every inch of the space.
3. Luxury, rustic farmhouse
Luxury farmhouse kitchens bring a sense of rustic charm. A perfect fit for an older property, or barn conversion with high ceilings and exposed brick, the slow-living lifestyle and feeling of familiarity and warmth evoke a sense of true luxury – that is, a mindfully created space that enhances daily living by using only the best materials and fittings.
Along with exposed brick walls, luxury farmhouse kitchens embrace traditional wood flooring, classic shaker-style cabinetry, wooden tables and chairs, and a soft colour palette. These elements, tied in with the small details, bring a rustic look that is both homely and functional.
4. Scandi-inspired simplicity
Drawing inspiration from Scandinavian culture, these kitchens have become increasingly popular for their light colour palette and minimalist look, giving people space to relax at the beginning and end of a busy day.
Expect bright whites, soft greys, and natural pine textures across walls, cabinetry, and furniture. These light colours are often contrasted with charcoal shades to bring depth to the kitchen and create an airy, luxurious space, often with cleverly hidden storage to maintain a clean, minimalist feel.
5. Japandi style
Japandi is the latest minimalist style trend drawing interest worldwide. With earthy tones and clean lines, it beautifully fuses the features of Scandi design with Japanese minimalism to create an alluring and natural style suitable for a variety of homes.
Drawing upon natural landscapes of both Japan and Scandinavia, Japandi interior design works to create an elegant experience and a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of modern lifestyles. We talk about Japandi kitchen design in a recent blog, for more ideas and inspiration.
How to create a luxury kitchen design
A luxury kitchen can transform your home and elevate your daily living. When planning a kitchen renovation project, it's also the perfect time to consider how to make your space both stand out and suitable for your needs or those of your client.
Consider an open plan layout for easy entertaining, a quiet breakfast bar area for slow mornings, or easy-to-clean floors for busy family life. Thinking about how the space will be used is key to any planning, and if you get this right early on in the process, it will pay dividends.
After choosing a design style, it's important to choose the key elements and appliances that make a lasting impression; considering these during the planning stage ensures they're an integrated part of the overall space and the experience of any new kitchen.
Source high-quality materials from reputable manufacturers
While synthetic materials are starting to look more and more like their high-end equivalents, they should be avoided in any luxury kitchen renovation project. Quality materials last longer, give a more luxurious finish, and are typically resistant to moisture, heat, and stains – so they'll look better for longer.
Using high-end materials for your worktops is especially important: granite, quartz, and marble are well known for their quality as well as beautiful and unique designs that can tie together your kitchen design. And this attention to detail will be appreciated by your clients. Additionally, they clean easily and won't warp over time, so the kitchen will maintain its beauty for years to come.
Invest in quality appliances with exceptional functionality
It's also important to consider which kitchen appliances you want to include within the room layout, as this will affect the flow of the kitchen as well where any extra storage will sit. High-end appliances are designed to deliver an elevated user experience, seamlessly integrating with your life and interior design alike.
For true luxury, HydroTap delivers filtered, chilled, boiling, and sparkling water, instantly. The perfect finishing touch for all bespoke luxury kitchens: state-of-the-art technology has never been so stylish.
The installation of a kitchen tap that suits your kitchen style can make a lasting impression. Zip HydroTaps, for instance, have been designed to provide all the modern conveniences of a luxury kitchen tap, with seven striking finishes to choose from. And with our flexible installation options, you can install on a font wherever you fancy: for a centre-piece on a kitchen island, or placed in a bar area for easy cocktails.
And we're the choice of experts, too. Recently, we caught up with Rebecca Wakefield, interior designer at Studio Fortnum. She's a HydroTap owner of nearly five years, and continues to specify Zip across her luxury kitchen designs.
Maximise natural light to brighten minimal spaces
Natural light can brighten a room, making it feel spacious and inviting. Minimalist kitchen design highlights the importance of light and you'll often find the most stunning kitchens feature floor-to-ceiling windows or bi-folding doors that invite the outdoors in.
By maximising light, you'll find that your kitchen evolves throughout the day alongside the natural cycle of the sun, bringing a sense of balance and peace in the present moment.
Introduce timeless features for a future-proof kitchen design
While design trends are a great source of inspiration, it's important to look past what's trending and figure out what elements of those trends you like. By choosing timeless features, you can combine sophistication and functionality for an elevated look that will last, and last. For instance, you might look past the current trends such as a multi-level kitchen island, unless of course, it has the functionality you or your client is looking for.
Luxury kitchens to inspire your renovation
Whether you're looking for a contemporary kitchen or a traditional luxury kitchen, Instagram and Pinterest are both full of beautiful kitchen design ideas, from striking colour combinations, to statement lighting.
For a luxury kitchen, every element matters; from the sink and storage to the flooring and doors. Make sure your new luxury kitchen leaves a lasting impression, both visually and functionally, with HydroTap.
Discover the HydroTap for home range today.