The most important part of buying a new kitchen is the planning. This covers not only the products you select, but the shape or layout of the room in which your kitchen will go, the use you expect it to receive, and of course its fitting.

It is true that a well planned and fitted kitchen, even at the lower end of the market, looks and works well whereas a more expensive, badly designed and poorly fitted kitchen may not.

Points to consider include:

• How often will your kitchen be used each day?
  
• Will it be used for simple preparation of food or is it also your dining room?
  
• What do you use the room for, apart from cooking?
  
• Do you have children – this will affect the use your kitchen will get, durability and safety issues.
  
• Is there ‘traffic’ flowing through the room (e.g. a kitchen with a internal and exit door) as well as in and out of it?
  
• Does your existing kitchen have enough counter space, or do you find yourself moving between different areas?

It is important to think about how many people will use the room each day, whether there is enough storage, what appliances you need, and whether you need seating space.

When planning the layout of a kitchen, the main consideration is that it needs to be efficient in its layout so that you get the best use out of it. Food storage, preparation and cooking areas should not be too far apart, and it is a good idea to have a piece of worktop between sink and hob. Placing the fridge near the entrance to the kitchen will make dealing with shopping easier. Placing a fridge next to an oven or hob should be avoided where possible since the difference in temperature can make refrigerators work less efficiently; integrated appliances are unlikely to be affected by this.

• Plan where you will have your sink, preparation area and hob first as these are the most important features. Once you have placed these items, ensure you have a short walking area between them, and a feel for what suits you personally. i.e. should the sink be to the left or the right of the hob? Does the sink really need to be under the window? Natural light on a food preparation area may be more to your liking. Do I really need a double oven or would a single oven and combination microwave be more suitable?
  
• These decisions then dictate where service points for water, gas and electric will be. It is sensible to keep in mind where existing service points are when planning your kitchen – having to move these will incur the time and cost of additional rewiring and re-plumbing. The same principle may apply to any existing ventilation in the kitchen.
  
• Sinks are most often placed against an outside wall under a window – this is usually because of the position of the drain. This gives the advantage of good natural light, as well as a pleasant view when working in this part of your kitchen. If there is an option to place the sink in another location, then it may worth be considering.

When going to a supplier to choose your kitchen, make sure you have the exact measurements, preferably in metric, and shape of the room, with existing ventilation and service points, doors and windows marked. Ensure your chosen supplier offers a technical service such as a site survey to check your dimensions etc. prior to placing the furniture order with the manufacturer.