The Kitchen Wish List Exercise Every Homeowner Should Do Before Visiting a Showroom

The clients who get the most out of their design consultation with me are rarely the ones who arrive with the most Pinterest boards or the most magazine cuttings. They're the ones who have taken a bit of time beforehand to think clearly about how they actually live. I mean really think, not just daydream about a beautiful kitchen they've seen online.

So before you visit any showroom, I'd love you to do this exercise. Grab a piece of paper, make a cup of tea, and work through each section honestly. It will take you no more than 20 minutes, and by the end you’ll have the perfect kitchen wishlist, tailored to you. 

Section one: your must-haves

These are your non-negotiables. The things your new kitchen absolutely cannot be without, whether that's practical, functional, or personal to you. To help you think it through, ask yourself these questions:

• How many people cook in your household, and do you ever cook at the same time?
• Do you need seating in the kitchen, and if so, how many people should it seat comfortably? 
• Do you need a large fridge-freezer, and does it need to be integrated or are you happy for it to be freestanding? 
• Do you bake regularly and need space for a stand mixer? 
• Do you need a utility room function within the kitchen, such as a washing machine or additional storage? 
• Is there a layout that simply won't work for your home?

Write every answer down. These are your red lines and a good designer will protect them throughout the process.

Section two: your nice-to-haves

This is the fun part of your kitchen wishlist exercise. Nice-to-haves are the things that would genuinely delight you but that you could live without if the budget didn't stretch quite that far. Think of them as your aspirations rather than your essentials.

A Quooker tap? A wine fridge? A larder cupboard? Underfloor heating? A kitchen island? Open shelving? Bi-fold doors out to the garden? These are the kinds of things that elevate a kitchen from functional to truly wonderful, and knowing what they are means your designer can look for clever ways to incorporate them without blowing the budget entirely. Sometimes a nice-to-have is more achievable than you think, and sometimes there's a smarter alternative that gives you the same feeling for less.

Section three: your daily frustrations

This is honestly the section I find most valuable as a designer, and it's the one most people forget to think about before they come to see me. Your daily frustrations are gold dust. They tell me exactly what your current kitchen is failing at, which means I can make absolutely sure your new one doesn't repeat the same mistakes.

So be honest with yourself here. Does your kitchen feel dark even during the day? Do you constantly run out of worktop space when you're cooking? Is the bin in an awkward spot that drives you mad every single time? Do you have nowhere logical to put your recycling? Are there never enough plug sockets? Does the corner cabinet swallow things whole and you never see them again?

Every frustration, however small it seems, is worth writing in your kitchen wishlist. A great kitchen design solves the problems you already have, not just the ones that look good on paper.

Section four: your future lifestyle plans

What are your plans for the future? Kitchens are a significant investment, and most people keep them for 15 to 20 years, so it's really worth thinking about where your life is heading, not just where it is today.

Are you planning to grow your family? Are the children about to fly the nest, meaning your needs will shift significantly in a few years? Are you thinking about working from home more permanently and need the kitchen to double as a workspace? Are elderly relatives likely to move in, meaning accessibility becomes a consideration? Are you planning to extend the house and will the kitchen need to adapt to a bigger footprint?

None of these questions have a right or wrong answer, but they all have a real impact on the design decisions that will serve you best in the long run.

Bring your answers with you

Now you’ve answered all four sections, you’ll have something incredibly valuable at your design consultation: clarity. You'll know what you need, what you'd love, what's been driving you quietly mad for years, and where your life is going. That means we can spend our time together designing rather than discovering, and the result will always be better for it.

If you'd like to book a free design consultation and bring your wish list along, I would love to hear it. Get in touch and let's start creating a kitchen you'll love for years to come.

Emma Reed – Kitchen designer – 01792 712000