3 Things You Need to Consider Before Planning Your Kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of the home. It’s one of the most personal, highly-used spaces in any house. I love pinning a beautiful kitchen photo on my carefully curated Pinterest board as much as anyone. The truth is: great kitchen design isn’t just about trends. It’s about functionality — and it’s specific to you and your family.

At Saxony, we believe that the best kitchens are built around how you live. Our initial kitchen design consultations barely involve talking about colours and materials. Instead we chat about the way you cook, the way people gather and move in your kitchen, how you store items, even how you like to clean -  because for some just the thought of cleaning white grout from subway splashback tiles is enough to send them into a spin.

Every design decision is influenced by how you live.

Because when your kitchen is truly tailored to your lifestyle, it becomes a space you genuinely enjoy being in, every day.

Here are my top tips to consider when you are planning your kitchen:

1. Create Zones That Work Together — Not Against Each Other

In a busy household, the kitchen is rarely a one-person space.

Someone’s making school lunches, someone else is prepping French toast like the latest Master Chef, another is perched at the bench sending early emails. Sound familiar? That’s our house every. single. morning!

The key to making it all work? Zones.

One of my favourite things is seeing our whole family in the kitchen at once — everyone doing their thing, without getting in each other’s way. That’s possible because our kitchen is designed around dedicated zones:

• A food prep zone

• A cooking zone

• A breakfast and coffee station

• A sitting area to work, snack, or simply chat to whoever’s cooking

They’re all close enough to stay connected, but spaced just enough that we’re not stepping on toes. Everything is within reach of where you need it — and that’s what makes the space feel calm, functional, and genuinely enjoyable.

We often find ourselves saying, as the kitchen is bustling:
“I really love our kitchen.”

2. A Clear Island Bench Is a Game Changer

The island bench is often the centre of the kitchen — a multipurpose hub where life unfolds. Meals are prepped, homework gets done, wine is shared, and life just happens.

But too often, island benches are overloaded with sinks, taps, appliances… and dishes.

If you’re anything like us, there are always a few dishes in the sink and sitting around your dirty dishes with a glass of wine….that’s not a vibe.

That’s why we always recommend this: keep the island clear.

A clean, open island:

• Encourages flow and flexibility

• Makes the space feel more generous

• Creates space for connection — not just function

3. Built-In Storage That Works Hard — So You Don’t Have To

Cluttered benchtops are one of the fastest ways to drain the joy from your kitchen….and life from my soul. In our home I am that person who will put your knife away when you are still using it, puts the newspaper in the bin when you haven’t finished reading it and has a nervous twitch when people come home and dump all of their ‘precious school items’ on the bench. That’s why smart, well-planned storage is a non-negotiable in our designs.

We don’t just “add more cupboards” — we ask what you need, and design accordingly.

Some of our favourite storage features:

• Deep drawers: No more lost pots in the back corner. We design drawer depth and height around your specific needs.

• Hidden bins: Rubbish, recycling and scrap bins tucked neatly in arm’s reach of your prep area and totally invisible you don’t even know they are there.

• Built-in drawer power points: Charge your devices out of sight, no tangled cords or iPads on the bench.

• Spice & utensil drawers: Located right next to your cooktop, no clutter, no digging…and no canisters on your benchtop.

• Custom cabinetry for appliances & pantry staples: We’ll design your pantry shelves (300mm deep), drawer depths and open storage around exactly what you want to store — whether that’s your bread maker, rice cooker, or pantry staples, everything has a home.

Built-in storage isn’t just about space — it’s about ease.
When everything has a home, your kitchen stays functional and beautiful every.single.day

And Then… the Fun Begins

Once we’ve designed a kitchen that works, then we dive into the fun stuff.

Bring out the Pinterest boards, explore textures, colours, and finishes — and refine a style that feels like you. Because when the function is right, the rest falls into place beautifully.

Feel free to reach out to us via our website if you’d like help to create your dream kitchen.

We’d love to help you!