How to save money in the kitchen and make furniture much cheaper

Whether you decide to order a kitchen or do it yourself is not the point. A clear understanding of what the cost of a kitchen consists of, how to make it cheaper and at the same time make it look expensive will help in any situation. As a designer and furniture maker, I will try to describe in detail how to save money in the kitchen and not regret it. That is, to do this without compromising its quality and aesthetic characteristics.

What does a modern kitchen consist of?

Frame

The furniture frame to which the facades and tabletop are attached. Cabinets are almost always made from chipboard. This is a fairly wear-resistant and durable material at an affordable price.

Facades

Doors set. A decorative part of furniture that determines its primary color. Materials: wood, chipboard, MDF. The latter are coated with plastic, Alvic Luxe, film, enamel.

Tabletop

The working surface of the tables into which the sink and hob cut into. Made from plastic, artificial or natural stone. Much less often - made of wood, tiles, stainless steel.

Apron

A decorative element of a set that covers the wall between the work surface and wall cabinets (shelves). It can be made of ceramic tiles, glass, countertop material (plastic, stone).

Accessories

Handles, legs, hinges, latches, fastening / lifting mechanisms for furniture from different manufacturers are presented in a wide range, it is very important to make the right choice. The functionality and service life of the entire furniture set depends on the quality of the fittings.

Appliances

It is divided into built-in and conventional, free-standing (the first option fits harmoniously into any design, the latter is more economical). The list of the most common household appliances for the kitchen includes a stove (hob), oven, microwave, refrigerator, extractor hood, and washing machine.

Washing

A must-have component in any kitchen. Can be overhead or integrated into the countertop. Made from stainless steel, plastic, artificial stone.

Our experts will tell you how to choose the right kitchen and what to pay special attention to when selecting the above elements. This article will give answers to many questions regarding the arrangement of a kitchen space and will reveal the main aspects of choosing the right furniture.

In order to choose the right kitchen, without later regretting the decision, it is important to pay attention to the following aspects: manufacturer, material used to make each element, color, style, layout, equipment, cost of the kitchen.

Insufficient working area

The work area can be called the basis of the entire kitchen - this is where food is cut, washed and cleaned.

Mistake No. 12. If you make the work area small, then a lot of time will be spent on rearranging and rearranging products to free up space for the next stage of preparation.

How to calculate the required free surface space?

• The first thing you should focus on is the amount of work performed daily. If there are several people in the family, then most likely the housewife will prepare lunch and dinner for the whole family every day. This requires a large stove with 4 burners. Options with two or three burners seem cheaper, more compact and prettier, but such equipment will greatly complicate cooking.
• The easiest way to determine the size of the work surface is to experiment - lay out the food, add a few more cutting boards and space “just in case.”

A sufficient working area is the main task in organizing a kitchen space. The main thing is convenience, and beauty and cheapness are secondary.

How to choose a kitchen color

One of the most important aspects of kitchen interior design is the choice of color of kitchen furniture. It should be done based not only on personal preferences, but also on the style of the interior, lighting, size of the room, and the color scheme of its decoration. If you are at a loss as to what color to choose for your kitchen, pay attention to the most popular color shades of kitchen sets:

Black

A fairly common choice for creating many modern interiors in classic, high-tech, minimalism, and modern styles. Combines well with white and red colors, metal, glass. Requires a competent lighting device with indispensable illumination of the work area.

White

The white color of kitchen surfaces will expand the space of a small kitchen and make it lighter. But at the same time it will look boring, even sterile, if it is not diversified with bright accessories, color accents, and contrasting elements.

Brown (wood color)

The most common color when decorating this room. Kitchen facades made of wood or wood look make it feel homely and conducive to relaxed communication. A universal, almost win-win option.

Red

A spectacular, exciting, very aggressive color, which is often chosen by people who do not bother with daily cooking and do not spend a lot of time in this room. Keep in mind that the rich red color will stimulate your appetite!

Blue

Depending on the chosen shade, a blue kitchen can be made calm and cozy or fashionable and dynamic. Too dark a blue is not recommended for use in rooms suffering from a lack of sunlight.

Green

A calm, relaxing color of furniture after a busy day will restore your peace of mind and set you in the mood for cooking and a pleasant evening at home. Light green facades will help expand the space.

When choosing the color of the facades, keep in mind: too bright, contrasting or dark colors can negatively affect the psychological state of household members, quickly tire the eyes and visually reduce the area of ​​the room. Therefore, if you have a small / poorly lit kitchen, or you spend a lot of time in it, light pastel shades will be more appropriate, visually expanding the space and guaranteeing psychological comfort to people - peach, beige, cream, pink, blue, pistachio. You can diversify this color scheme with bright accessories and decorative elements.

1. Be sure to consider the level of natural light in the room. If its windows face the shady side, choose light or bright cheerful colors. Otherwise, the lack of light will be felt even when the lights are on.

2. Remember that light-colored surfaces of cabinets and facades (especially white) will not only visually expand the space, but will also require particularly thorough cleaning, carried out with high frequency. And on dark glossy surfaces fingerprints are clearly visible.

Mistakes in the kitchen (personal experience) and need your advice

Hi all!

I have been living in rented apartments for 10 years now. We also did some repairs there and I really want to share my personal experience and mistakes.

I hope we will soon move to OUR apartment and I will write down what I definitely don’t want in the kitchen point by point.

1. Wall cabinets

I am tall and when cooking under wall cabinets I often hit my head on them. Especially if I listen to music or think about something. And when you roll out the dough - ohhh, I immediately hate them. The head is my sore spot. That's why I want a kitchen without cabinets. If there is not enough space, I’d better put a tall cabinet.

2. Glass facades

We bought the cheapest kitchen for a rented apartment. She survived the second move well. But when my husband started assembling doors with glass facades, he overdid it a little and the glass became brittle. So we live with a crack. And under glass, all the jars should always be beautifully arranged, but the clutter looks terrible. But on the other hand, you can periodically disassemble and throw away what you don’t need.

3.Facades in a frame (aluminum?)

We had facades in such frames and I can’t describe in words how much skin they scratched. And I’m generally silent about my head. Very traumatic. Well, or we got such a cheap version in a not very good execution. In any case, I have a taboo on them.

4. Railing

The thing is convenient, especially for storing and using large spoons and stirrers that you can’t put in a common cupboard. I haven't decided yet, but I don't like the way it looks in the kitchen. Or maybe you shouldn’t take a steam bath and the main thing is convenience?

Maybe you have another way to store all sorts of skimmers and similar things? I will be glad to hear your answer.

This also includes spices for the railing. I bought a set of 5 pieces thinking that it would be very convenient. In fact, spices quickly deteriorate from light, and there is no former aroma. As a result, under the glass there is some kind of ground hay, and not a mixture of Italian herbs. And the use itself is convenient. Maybe I’ll just pour some salt in there if the roof rail remains.

5. Knives in a stand

For some reason, most knife sets are already sold complete with a stand. We had three of these, two I gave to my mother. They take up a lot of space on an already small work surface.

Now I’m either looking towards the magnetic strip on the wall (but it looks terribly threatening) and it’s not safe. Or a stand in a closet, like this.

Who stores knives, tell me how?

6. Not much, but high quality

Phew, there were so many small things for the kitchen at bargain prices that also went into the bin. They deteriorated quickly and looked terrible. For example, silicone molds. It’s better not to store this in the kitchen, but it’s better to save money and not buy it at all. As the saying goes, we are not rich enough to buy cheap things.

And there are fewer tricks of any kind, such as egg cutting and other unnecessary things, the function of which is perfectly handled by basic and necessary things. I am inspired by chefs who use a minimal set of things to prepare quality food.

7. Fewer closets, but more organization

It is very important to properly organize the space inside the cabinets. So that every pot is in its place and everything is stacked as much as possible. For example, plastic containers. This is an issue I need to take very seriously when planning a new kitchen. But I already have a few ideas.

8. All cereals - in containers

You can bring pests with cereals from the store. It happened that I took it and poured everything into containers. So I managed to get rid of the entire kitchen from being infested with pests that were in the rice. They were unable to get out of the plastic container. Otherwise, all other cereals would be damaged. To keep track of the expiration dates, I cut out the expiration date indicated on the package from the bag and threw it into the container. But I gave up on this matter, but in vain. I will definitely return to this storage method.

9. Laminate in the kitchen

We had the cheapest one, but it was terrible. At first everything is beautiful and you are happy with the boards that look like wood. But after our upstairs neighbors flooded us, it swelled up and became ugly. True, a couple of boards, but I still didn’t like it. They didn’t redo it, they just put in a rug. Then the same neighbors topped us up a second time. And I concluded that good, high-quality linoleum is an ideal option.

But at first I was thinking about tiles, but I remembered how often lids from frying pans and knives fall off, and then it would be a pity to look at the cracked floor. By the way, my mother also had tiles in the kitchen, but they were all cracked from falls and were also replaced with linoleum. Everything, of course, depends on the crookedness of my hands, but things often fall out of my hands. I don't know what to do with myself.

That's all I wanted to say about the kitchen. Share your experience, please. I will be very interested

How to choose a style for the kitchen?

If ready-made sets are presented mainly in common styles, then custom interior design solutions cover literally the entire variety of existing styles: high-tech, classic, modern, country, minimalism, Provence, loft, techno, art deco, etc. To choose from There is only one of them, it is important to decide on your preferences. Let's look at a few of the most popular options:

Classic

A style that remains relevant at all times. A kitchen made of solid wood or its imitation, designed in a classic style, is ideal for people seeking stability and comfort. Due to its massiveness, it looks best in spacious rooms with large windows and high ceilings. Distinctive features are the color of the wood, carved elements, and stained glass.

Modern

The most common style in modern kitchens. It is distinguished by maximum functionality and thoughtfulness of details. It offers a wide field for design creativity and experimentation due to the huge variety of shapes, colors, and materials.

High tech

The most avant-garde style, based on the use of complex shapes, designs, contrasting colors, synthetic materials (glass, metals, plastic). It is imperative to have the most modern built-in equipment and the absence of small things cluttering up the space. Minimalist solutions are welcome.

Country

This cozy and democratic design style, often called rustic, is characterized by natural colors and materials (stone, wood). Wicker, wooden, metal furniture, wooden facades with elements of artistic forging, hidden or decorated with brass household appliances, etc.

There are many styles used to decorate a kitchen interior, so first of all you should decide which one will make you most comfortable. Remember that the more avant-garde the design solutions, the more likely the created interior will quickly go out of fashion.

Errors in planning and repairs

There are several more popular errors that are difficult to attribute to any specific section.

Mistake No. 20. Unchecked walls. Before hanging upper cabinets, you should carefully check the base. For example, drywall may not be able to support the body along with the facade and filling. In this case, it is necessary to use special supports.

Mistake #21: Unused corners. Almost every room has corners. In fact, due to their large capacity, they can be called a real treasure. The main thing is to think over a storage system, for example, use a rotating carousel in a corner cabinet.

Mistake No. 22. Lack of base. To some, such a solution may seem like it will lighten the interior, but in reality it rather threatens a large accumulation of dust and the frequent rolling of important objects or even products there. It’s better to make a plinth - this makes the kitchen look cozier and more complete.

Mistake #23: The color scheme used is too bright. Tones for the kitchen must be selected with special care, since a lot of time is spent in this room, and over time the color can become boring, put pressure on a person, and even irritate. Therefore, bold decisions like a completely red kitchen (walls, fittings and furniture) should be abandoned. Bright accents should be diluted with neutral tones.

Mistake No. 24. Refusal of the door to the kitchen. This solution really expands the space, but can also bring a lot of problems into the house. For example, the entire apartment, furniture and clothes will smell like delicious borscht, cinnamon buns, or some burnt, failed experiment. Not all household members will like the noise that often comes from the kitchen. If there is nowhere to put a swing door, then you can think about sliding doors.

Interesting thoughts can be gleaned from the following video.

How to plan a kitchen?

When deciding which kitchen to choose and planning the placement of furniture, it is important to consider the following points:

Existing furniture arrangement options

when planning the kitchen space: corner (L-shaped, L-shaped), linear/two-linear, U-shaped, island, peninsula. The choice between them depends on the shape, size of the room and the preferences of the owners.

You can find solutions for standard layouts here:

When contacting a specialized company to make a custom-made kitchen, the designer will take this data into account and offer the optimal solution for furniture placement, based on your budget and existing conditions. If you decide to plan the kitchen yourself, placing the furniture at your own discretion, we recommend adhering to the following order:

fridge

working surface

plate

working surface

sink (under the sink there is a trash container)

table

This sequence of workstations optimally corresponds to the sequence of actions of the housewife, allows for fewer unnecessary movements, and speeds up the cooking process. Ideally, the distance between food storage, preparation and washing areas should be no more than two arms' lengths. The most convenient location for the microwave and oven is at chest level. The dishwasher and washing machine are built under the countertop.

When planning on your own: even if you have thought through everything carefully, it would not be a bad idea to consult with the designer of the company from which you order the production of the headset. Moreover, in most specialized companies, drawing up a design project is done free of charge!

Which layout is cheaper and what can you save on when ordering a kitchen?

Everything is simple here - the lower the material consumption, the cheaper the kitchen costs. The fewer modules a kitchen has, the “lighter” it is visually, the greater the chances that you will be able to save on the implementation of such a design project.

A rectilinear kitchen layout will cost less than a corner one. And the corner one is cheaper than the U-shaped one.

On the other hand, if there are no pencil cases in a U-shaped or island kitchen layout and the top of the kitchen is “unloaded” as much as possible, such a project may cost less than a corner one.

There are a lot of nuances in calculating each specific design project, how and on what you can save when ordering a kitchen. Therefore, you need to consider each option specifically and select materials.

Which kitchen is better to choose: materials of manufacture?

Today, quite a lot of materials are used to make kitchen furniture, the main ones being wood, chipboard, MDF, glass, aluminum, and stone (usually artificial). To improve technical and decorative characteristics, MDF is covered with special facing materials: plastic, laminate, PVC film, enamel, special varnish.

You can familiarize yourself with the pros and cons of the main cabinet/cladding materials used for the manufacture of kitchen furniture, facades of sets, countertops, aprons, sinks, as well as the characteristics of fittings from various manufacturers in the tables below.

When choosing between glossy and matte colors, pay attention to the fact that fingerprints are more visible on glossy facades, while water is more visible on matte ones. When choosing between dark and light colors, remember: dirt is more noticeable on dark facades.

1. Do not combine materials from different price categories. Cheaper kitchen elements age faster.

2. You can improve the performance characteristics of furniture by choosing more practical and high-quality coating materials for the body, countertops and facades: the long service life of such materials in the long term provides significant savings. For example, if the headset body is always made of chipboard, then for MDF facades enamel or plastic coating is preferable to film.

3. Particular attention should be paid to the selection of material for the countertop; it must be of high quality, since this surface can withstand the main workload.

Lack of lighting

Mistake #1. The biggest problem is insufficient lighting of the workspace and the room as a whole. The kitchen is a place of dangerous work, every day here:

• products are cut with sharp knives;
• food is cooked at high temperatures;
• a large number of kitchen utensils are used, which are located in different, often remote, places.

Even for a small kitchen, just one chandelier is not enough, since it will not provide enough light. When preparing food, a situation often arises when the housewife blocks the light from the chandelier, creating a shadow. This can lead to cuts, burns and other problems.

Modern trends suggest a large number of light sources. The following lighting zones are distinguished:

• work area - countertop, stove, sink;
• dinner Zone;
• lighting of individual drawers and cabinets.

Only in a well-lit kitchen will cooking and eating be the safest and most comfortable.

How much does a kitchen cost?

As you already understood from the above, the main points that affect the final cost of the kitchen are:

When preliminary calculating the cost of the kitchen, do not forget to take into account the cost of delivery, assembly and installation. For example, delivery in Moscow usually costs from 0 to 5,000 rubles, and assembly and installation - 10-12% of the total cost. Prices can be checked with the manufacturer in advance.

Inattention when signing documents

When purchasing a custom headset, buyers often hastily sign the documentation. Such negligence often leads to further disappointment. Before signing the contract, you should carefully read all its clauses.

Conscientious manufacturers indicate in the attached

To the furniture documents its detailed characteristics:

• material of manufacture;
• color;
• dimensions;
• features of fittings, etc.

Ready-made solutions or custom-made?

There are two ways to equip a new kitchen:

Choosing a kitchen is a very important moment, since it will serve for many years. When deciding on how to purchase it, compare the pros and cons of ready-made and ordered furniture and set your own priorities. However, regardless of whether you buy a ready-made headset or order it from a manufacturing company, do not skimp on the quality of materials and workmanship.

Preparatory stage

First, you need to prepare the room so that you can easily measure the kitchen for the kitchen set. Nothing should be lying around underfoot; there should be free access to walls, risers, heating appliances, windows and other parts.

You should start measuring once the space meets the following requirements:

1. The renovation of the walls and floors is completely completed. The windows have been replaced (if necessary), the cornice has been suspended. The walls must be level. If required by the project, a wall panel (kitchen apron) is installed, or everything is tiled. The same thing with the floor - all finishing work must be completed.
2. The room is clean - the garbage has been completely removed, the floor has been washed.
3. All furniture, household appliances, etc. were removed from the area where the set will be located.

Arsenal of available materials and tools:

• Roulette;
• Paper;
• Pen-pencil).

Experts use a laser tape measure to make the measurement results more accurate. She is easy to handle. Therefore, any client of a furniture company can measure their future furniture themselves with such a tape measure.

What is important to pay attention to when choosing a seller?

When you decide to order the production of a kitchen based on an individual design project, pay attention to the choice of manufacturer. The following points will help you decide which company to choose:

In addition to objective factors determined by the list of services and contractual terms, an important criterion for successful cooperation with a manufacturing company is the competence of its employees. If the designer becomes confused when considering non-standard planning solutions or refuses to dialogue with the customer, there is no point in continuing cooperation.

Inconvenient location of equipment

To put it bluntly, working in the kitchen means countless repetitions of the same procedures. If the equipment involved in these procedures is located inconveniently, then the work as a whole will become inconvenient.

Popular mistakes:

Mistake No. 13. Line up all the equipment in one long line. This desire especially often arises in long and narrow kitchens. It takes too much extra time to walk from the refrigerator to the sink, and then to the stove.

Mistake No. 14. When opening the doors, they get in the way or even hit each other.

Mistake No. 15. Insufficient number of sockets or their inconvenient location . If you have to unplug another device to plug it into a socket, that’s bad. Very often during repairs they forget to make an outlet for the hood - it is better to check its presence further.

Mistake #16: The refrigerator door opens in the “wrong” direction. For example, to a window sill or side wall. In such cases, it is inconvenient to go to the refrigerator and take out large items, such as a saucepan. Looking inside is also problematic.

Mistake No. 17. Refusal of the hood or its incorrect location.

Mistake No. 18. Using old equipment.

Mistake No. 19. Incorrect height of appliances or countertops.

How to prevent it?

• When arranging a kitchen, you must be guided by the principle “everything is at hand.”
• Before purchasing a headset, you need to try it out. To do this, you should find a similar option, for example, in a furniture store. It is worth checking the opening of doors and the location of drawers.

• It's better to plan for more outlets than seems necessary at first glance.
• If the refrigerator door faces the wrong direction, it is advisable to order it to be oversized.
• Hang the hood strictly above the stove - not on the side.
• Use modern technologies.
• When arranging equipment, you should focus only on your height, and not on the standards invented by companies. The equipment should be at waist level, the table top 15–20 centimeters below the elbow.

• It is important to take into account the wishes of the refrigerator regarding its location. For example, it should not stand near a window or next to heating devices such as a refrigerator or stove.

The total cooking time of the product depends on how conveniently the kitchen appliances are located.

Mistake No. 2. First we choose a kitchen, then we do the renovation

Very often people come to the salon after the repairs have been completed: the sewage system has been removed, the sockets have been installed, the wiring is securely hidden under the tiles. What is the result? Due to the fact that you have to adapt to the installed engineering systems, some layout options are simply impossible to implement.

The correct sequence of actions: we select furniture (layout, manufacturer, equipment) and only after that, based on the specifications, you can begin renovating the room.