NMB Kitchen Planning Handbook · Guide 1 of 6
Planning a new kitchen: where to start
Most people start with colours, door styles and worktops. After more than 20 years designing and fitting kitchens across Greater Manchester, we have found the kitchens that work best have one thing in common: they were carefully planned and never rushed.
This guide covers planning around the way you live, thinking ahead, the small details that matter most and the checks to make before you order.
By Nevin Smith, kitchen designer and director at NMB Kitchens & Bathrooms
Before you choose cabinets
Good planning shapes the room more than the door style
Whether you choose shaker, slim shaker or handleless doors, the decisions you make before ordering decide how the kitchen works every day. Good planning decides:
✓ How naturally you move around the kitchen
✓ Whether there is enough practical storage
✓ How comfortable the room feels to use
✓ Whether appliances fit and work properly
✓ How well the lighting works
✓ Whether the kitchen will still suit you in ten or twenty years
A beautiful kitchen matters, but it should also work well for the people who use it.
Your lifestyle
Every family uses its kitchen differently
No two households live the same way, so no two kitchens should be designed the same way. Before talking about ranges, colours or worktops, think about how your household really uses the home.
Planning an open-plan room? Read our kitchen diner knock-through guide →
Cooking
Do you cook from scratch every evening or only now and then? Who normally prepares the meals?
A keen home cook needs plenty of preparation space, easy pan storage and ingredients within reach.
Family life
Is the kitchen mainly a family space? Do you have young children, or plan to? Do pets need a feeding or storage area?
A busy family kitchen may need extra fridge space, wipe-clean surfaces, a spot for packed lunches and somewhere to hide everyday clutter. Or, in my house, room for a partner who loves Tupperware!
Entertaining
Do you often have friends and family round?
If you entertain a lot, seating, lighting, wine storage and a sociable island may matter more than extra cupboards.
The long term
Is this your forever home? Does anyone have mobility or access needs? Will the kitchen also be used for work or homework? Do you prefer lots of storage or a minimal look?
There is no perfect kitchen for everyone, only the one that best supports the way you live.
Future-proofing
Design for the next twenty years, not just today
A new kitchen may stay in place for fifteen or twenty years, and your family, routines and priorities can change a lot in that time. Over the life of the kitchen you may:
✓ Work from home more often
✓ Have children or grandchildren using the space
✓ Need storage that is easier to reach
✓ Switch from gas to induction cooking
✓ Buy larger or extra appliances
✓ Need more room to move around, or space for a less mobile relative
Planning ahead is not about predicting everything. It is about avoiding decisions that limit the kitchen later.
While the room is empty
Make the big improvements while the room is stripped back
A kitchen renovation is a rare chance to improve parts of your home that would be hard and disruptive to change later. They add to the cost now, but doing them while the room is already being worked on is usually far cheaper than coming back to them in a few years.
Walls and layout
Would removing a wall give you a better layout for the long term?
Boiler and electrics
Should the boiler move? Does the consumer unit need upgrading? Is extra wiring needed for future appliances?
Plumbing and floors
Could the plumbing or drainage be improved? Is now the time to level an uneven floor?
Light and warmth
Would better insulation help? Could bigger doors, windows or roof glazing bring in more natural light?
Layouts
Choose a layout that suits the room and the way you live
Galley, L-shaped, U-shaped, island and peninsula kitchens all work well in the right room. The best choice depends on the size and shape of the room, how much space there is to move around and how your household uses the kitchen.
Guide 3 compares each layout in detail, with the common mistakes to avoid.
The details
Small details often make the biggest difference
Colours and feature worktops are exciting, but the less glamorous decisions usually have the most effect on everyday life: socket positions, task lighting, drawer internals, bins, extractor ducting, which way doors open and the space around an island.
Dishwasher placement
Putting the dishwasher next to the sink is only the start. Its open door should not block the main route through the kitchen, and you should be able to unload it into nearby cupboards and drawers without walking back and forth.
Space around an island
An island can look impressive on a drawing, but it needs enough space around it to stay comfortable when drawers, the dishwasher and the oven are open.
Sockets and task lighting
Think about where you will prepare food, charge phones and use small appliances, then put sockets and lighting there, not wherever they happen to fall.
Storage and bins
Plan drawer and cupboard internals, bins and recycling around what you actually own and use. Good design is often found in these practical details.
Appliances
Plan your appliances before the kitchen is ordered
Appliances should be planned early, not added once the layout is finished. Before ordering the kitchen, confirm:
✓ Which appliances you are keeping and which you are replacing
✓ The exact makes, model numbers and sizes
✓ Electrical, plumbing and ventilation needs
✓ Door-opening space and the manufacturer’s clearances
✓ Likely delivery times
Share model numbers and sizes with your designer and fitters early. They can then check that cabinets, services and clearances all fit, and you avoid finding out on fitting day that an appliance will not fit, is out of stock or needs a supply that was missed at first fix.
NMB designer’s tip
Plan your lighting at the very start
Lighting is one of the most underestimated parts of a kitchen renovation. Many people spend thousands on cabinets and quartz worktops, then only think about lighting after the plastering is finished.
Plan task lighting, pendants, switches, feature lighting and circuits at the beginning. It gives you far more choice and almost always gives a better result.
Building work
Good planning prevents expensive problems
The best renovations rarely happen by accident. Checking drawings, quotes and technical details before you order prevents delays and costly changes later.
This matters most when a project includes structural walls, steelwork, Building Control, new drainage, a boiler move, electrical upgrades, extraction, fire doors, floor-level changes or underfloor heating. These need to be planned with the kitchen, not treated as separate decisions.
Extraction
The extractor duct route can affect how the ceiling is built.
Steel beams
A structural beam can change the height of the wall units.
Floor levels
A raised floor can affect doors, plinths and appliance clearances.
One team
All of this is much easier when one company manages the whole renovation. It means less stress and less risk of miscommunication and delays between separate trades.
Before you sign off
Review the drawings carefully
3D visuals help you picture the finished kitchen, but check the practical plans and the written quote too. Before you approve the design, check:
✓ Cabinet, appliance, sink and tap positions
✓ Which way doors open, and how the drawers are arranged
✓ Island size and seating overhangs
✓ Sockets, lighting, worktop joins and splashbacks
✓ Storage accessories and bespoke items
✓ What the quote includes, and what it leaves out
Ask whenever something is unclear. It is much easier to change a drawing than a cabinet that has already been made. If you agree a change by text message, follow it up by email so everyone can keep track of what changed and why.
Your checklist
Kitchen planning questions to ask yourself
Work through these before you go ahead with a design. Print this page or keep it open during your design visit.
Everyday use
☐ How will we use the kitchen on a normal weekday?
☐ What frustrates us about the room now?
☐ Who cooks, cleans and unloads the dishwasher?
Space and storage
☐ Do we have enough preparation space?
☐ Where will small appliances live?
☐ Is there enough room around an island or peninsula?
Technical
☐ Have we chosen or measured the main appliances?
☐ Have lighting and sockets been discussed?
☐ Is any structural, electrical or plumbing work needed?
The bigger picture
☐ Could our needs change over the next ten years?
☐ Have we reviewed the design more than once?
☐ Do we fully understand what the quote includes?
Our advice
Do not rush
A new kitchen is one of the biggest investments most homeowners make. The kitchens that still work brilliantly years later are the ones where every practical detail was planned before fitting started.
Imagine how you will cook, entertain, work and live in the space. Ask questions, challenge the design, look at other layouts and think beyond current trends. A well-planned kitchen does not just look good on fitting day. It keeps making everyday life easier for years.
NMB Kitchen Planning Handbook
Continue planning your kitchen
Six practical guides from our team to help you make informed decisions before your renovation starts.
Guide 1 · You are here
Planning a new kitchen
Plan around how you live, think ahead and check the details before you order.
Guide 2
Setting a realistic kitchen budget
Where your money matters most, the hidden costs to allow for and how to save without cutting quality.
Guide 3
Kitchen layout ideas
Galley, L-shaped, U-shaped, island and peninsula kitchens, and how to choose the right one.
Guide 4
Kitchen storage ideas
Design storage around what you own and how you use it, from drawers to pantries and bins.
Guide 5
Choosing a kitchen fitter
The questions to ask and the checks to make before you hire a kitchen company in Manchester.
Guide 6
Preparing for installation
What to do in the weeks before fitting day, so the work runs smoothly and on time.
Questions
Kitchen planning questions answered
Quick answers to the questions we are asked most when people start planning a new kitchen.
What should I decide first when planning a kitchen?
Start with how you use the room: who cooks, how you entertain and what frustrates you now. Then settle the layout, appliances and services. Door styles, colours and worktops come last.
How long does it take to plan a new kitchen?
It depends on the project. A straightforward kitchen can be designed and agreed fairly quickly. Projects with structural work, Building Control or bespoke items need more time. Rushing this stage is the most common cause of expensive changes later.
When should I choose my appliances?
Before the kitchen is ordered. Your designer needs the exact model numbers and sizes to plan the cabinets, clearances, wiring and plumbing.
Do I need Building Control approval for a new kitchen?
Replacing a kitchen like for like does not usually need it. Removing a load-bearing wall, adding steelwork or changing drainage normally does. We check this with you at the design stage.
Can you manage the building work as well as the kitchen?
Yes. We design, supply and fit kitchens and also handle structural alterations, plumbing, electrics and flooring, so one team manages the whole project.
Is the design visit free?
Yes. We visit your home, measure up and talk through your ideas with no obligation.
What customers say
Rated 4.9 on Google
A family-run team, FMB members since 2014, with more than 25 years in kitchens, bathrooms and building work.
“From the design process, the build and the finished product the service was excellent.”
Michael Williams
“Nev, Chris and the team were fantastic, extremely high standard of work. They also sorted out the building control stuff as well.”
Lava Yuki
“The quality of fitting is second to none. It’s a big decision investing in a kitchen and you have to get the right people.”
Zowie Hayward
Free design visit
Start planning your kitchen
Tell us about your kitchen and any building work you have in mind. We will arrange a free, no-obligation design visit at your home.
✓ Free home visit with no obligation
✓ Bespoke kitchen and bathroom designs for your space
✓ Full project coordination from design to completion
✓ Structural alterations and building work covered
✓ A trusted local team with consistently positive feedback