How do you design a kitchen?

A step-by-step guide to designing the perfect kitchen in Australia

Designing the perfect kitchen is about balancing beauty and practicality. If you're wondering how do you design a good kitchen that fits your home and lifestyle, you've come to the right place.

The kitchen is the heart of your home — a place where your favourite people gather and memories are made. As such an important hub, you’ll want to take your time planning your kitchen carefully during the design process so that it delivers on both looks and functionality.

Once the layout has been selected, the next step is choosing the right finishes and appliances at our Spectra Showroom. Watch our short video below for a step-by-step guide to the key selections you'll make when building a new kitchen, or read on to learn more.

10 essential steps to designing the perfect kitchen layout

Designing the perfect kitchen layout is about more than just aesthetics — it’s about creating a space that works for your daily needs, while also feeling inviting and functional. A well-planned layout ensures that your kitchen isn’t just beautiful but practical for cooking, entertaining, and everyday living.

Whether you’re building a home from scratch, working on a floor plan remodel, undertaking a kitchen renovation, or planning a knockdown rebuild, our comprehensive guide will help you identify your priorities so you can plan the interior design of your home with confidence. Explore our perfect layout ideas to create a kitchen space that’s uniquely yours:

1. Think about how you use your kitchen

Start by considering how you use your kitchen on a daily basis. Do you spend lots of time in the kitchen? Are you a passionate cook who needs plenty of prep space and storage for gadgets? Do you entertain often and need a space for socialising including a breakfast bar or island bench? Is part of the kitchen your home office? Or is your kitchen more of a family hub where everyone gathers? Your kitchen’s layout should reflect how you live and work and provide enough space and appropriate functionality to make life easier. 

2. Understand the kitchen work triangle

The kitchen triangle — connecting the sink and workspace, cooktop and fridge — is a tried-and-true principle for efficient layouts. This configuration minimises movement between the three most-used zones in the kitchen, making meal prep and clean-up quicker and easier. 

3. Plan for traffic flow

A functional kitchen layout avoids bottlenecks in the floor space. Leave at least 1.2 metres of clearance between benchtops or islands to allow multiple people to move around comfortably. In open-plan spaces, ensure there’s a clear path through the kitchen to other areas of the home. 

4. Maximise bench space

Sufficient bench space is essential for food preparation, serving, and placing small appliances. Consider extending benchtops into an island or kitchen island to create a multi-functional area for cooking, dining, and entertaining. 

5. Prioritise storage solutions

An organised kitchen is a joy to use. When planning a kitchen, maximise your storage with clever solutions like pull out drawers and pantry shelves, corner carousels to make use of the back of a cupboard, freestanding storage solutions and deep pot drawers. Overhead cabinetry can provide extra storage for rarely used items, while a butler’s pantry is a fantastic way to hide appliances like coffee machines, steam ovens and toasters and keep your main kitchen tidy.

Step-by-step guide to selecting the key elements of your kitchen design

Now that you’ve planned your layout, it’s time to focus on the individual elements that will bring your kitchen to life. From benchtops to appliances, every choice you make contributes to the style and functionality of your space. Whether you're starting fresh or updating an existing space, these steps ensure your kitchen is both practical and stylish. Likely you’ll also want to think about how your selections tie into your home’s overall aesthetic.

1. Benchtops

The first step when planning a new kitchen is selecting the benchtops for your island and the surrounding cabinetry. Whether your kitchen has an island bench or is a u-shaped kitchen, remember, what the layout you choose should complement the style of your home and be durable enough to cope with the demands of cooking and cleaning.

Benchtop materials

To give you stunning good looks and performance, we offer premium kitchen benchtops from Laminex and Caesarstone, including popular options like quartz. 

Durable Laminex laminate benchtops are tough enough to cope with the demands of a busy kitchen, plus they’re affordably priced and come in a vast range of fashionable colour options so it’s easy to create a look you’ll love.

To add a truly luxurious look and feel to your kitchen, consider upgrading to Caesarstone engineered stone benchtops. This premium-quality surface exudes sophistication and feels wonderful to the touch. Caesarstone is incredibly easy to care for, too, as it’s scratch-, stain-, and heat-resistant and requires no sealing or ongoing maintenance.

Carry it through to your bathroom benchtops or the built-in joinery in your lounge or meals area for a cohesive feel.

Benchtop colours

Bold, understated, or something in between — at our Spectra Showroom, you’ll find a vast array of benchtop colour options to browse as you plan your kitchen.

Add a natural touch with a Laminex wood grain benchtop, a modern urban feel with one that gives you the look of concrete, or opt for a timeless neutral such as Laminex Peruvian Clay or White Linen.

Looking to step things up in your kitchen? Create a sense of opulence with a marble-look or weathered stone Caesarstone benchtop, make a dramatic statement by contrasting white cabinets with black Caesarstone benchtops, or keep it soft and inviting with one of Caesarstone’s beautiful, gentle greys.

You can make a feature of your benchtop by customising the edge profile. Choose from a shadowline profile, where there is a small gap between the underside of the benchtop and the top of the cabinetry that creates a line of shadow, or specify an overhang that extends beyond the face of your cabinetry.

Tip: To create an opulent feel in your kitchen, opt for an edge profile that measures 80-100 millimetres.

2. Overhead cabinetry

Next up on the kitchen planning checklist - selecting the material, colour, and door profile of your overhead cabinetry. Flat door fronts will suit a contemporary kitchen, while a profiled finish has a more traditional feel and is typically well suited to achieving the look of Hamptons. The range hood you choose will also impact how much overhead cabinetry you have. 

Think of your overhead cabinetry as an essential layer that builds character and style in your kitchen space. There’s a huge range of colours and finishes to choose from at the Spectra Showroom, including bright white, soft greys, and a variety of wood grains. Take your kitchen to the next level by upgrading to FormWrap cabinetry. FormWrap gives a seamless finish, and provides a customised and stylised solution to suit any interior style.

Tip: Give your kitchen some variety in its design and add an open shelf to your overhead cabinetry for display.

3. Base cabinetry

When choosing the colour and profile of your base cabinetry, consider whether you’d like it to match or contrast with your overhead cabinetry. Matching cabinetry will create a sense of consistency in your kitchen while contrasting cabinetry makes more of a statement.

The perfect kitchen design also features true functionality, so it is important to think about cupboard configuration. You may wish to convert some of your cupboards into pot drawers or add pull-out bins or tea towel holders to your cabinetry.

4. Handles

Handles offer an essential finishing touch to the overall look of your cabinetry and allow you to open and close cabinets and drawers with ease. Consider the fixture style that best matches your design, from polished chrome to matte black or push-to-open mechanisms.

There’s a wide variety of cabinetry handles to choose from at our Spectra Showroom. For a classic yet luxurious feel, consider a bronze finish, or opt for a contemporary, bold look with polished chrome or matt black.

Or, for a minimalist aesthetic, go handleless with push catches or sharknose edging (where applicable).

If you’re interested, we’ve written about the latest trends in door handles and how to choose the right style for your home.

5. Splashback

That small space behind your cooktop can make a big impact and has now become a key feature in modern kitchen designs. Whether you choose herringbone tiles or a seamless stone finish, align your splashback with your worktop for a cohesive look.

Herringbone or hexagonal tiles can add texture, movement, and elevate the kitchen. For the ultimate in luxury, extend your benchtop stone look to the splashback for a completely seamless look.

6. Sink and tapware

Whether you’re planning a modern, country, or minimalist look throughout your kitchen, a stylish and quality sink and tapware can make all the difference.

Single bowl, double bowl, matt black, stainless steel… there’s a wide range of sinkware and tap options to choose from! Create an accent feature with a matt black gooseneck tap, select a double bowl sink so you can whip through a stack of washing up, or choose a blank sink to add drama to your kitchen — the choice is yours. Add a boiling water tap to your kitchen for even more convenience. 

Check out our guide on choosing the perfect tapware for your home for more specific advice.

7. Rangehood

Next step, choosing a rangehood to keep your kitchen odour- and smoke-free. At our Spectra Showroom, you’ll be spoilt for choice with a wide array of rangehoods from the best names in kitchen appliances.

When planning a new kitchen, consider making a feature of your rangehood by selecting a canopy style or opt for a concealed rangehood that is tucked beneath your upper cabinets.

8. Cooking appliances

Make meal prep a joy by selecting an oven and cooktop that perfectly suits your cooking style. Choose from 600mm wide or 900mm ovens and rangehoods. 

Options for cooking appliances

First, consider whether you’d like an upright cooker or a separate oven and cooktop. A striking upright cooker, which houses both the oven and cooktop, can form the centrepiece of your kitchen, while a built-in oven gives you the convenience of integrating neatly into your cabinetry at a height that suits you and the cooktop can be positioned practically anywhere on your benchtops.

Then, consider fuel type. At our Spectra Showroom, you’ll find energy-efficient induction cooktops and high-performance gas cooktops, as well as many options in ovens.

Microwave

No kitchen design is complete without a microwave, and you’ll have several options to choose from.

It’s a good idea to choose your microwave at your colour selection appointment to guarantee a flush fit within your cabinetry and to match it perfectly with your other appliances.

Dishwasher

For the ultimate in convenience, upgrade your kitchen with a dishwasher. We’ve got dishwashers from all the major appliances at our showroom, making it easy to choose one that suits your washing-up needs.

9. Other appliances

Take the opportunity to plan your kitchen so it perfectly suits the way you cook and entertain. Ensure your refrigerator placement is accessible yet integrated into your cabinetry for a sleek, modern look. Other things to consider may include a instant boiling water tap or steam oven. 

New kitchen design tips for entertainers

Add a built-in coffee maker, a warming drawer to keep meals warm when the kids are running late, or a wine fridge so you can chill your favourite tipple to just the right temperature — you’ll find all these options and more in our showroom.

A kitchen planning tip for those that love to entertain: ensure your space always feels luxurious and looks its best by utilising your butler’s pantry to store appliances. This way, appliances will remain conveniently concealed, and prep and cooking will be kept separate from the main kitchen space. Now, your guests can enjoy a clear and inviting space to gather.

10. Lighting

The right lighting creates a warm ambience in your kitchen and helps you see what you’re doing when you’re prepping and washing up. Ensure your kitchen floor and work surfaces are well-lit with options like under-cabinet strip lighting or statement pendant lights. Wall lights can also add a design element within an adjoining dining room space. 

Illumination options

Provide extra illumination to your kitchen work surfaces by adding additional downlights or sleek, strip lighting to the ceiling or under cabinets. Or add character and interest with a gorgeous pendant light suspended over your island.

With all your selections made, you’re one step closer to enjoying your dream kitchen!

Your dream kitchen starts here

Designing a kitchen is an exciting process, and with the right planning, you can create a space that is both beautiful and functional. From perfecting your layout to selecting finishes and appliances, every decision plays a role in bringing your vision to life.

You don’t want to miss the opportunity to work with our expert team at Carlisle Homes. Whether you’re creating a space for entertaining or focused on functionality, we’ll provide a tonne of kitchen layout ideas and help you tailor your kitchen to suit your lifestyle and tastes.

Visit our Spectra Showroom to explore premium options from a range of our trusted and reputable suppliers, experiment with various designs, and see how each element comes together, and try our online mortgage refinance calculator to help plan your budget and see how your dream kitchen can fit into your financial goals.

With decades of experience and a passion for creating homes that inspire, we’re ready to help you create the kitchen of your dreams. Your perfect kitchen is closer than you think — let’s bring it to life together.