Design | 28 January 2021

The Kitchen Upgrades That Really Make a Difference

by Carlisle Homes

Elevate your kitchen to something truly special with a few smart, carefully considered upgrades

If there’s one room in the house worth investing in, it’s the kitchen; it’s the hub of your home where family and friends gather, meals are prepared and memories are made. At Carlisle Homes we understand how important your cooking space is to you, which is why all our homes come with quality, hardwearing kitchen finishes and inclusions as standard.

But if you’d like to add next-level style and functionality to your cooking space, we give you that option too, with a range of luxurious upgrades. Read on to learn what they are and how they can elevate your kitchen.

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Explore the luxury upgrades available for your Carlisle kitchen and butler’s pantry.

Upgrade to Caesarstone benchtops

Most kitchen design experts would agree that a premium benchtop is an investment worth making. Not only is it likely to be tougher than a standard benchtop (which is great news for busy homes), but it will be easier to clean and maintain, last longer and ultimately add to the value of your property.

Hardworking laminate benchtops in a range of fashionable colours come as standard with your Carlisle Homes kitchen. But for that extra touch of luxury and durability, we offer an optional upgrade to benchtops in Caesarstone’s Standard Range Designs.

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Stylish and durable Caesarstone® benchtops are a luxury upgrade that will add resale value to your home. Shown here at the Carlisle Sorrento Grand.

Caesarstone® is a premium-quality surface material that exudes sophistication and feels wonderful to the touch. It’s also incredibly tough, scratch-, stain- and heat-resistant, and requires no sealing or ongoing maintenance (unlike natural stone, which requires special care and annual sealing). Create a luxurious statement kitchen island with a beautiful waterfall edge or establish seamless visual flow across your entire home by integrating premium stone in your butler’s pantry, laundry and bathroom vanity tops.

The Caesarstone® Standard Range comprises timeless favourites, such as soft neutrals, various shades of grey, granite look-a-likes, salt and pepper motifs, and dramatic darks. Their Visualiser tool is a great way to experiment with colour and finish combinations including the latest Caesarstone® Dark collection.

Opt for premium Silk finish for cabinetry doors

Laminate is an affordable way to add a warm, natural touch to your kitchen and it comes as standard in your Carlisle Home with the Laminex Natural Range of finishes. But your options don’t end there; if you wish to add a high-style look to your kitchen, you can upgrade to a premium Laminex finish for cabinetry.

The Laminex Silk finish range is one of our favourites – unlike the flat finish of Laminex Natural finish, this Silk range has a luxurious, semi-gloss surface that adds depth and a contemporary edge to your kitchen. It comes in a range of solid colours, including fashionable soft neutrals and greys, as well as light and dark woodgrains. Or if texture is to your liking explore Chalk finish, a highly tactile low-gloss finish designed to recreate the look and feel of real timber. They’re versatile, highly durable, stain and heat resistant and easy to clean, making it ideal for a growing family and everyday living.

Elevate your kitchen with a butler’s pantry

An open-plan layout where the kitchen blends seamlessly into living and dining areas is top of the wish list for many of us. But what do you do when you have guests milling about and dishes piling up in the sink? The answer is a butler’s pantry.

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The butler’s pantry is becoming an essential feature of modern luxury homes. Seen here at the Carlisle Sorrento Grand.

This wonderfully useful space off the kitchen can take on all the grunt work and mess while the party carries on in the main area. Do all your meal prep, keep your benchtop appliances on standby, store your dry goods, run a dishwasher, soak a dish or two in the sink – all while the part of your kitchen that’s on display remains pristine and ready for family time or entertaining.

A butler’s pantry can be a lifesaver in large-family homes, helping you keep benchtops clear and tidy, so you enjoy the kitchen as somewhere to congregate, connect, entertain and share a meal. And it’s a feature many buyers actively seek out when they’re looking at homes, making it great for your resale value (for more on butler’s pantries, read this story).

Think a butler’s pantry would make a useful addition to your kitchen? At Carlisle Homes, you can easily upgrade your walk in pantry to include one.

When it comes to planning your perfect butler’s pantry, there are a few things to consider. First, think about what you’ll do and store there; do you plan to meal prep? If so, you’ll want plenty of bench space. Will the kids be reheating dishes? Then you’ll want to include space for a microwave. Do you have a lot of dry goods to store? Look to maximise wall space with easy-access open shelves and under-bench drawers in different sizes so you can house everything from bulky appliances to cutlery and utensils. Will you be washing dishes? If yes, you’ll want to include a dishwasher or dish drawer and a second sink.

Another element you should consider is the finish! By seamlessly integrating the same premium benchtop and cabinetry materials that you used in your kitchen, you can create the ultimate sense of flow and luxury across both spaces. This means the butler's pantry is no longer a room tucked away from view, but is instead a stylised and cohesive element of your home. If you’ve opted for a feature 40mm benchtop in your kitchen, applying an additional 20mm in the rest of your home will create consistency and ultimately boost resell value.

Your dream kitchen has never been easier!

There’s no better way to decide which surfaces and finishes are right for you than to see them for yourself. Come and view them in person at one of our 63 Carlisle display homes, or visit our Inspire Gallery from the comfort of your own home to view the array of available design options.

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