What to decide first when planning a kitchen

Planning a kitchen? The order you make decisions in matters more than you might think – here’s how to get the fundamentals right from the start.

There’s a lot to think about when you’re planning a kitchen – and it’s very easy to start in the wrong place.

Cabinet colours, handles, worktops… these are often the fun decisions. But the kitchens that really work aren’t built from the surface down – they’re shaped by a few key decisions made early on.

Get those right, and everything else tends to fall into place. Get them wrong, and you can end up making compromises later that are hard (and expensive) to fix.

Why does the order matter?

Good kitchen design follows a natural sequence, where each decision supports the next.

In practice, what we often see is the opposite: people jump ahead to the visible details, and only later realise that the underlying layout or appliance plan isn’t quite working.

That’s when you start running into awkward spacing, compromised storage, or layouts that look good but don’t feel quite right day to day.

If you’re not sure what can go wrong, it’s worth being aware of some of the most common layout pitfalls – from poor circulation to not allowing enough usable worktop space. We’ve covered these in more detail here: Kitchen layout mistakes (and how to avoid them)

Start with the fundamentals: space, layout and appliances

When planning a kitchen, these are the decisions that shape everything else. Rather than thinking in strict steps, it helps to begin with the elements that shape everything else: the space you have, how you want to use it, and the key appliances that need to fit within it.

If you’re at the measuring stage, a clear and accurate floor plan is the best place to start. We’ve put together a simple guide to help you capture everything properly – including a checklist of the key measurements we’ll need: How to draw a floor plan for your new kitchen.

Looking at layout

Your layout is what determines how the kitchen will feel and function as a space.

This is the point to consider any structural changes – moving walls, adjusting windows or doors – as these become much harder to revisit later.

The right layout will depend on the size and shape of your room, and how you want to live in it. Galley, L-shaped, U-shaped, G-shaped and so on are useful starting points, but what matters more is how the space actually works in practice.

Think about movement, visibility and flow. Who’s using the kitchen? Are you cooking alone or with others? Where do people naturally gather?

A well-considered layout should feel intuitive to move around, with clear circulation routes and enough working space in the places you need it.

Planning appliances early 

This is where a lot of layouts start to go wrong.

Appliances are some of the largest and most fixed elements in your kitchen. They determine where services need to go, how much space is required, and how the room flows.

If they’re left until later, you can end up squeezing them into a layout that wasn’t designed around them – which often leads to compromises in circulation, storage or usability.

Instead, it’s worth deciding early on what appliances you want, roughly where they’ll go, and how you’ll use them day to day.

From there, the rest of the layout becomes much easier to resolve.

At this stage, it’s also important to think about lighting, electrics and plumbing. These are much easier (and more cost-effective) to plan in from the outset than to retrofit later.

Planning storage and cabinetry

Once the overall layout and appliance positions are taking shape, you can start thinking in more detail about cabinets and storage.

This is where good kitchen planning really starts to show and respond to how you live: what you cook, how you store things, what you want to keep visible and what you’d prefer to tuck away.

A well-designed kitchen will usually include a mix of drawer storage, cupboards, and larger dedicated spaces such as a pantry or larder.

It’s also worth considering where smaller appliances will live – ideally not all out on the worktop. Giving everything a proper home is one of the simplest ways to make a kitchen feel calm and organised.

What can be decided later?

The finishing details – colours, handles, materials and so on – are often the most enjoyable part of the process, and they can usually be finalised later.

These include:

• Cabinet fronts
• Handles and taps
• Worktop materials
• Splashbacks and tiles
• Lighting fixtures
• Seating and accessories

Leaving these decisions until later can actually be helpful, as it allows you to see how the overall design is coming together before committing.

Bringing it all together

The key to a successful kitchen isn’t just what you choose, but when you choose it.

By starting with the fundamentals – the space, the layout and the appliances – you create a solid foundation for everything that follows.

From there, the more visible design choices become much easier, and much more satisfying, because they’re built on something that already works.

Getting the early decisions right creates a foundation that everything else can build on – a kitchen that not only looks beautiful, but feels natural to use every day.

And if you’d like a bit of guidance along the way, we’re here to help at every stage – from those first measurements and layout ideas through to a fully bespoke kitchen designed for life.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should you decide first when planning a kitchen?

The most important early decisions are the layout of the space and the key appliances – and how the two work together.

Appliances are often underestimated, but they have a big impact on spacing, services and how the kitchen flows. Starting with these fundamentals helps avoid compromises later on and makes the rest of the design much easier to resolve.

What are the most common kitchen planning mistakes?

The most common mistakes tend to come from getting the order wrong – focusing on finishes before the layout is fully resolved, or leaving appliance decisions too late.

Other frequent issues include poor circulation, not allowing enough usable worktop space, and underestimating how much storage is needed. These are the things that tend to affect how a kitchen feels day to day.

 See more here: Kitchen layout mistakes (and how to avoid them)

What can and can’t be changed later?

The core elements of a kitchen – the layout, appliance positions, cabinetry and services – are difficult and costly to change once they’re in place.

By contrast, finishes such as colours, handles, lighting and materials are much easier to adjust later. That’s why it’s worth taking time to get the underlying layout right first, before focusing on the details.

Do I need a floor plan before designing a kitchen?

Yes – a clear, accurate floor plan is one of the most useful starting points when planning a kitchen.

It allows you (and your designer) to understand the space properly, including dimensions, openings and key features, and helps avoid missing important details early on.

If you’re not sure where to start, we’ve put together a simple guide to drawing a floor plan, including a checklist of the key measurements to include.