Choosing furniture for your kitchen

Our kitchens have never been busier. They are no longer just a place to eat but a real hub of family life where conversation happens, homework gets done, holidays are planned and games are played. A little bit of forward planning can help you get the most out of your space and make it work for you and your family.

Planning your space

No matter how big or small your kitchen is, thinking about how you are going to use the space before you start buying furniture is important. Measure your room first (remember to check access points as some furniture will arrive fully assembled) and don’t forget to allow space for drawers to be pulled out, chairs to be sat on, food to be served and room to walk around the table without having to squeeze past or bump into things. And if your room is small, think about furniture that uses vertical space well, such as tallboys and dressers.

Tables

At the heart of any kitchen is the dining table. It goes without saying that it needs to be strong enough to cope with modern family life but it also needs to be big enough for your needs. If your kitchen or dining room isn’t big but you still want to have family and friends round regularly, consider an extending table. In a range of sizes, they are ideal for everyday dining but open out, sometimes doubling their size, to accommodate extra guests. When it comes to space saving, round or square tables are a good choice too and can often be pushed to one side when not in use. Within our ranges of wooden tables you’ll find a huge variety of choice when it comes to size and design so finding the ideal configuration for your home won’t be difficult.

Chairs

A dining table is nothing without dining chairs to accompany it. Strength is important ( all our chairs are made using traditional joinery techniques), as is comfort, and it goes without saying that all our ranges of chairs, be they oak, pine or sheesham wood, look stunning too. All you need to decide is which will go best with your chosen dining table. You may choose a matching set or a set that offers dramatic contrast, such as our bonded leather chairs which are available in various colours. Some chairs are bulkier than others so bear that in mind when measuring up. If you buy more chairs than you plan to use every day, make sure you have room to store them without causing an obstruction.

Sideboards

A place for everything and everything in its place. Crockery, cutlery, table linen and kitchen gadgets inside. Cookery books, coffee machines and bread bins on top. Sideboards are so useful and versatile. Whatever space you need to fill, be it big, small, narrow or wide, we have a sideboard to suit. Think about what you need to store and whether you need more cupboard space than drawer space or vice versa.

Dressers

With their combination of drawers, shelves and cupboard space, traditional kitchen dressers are an ideal way to store and display lots of kitchenware, even in a smaller room where they make great use of vertical space. Choose a glass-fronted one if you want to show off your best china and glass and keep it dust-free. We have an extensive range of dressers, with clean-lined contemporary designs as well as more classic styles to suit any décor and any size of kitchen, all of which will hold a surprising amount of stuff to help your kitchen stay organised.