This isn't a style guide or a list of tips. It's everything I know about kitchen design, from 8 years of designing kitchens and working inside the industry, all in one place. The things most people only learn once they've hired a designer, or once it's too late.
The money side
Australian cost tiers from entry level to premium, how to split your budget, why the contingency isn't optional, and the hidden costs, like asbestos, structural surprises and relocating services, that blow budgets.
The planning a designer does
How you really use your kitchen, the seven zones, L-shape, U-shape and island layouts, plus standard benchtop heights, clearances, walkways and island dimensions.
Appliances, properly
Cooktops, ovens, rangehoods, fridges and dishwashers compared, integrated vs freestanding, steam ovens and boiling water taps, where each one should go, and how to read a spec sheet.
Every finish, explained
Door materials and profiles, engineered vs natural stone (granite, quartzite, dolomite, marble and more), splashbacks, handles, sinks, tapware finishes and lighting colour temperature.
Inside the cabinetry
Board specifications, hinges and runners, drawers vs doors, wall cabinets vs open shelving, pantry layouts from butler's pantries to appliance garages, and the fittings that keep it all organised.
The industry side
The questions to ask a cabinetmaker, in-house vs outsourced manufacturing, what a quote should and shouldn't include, comparing quotes like for like, and what to confirm before you sign.