The kitchen is the heart and soul of a home for many and is a room which we spend a lot of our time in when at home; making our morning cup of tea or coffee, preparing lunches, cooking dinner and also a place to socialise with friends and family.

Therefore, when designing a kitchen you want it to be as efficient, comfortable yet stunning as possible, but where do you begin?

- Before you start your big project, you need to ensure you have access to what you want, what you can actually have and what will work best for you and your space. Be sensible about the decisions you make and be realistic; if you have a very small kitchen, then as nice as an island may be it simply won’t work.

- Understand what ‘new’ vs ‘remodelled’ means. You may want a new kitchen but this doesn’t necessarily mean needing to tear out every last scrap of your existing one to replace with a brand new one. Instead you can rework what you already have with paint, new worktops, and cupboard doors or perhaps splash out on some new appliances. You will be surprised what impact a few decorative changes can have.

- If you’re on a budget, fear not. Kitchens can be one of the most expensive renovations in a home, and even when attempting it yourself it can become costly. Quality does not always come with a high price tag though, so make sure you do your research on the materials and finishes you are looking at and compare the price to what you get and the overall quality. You will find that some of the more affordable products that sit nicely within your budget are the best option for your new design.

- For those that like to get stuck in and attempt some of the work themselves, consider taking a back seat and hire a professional team of kitchen fitters to do the work for you. You can browse showrooms for kitchens in North Wales, the North West and other parts of the UK for inspiration and you can enquire about having a team of kitchen fitters and designers come into your home and help you out.

- Once you have a great team behind you, you can start designing your kitchen. Firstly you should take all the necessary measurements and continue from there. We have a great article that shares tips for measuring your kitchen, which should help you decide which appliances should go where and also the height of cupboards and worktops to prevent any damage to your back in the long run.

- Lastly, once you have the kitchen you dreamed of you then need to stock it with your entire collection of cutlery, pots and pans, plus everything else your previous kitchen hosted. However, don’t overcrowd your new space as this will defeat everything you have just completed. We found another article which shares some great tips on how to work with a small kitchen, but this also provides some useful tips on how to store your items efficiently to save space.