Starting a kitchen project in the new year: how to brief without drowning in tabs
3 January 2026 · Process
We see enthusiastic clients arrive with contradictory saves: rustic timber beside mirror-gloss slabs. Sorting priorities first saves weeks of circular design.
Three columns
Non-negotiables (appliances you own, structural quirks), aspirations (island seating, pantry), and nice-to-haves. Bring approximate spend and your target move-in or build phase, we map options to both.
Budget bands, not single numbers
A single figure without scope is meaningless. We work with lower and upper guardrails so we can show what moves when you add stone thickness, upgrade internals, or widen an island. That conversation is calmer than discovering late that one change ate the contingency.
If you are comparing firms, ask each what their number includes, survey, design time, delivery, installation, stone templating, appliances, and VAT all land in different buckets depending who you speak to.
From brief to first layout
We respond to a clear brief with plan options that test traffic, storage volume, and focal points. You do not need to know drawer counts on day one; you do need to agree what success looks like when the project is finished.
January enquiries often want work in spring or summer. Starting the conversation now secures design capacity and lets long-lead appliances and stone slots be held without panic in April.
Planning a project?
Book a design visit to talk through layout, materials, and timeline with our team.
Related reading
- Listed buildings and kitchens: consent, sensitivity, and modern servicesSkirtings, chimney breasts, and floor levels often tell the story of the house. How we work with surveyors and conservation officers.
- Kitchen renovation London: a sensible timelineFrom first survey to handover, a London kitchen renovation touches design, manufacturing, and site coordination. This is a practical order of events to plan around.
- What to bring to your first design meetingPhotos, rough dimensions, and a few honest notes about how you cook go further than a folder of unattainable Pinterest saves.