What are people looking for in their new kitchen?
Definitely clever storage, nobody wants to get on their hands and knees just to get something out of a cupboard. Pan drawers are now called pull-outs because they were never really meant just to house saucepans, everything from tinned food, crockery and small appliances can be stored in them. People want everything to be easily accessible, easy to keep clean and, most importantly, easy to live with.

What's the one area we should really spend money on?
Work-surfaces. They get a lot of use, in fact, they probably get the most use out of any part of the kitchen. It's definitely worth spending a little extra to get the most hard wearing materials to ensure they stay looking as good as the rest of your kitchen in ten years time.
 
 
Where can we save a bit of money?This is going to sound contradictory but, work-surfaces. There have been some serious advances in laminate work-surface technology over the last few years. I'm not for a moment suggesting that a budget laminate work-surface is going to be anywhere near the quality of granite or composite stone but, high pressure, metal or ABS edged laminates from Germany can really give them a run for their money. If you're wanting to save a bit of money, have a look at them.

What colours are trending at the moment?
Probably one of the most important bit of advice I can give is to ignore colour trends. Seriously. It's fine to go for this years big colour when you're buying a new coat, chances are that you'll only wear it for a few months anyway. When it comes to a new kitchen however you're making a big investment, one that you'll still want to be happy with in ten years. Think carefully before you listen to somebody on the television suggesting you decorate your home orange...it's going to get very old, very quickly!Go for a colour that you both like and can see yourself living with for a long time and if you want to be bold, think about doing so on the walls since it's not that expensive to re-paint them in a year or so. As far as the kitchen itself, White, cream, beige and grey still give big impact for little risk.

What advice would you give to anybody about to embark on a kitchen project?
Dont rush. Seriously, give yourself plenty of time. A new kitchen is a big project, one that you need to get right. Allow time to get the design exactly how you want, don't wait until two weeks before you need to have the kitchen fitted before making a studio visit. Talk to your builders if you're extending or building a new property, they'll need to know in good time the details of your kitchen plan and the locations of the services required to make it work. Remember that the average order time for a kitchen is 6-8 weeks after which, depending on the specification and materials involved, it will take 1-3 weeks to complete the installation. Finally, enjoy it, the journey to and the final result, your dream kitchen!