"A good kitchen always comes down to workability," says Chris Stacey, who works for the State's largest kitchen manufacturer Supreme Kitchens. Designing and building 2,500 kitchens yearly, the company understands a good kitchen is all about practicality with functional bench and storage spaces. "Some people concentrate on finishes and forget the design, you need space to cook and prepare food," says Chris. "I recently saw a kitchen that looked great with two-pack lacquered cupboards and granite bench tops but there was no space either side of the stove." (He recommends a minimum of 500mm either side of the cooktop).

When it comes to design, Chris says the triangle, which incorporates the sink, fridge and stove, has been overrated. "It is not always possible to do the triangle layout, some people insist saying they have to have the triangle otherwise the oven tower and the fridge are next to each other," says Chris. "But having the tall items together sometimes works better in certain spaces. For example, aesthetically it looks better and having the work area at the front is better for communication, as people are not always preparing food with their backs to the family."

Traffic flow and openings should be carefully considered. "There are kitchens that when the fridge door is open you have to wait to walk through, or the rubbish bin is under the sink and you have to step aside when washing up for someone to throw rubbish away." Chris advises to always insist on the best appliances you can afford, "Rather than just going for the basics, choose an oven with a timer, for resale it is definitely an advantage"

Interior designer Maria Gianquitto says people should first consider their lifestyle and the way they anticipate using their kitchen. "For example a bachelor may only need a small kitchen for heating up meals while others may want a big culinary kitchen," says Maria. "I go for finishes that have a long life. Keep things neutral and natural, it is costly to refurbish a kitchen later." Maria adds: "you can inject colour and fashions with bits and pieces like tea towels, paintings or kettles, or jazz up a neutral laminate with an interesting handle."

She suggests people set up a file of schemes they like. "It is important to get the colour scheme sorted in your mind long before the selection appointment since there are many important decisions to make".

Having just built their third home with Hickinbotham, Christine and Malcolm Bennett know a thing or two about kitchen selections. "I fell in love with the oven and the hotplate so the kitchen was designed around them, I was warned that I should never do it this way around," Christine says. "The best part was choosing the laminate and finding something to match the appliances which Emma, the Hickinbotham consultant, helped us do."

Christine says she was particular about her selections because they were building a home where they could grow old together and wanted everything to be just right. Hickinbotham encourages clients to visit its selection showroom to view appliances and finishes before schemes are finalised and plans signed.

Christine went further, she visited display homes to see how different colour schemes looked in real life and she also picked up interesting tiling ideas. The Bennetts wanted to add interest to their kitchen and included a wine rack above the fridge alcove, a lowered bulk head that follows the line of the kitchen, and a couple of different coloured kitchen doors that can be easily changed if they tire of the colour.