When planning your next kitchen renovation in Sydney, taking a sustainable approach does not always have to involve an entirely green space. Even minor swaps to eco-friendly items can significantly have a beneficial impact on your home’s energy usage and society!
Designing a sustainable kitchen isn’t about making fast changes to make your space appear fresh – it’s about making deliberate decisions to design and construct ethically. Resulting in a cooking environment that can endure everyday use for years to come while using as few environmentally unsustainable and damaging materials as possible.
Although the green trend for new kitchen designs isn’t just about sustainable building materials as it also extends to energy-efficient appliances and smaller aspects like everyday utensils and cookware! Overall, ensuring all kitchen elements are equally long-lasting, ecological, and ethically sourced.
At Dan Kitchens, we love going against the mass production trend, as every custom kitchen and joinery project of ours is locally produced and manufactured in response to the desires and instructions of individual clients.
So don’t fear the eco-friendly world! This article will help you get started on your road to sustainability with our easy-to-understand beginners guide into the world of sustainable products suitable for any kitchen renovations Sydney.
Why Build a Sustainable Kitchen?
There are several advantages to choosing a sustainable design over a standard new kitchen design for both your household and the environment!
No matter if you have a small modern apartment kitchen or a more extensive space, building and remodelling have a significant contribution to the world’s carbon footprint. Instead, by opting for energy-efficient appliances and eco-friendly construction materials, households can save on monthly operating expenses while consuming fewer resources and producing fewer greenhouse gases in the environment.
Plus, a sustainable kitchen made with longer-lasting and durable materials will survive longer than a non-sustainable design. With a sustainable new kitchen design, you frequently choose higher-quality over lesser quality, resulting in better performance and a greater lifetime with cheaper running, repair, and maintenance costs.
Start Your Kitchen Renovation Sydney by Researching Sustainable Materials and Products
The most efficient way to start your kitchen renovation is to do your homework early on and consider the carbon footprint of the products and materials you want to use. It is critical to evaluate the energy and resources utilised to manufacture a product and its energy efficiency when in use.
Sustainable kitchen materials have environmental, social, and economic advantages while conserving the environment over the material’s entire life cycle – from raw material manufacture to installation and final disposal. Let’s have a look at some examples of sustainable kitchen materials.
Eco-efficient new kitchen designs also consider where the product/material came from. Products sourced from overseas will have a significantly larger carbon footprint than locally made materials and products. Another reason you should buy Australian!
What is the Best Sustainable Kitchen Benchtop Material?
Some of the most excellent kitchen benchtop materials to utilise are those made from recycled resources. Materials such as aluminium waste, post-industrial plastics, and even paper are transformed into unique and eye-catching benchtop materials.
In particular, Dan Kitchens clients can select melamine/laminate benchtops which may not sound sexy, but they are made with wood chips that may otherwise have gone to waste!
Another option is stainless steel benchtops which are 100% recyclable. Timber benchtops are also a highly sustainable alternative but must only be used in specific applications for longevity (i.e., away from water sources).
What is the Best Eco-Friendly Lighting?
The lighting industry has seen a massive transformation recently, with a growing number of energy-efficient LED alternatives reaching the market and halogen lights set to be phased out entirely by the end of 2022.
To light up your new kitchen design, consider LED lights, which have a projected lifespan of 10,000 hours longer than ordinary incandescent bulbs, making them much more sustainable and well worth the cost. Note that this figure is not entirely accurate, as cheap LEDs can lead to significantly shorter lifespans. Therefore, it is best to pay a little more to get quality LEDs!
What is the Most Crucial Energy-Saving Kitchen Appliances?
Modern technology allows energy-efficient kitchen equipment such as refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, washing machines, and dryers to consume substantially less energy than previous appliances and tapware.
Energy-efficient appliances have high star ratings and are purposefully designed to consume as few resources as possible, including water and energy, while operating effectively. Since refrigerators and dishwashers consume the most energy to operate, they should be your first priority in your sustainable kitchen renovation Sydney.
Furthermore, induction cooktops are a fantastic alternative that provides all the efficiency and functionality of gas cooking but is less environmentally harmful than gas. Induction cooking has no impact on air quality in contrast to gas cooking. Especially when paired with a solar system and battery, going electric will save your household a lot of money and produce a minimal carbon footprint.
Sustainable Kitchens Also Encompass Efficient Designs!
While selecting eco-friendly materials is a significant first step towards designing a sustainable kitchen, the layout and planning of your new kitchen design can also contribute to a minor environmental impact.
Making deliberate design decisions to scale down and use a space wisely reduces the demand for additional resources in your kitchen renovations Sydney.
Therefore, sustainable kitchens should be constructed to precisely what a household requires and nothing more. Aiming to eliminate unnecessary space is particularly critical in a small modern apartment kitchen, where every inch should serve a purpose to the homeowners.
For example, incorporating clever design features that emphasise the effective use of space in your area, such as opting for drawers rather than cupboards, are more space-efficient and assist in improving storage. Or consider unique corner units to make the most of every nook and cranny.
Being more sustainable can often be as simple as utilising aspects of your old kitchen that are structurally sound but merely need to be sanded and resealed. After all, the greatest approach to preserving resources is to use what we already have.
How Does Dan Kitchens Ensure Sustainable Kitchen Renovations Sydney?
Dan Kitchens ethically sources the best joinery hardware from specialist manufacturers since 1984 and have used the same Sydney based stonemason and electrical contractor for over 25 years.
Industry knowledge and contacts garnered over years of working closely with leading architects, builders, and specifiers have greatly expanded Dan Kitchens’ ability to satisfy sustainable new kitchen design briefs.
Clients benefit from Dan Kitchens’ extensive list of eco-friendly suppliers and associated specialists. Including expert sound and lighting engineers, furniture and fabrics suppliers, timber and hand paint specialists, stainless steel fabricators, and other hard to find, quality specialists.
Built in 1988, Dan Kitchens premises’ house an adjoining production facility that features highly precise CNC machinery & manufacturing equipment and a state-of-the-art heated spray booth system. It is home to a highly skilled team of cabinet makers and installers, many of whom have been with the company for more than 20 years. Quiet and unassuming achievers, fiercely proud of their craft, their hands create and bring the projects together.
Ready to get your sustainable kitchen renovation in Sydney started? Speak to the expert kitchen design team at Dan Kitchens and get the premium designer look you desire, as well as all the functionality you expect from a high-end kitchen.
If you want sustainable kitchen inspirations, browse our kitchen gallery for more! Dan Kitchens have highly experienced luxury kitchen designers and manufacturers with an unrivalled reputation for Sydney’s expertly made kitchens and joinery.
Whether you need a large contemporary kitchen renovation North Shore or a modern apartment kitchen renovation Hornsby, visit our luxury kitchen showroom to see how the finest craftsmanship and exceptional new kitchen designers, coupled with high-quality materials and finishes, can transform your kitchen into a luxury oasis. We offer a fully project managed service, from an initial concept and manufacturing right through to installation. Call us today on (02) 9624 2344, discover how Dan Kitchens uses Danish principles to design impressive custom kitchens.