You're taking the exciting plunge of kitchen renovation. It's a thrilling, scary, amazing project - all at the same time. 

The kitchen, at the end of the day, is the Heart of the Home. Like it or not, it's where we spend a lot of our time, it's where the family gathers to share meals and tales of each others day, so it makes sense for the kitchen to be the focal point of your renovation project. 

As important as the look and feel of your kitchen is, it's actually important to make your appliance selections FIRST. Read on to find out why.

See, we are self aware enough to understand it's probably the look, feel and style of your kitchen you've already pre-determined and pre-dreamt of, which is great. How your kitchen will look and fit into the rest of your design plans IS important, however, here's a few things to think of.

• DO a browse of Spartan Electrical before you do anything in your kitchen creation journey. That way, you'll be able to get a feel of ALL of the appliances available in the market now. We will be able to run through colours and styles as well as functionality with you. For example, you're going for a beach-chic vibe and 'black' appliances won't work for you. We can show you the range of white, stainless steel or glass.

• DO decide what size you want your appliances to be. A crucial reason that appliance selection should come first in the kitchen creation journey. If you're a cooking lover and a big entertainer, a larger cooktop as well as a larger (or double) oven may suit your needs better. 

• DO choose between integrated or freestanding. When it comes to appliances like your new fridge or dishwasher, you may have the option to integrate your appliances. This means your appliances sit BEHIND matching kitchen cabinetry - a crucial element to decide on before the rest of your kitchen build or renovation. With dishwashers in particular, there's also the option for semi-integration, meaning the bulk of your dishwashers front panel will be covered by your kitchen cabinetry, with the control panel at the top of the dishwasher still visible.

• DO think about what is most important for you. It may be function and technology in the appliances themselves, or style and aesthetic may be the focus. There are a range of high-functioning technologically advanced appliances that will yield spectacular results. These appliances often look sleek and chic, but there's also often a whole other range of style-based aesthetically appealing appliances. These appliances are still great units which will yield great results, but the hero of them is usually how they look.

Keep in mind that ensuring you choose your appliances first when it comes to renovating or building your dream kitchen, will open you up to flexibility moving forward in the project. 

It's easier to let your builder, stylist or designer know straight up about the dimensions and specs of your appliances to the remainder of the kitchen can be built around these items.

When it comes time to creating your dream kitchen, there's a few approaches you can take to ensure ergonomic and spacial benefits. Stand in, and measure, your friends or families kitchens. Figure out exactly where you like your oven and cooktop to be in relation to your sink, dishwasher and fridge. Other tips to remember:

• Powerpoints! There's nothing more frustrating than not having enough powerpoints. Busy households and active kitchens have more than just the toaster and kettle on the benchtop. There's coffee machines, blenders, juicers, food processors, air fryers, phones being charged and so much more!
• Bench space! Do you have enough bench space on top or, or around your oven to place hot pans and trays that come out? If your bench space is limited, maybe a cooktop right above your oven isn't the best idea for you?
• Left hand / right hand! Most fridges have a left or right hand hinge opening option. As an example, if your fridge is to the very LEFT of your kitchen, you'd probably want a LEFT hand hinged fridge so that the fridge opens to the right and swings to the left. 
• Sink! Spartan also proudly carries a large range of high-quality kitchen sinks, but that's not why we've mentioned it here. Sink placement is very important. If your kitchen has an island bench, having the sink in the island might be a better move than it facing the wall. Dishwashers mean we spend less time at the sink nowadays anyway, but it's still nice to be facing outward than a wall.
• Dishwasher! If you've ever lived in a house with the sink facing the back wall and the dishwasher placed in the island bench, or vice versa, you'd know this is a massive pain point. After rinsing your dishes, being able to lean down right beside the sink and place them into the dishwasher is a great convenience. So keep in mind the placement of your sink vs your dishwasher.