Compare your layout, working heights, storage and finishes, then ask ELS to check the appliances, services and details against your room. Each decision below says what you are choosing, what it changes in daily use and in the build, and what to do next. Compare the options, note your preference, then ask ELS to test it against your room. A preference you note here is not a confirmed specification until it is measured and agreed.
10 decisions to settle in this room3 available now7 require consultation
3 of these 10 decisions have their options set out on this site. 7 require consultation with ELS.
The ten decisions that shape a kitchen.
01 · Kitchen layoutAvailable now
Kitchen layout
Design conceptGalleyPlan: two facing runs with a 1,500 mm aisle as drawn, no cornersDesign conceptL-shapedPlan: a 1,800 mm run turns along the side wall, one cornerDesign conceptStraightPlan: one 4,200 mm run on one wall, no cornersDesign conceptU-shapedPlan: runs on three walls, joined at two corners
About this decision
You are choosing the shape of the run: straight, galley, L-shaped or U-shaped. The shape sets how you move between the sink, the hob and the fridge. Whether an island or peninsula joins it is a separate choice, because it also needs floor space around it. Next: compare the shapes, then the island, and ask ELS to test your preference against your room's measurements.
Everyday problem
Groceries, washing, preparing, cooking and clearing up can all want the same few metres of worktop.
Useful comparison
Compare the order in which groceries arrive, are stored, washed, prepared and cooked, and where two people would stand.
Still needed
Landing surfaces, door swings and walking routes, and what changes when two people cook at once.
You are choosing how separate the cooking is from the rest of the home: a dry kitchen only, a wet and dry kitchen connected, or a wet and dry kitchen enclosed. Enclosing the wet kitchen keeps heat, smoke and smell in one place; opening it up shares light and conversation with the living and dining space. How open the whole kitchen should read is best settled in conversation. Next: tell ELS how you cook, and plan it together.
Everyday problem
The kitchen gets hot and smoky while you cook, and the heat and smell reach the rest of the home.
Useful comparison
Compare how much of the cooking is shut in, and read cooling, extraction and the air path together, not one by one.
Design conceptSink · bin · dishwasher flow Visual reference
You are choosing how the work is laid out: the sink, bin and dishwasher run for clearing up, and where the hob and fridge sit in relation to the sink. A split across the aisle means carrying wet plates across where you walk; a continuous run does not. Next: compare the clean-up sequences, then ask ELS to plan the rest of your work zones with you.
Everyday problem
A bin that sits in the way of the sink or the dishwasher door gets moved, or goes unused.
Useful comparison
Compare a planned spot for loose bins with integrated bins in a cabinet, and where each one is emptied from.
Still needed
Actual bin sizes, lid opening, the path for taking them out, cleaning access and clashes with the sink plumbing.
04 · Cabinet quantity and heightRequires consultation
Wall-cabinet height
Design conceptExtended 900 mmDesign conceptStacked top box (720 + 300 mm)Design conceptStandard 720 mm
You are choosing how much cabinetry the kitchen has and how high it goes: base units only, base and wall units, full height, or up to the ceiling. For wall cabinets four measurements matter, and none stands in for another: the carcass height, the underside height above the finished floor, the gap between the worktop and the underside, and the shelf reach the person who cooks can actually use. Carcass height alone does not tell you whether the top shelf is comfortable to reach. Next: compare the wall-cabinet heights, note who will use the shelves, and ask ELS to check the underside height and the gap against your measured room.
Everyday problem
Someone ends up bending to wash up or stretching to reach a pan, because a height was set for the cabinet and not for the person.
Useful comparison
Compare working positions for the people who cook and wash, then reconcile them with the appliances and cabinet modules. Heights you hear quoted are examples to try, not specifications.
Still needed
Finished floor level, the actual users, sink depth, hob and pan height, appliance openings and cabinet module limits.
You are choosing the finish on the cabinet fronts. HPL, PET and a wrapped PVC-profile front are compared side by side. The finish is what you see and touch every day, and it is chosen before fabrication, because changing it afterwards means remaking the fronts. Melamine and timber-veneer fronts are not compared here. Next: compare the three, bring a sample of the colour you like, and ask ELS about any other finish.
Everyday problem
Fronts that mark easily or are hard to wipe turn cleaning into a daily chore.
Useful comparison
Compare HPL, PET and wrapped PVC-profile fronts for wiping, wear and edges, and hold a sample of the colour you like beside them.
Still needed
The actual finish, edge detail and warranty for each front, and physical sample approval.
Next
Bring a sample of the colour you like.
Compare cabinet front finishes
06 · Worktop and backsplashAvailable now
Design conceptWorktop Material Visual reference
About this decision
You are choosing the worktop material, its thickness and edge, and what covers the wall behind it. The thickness feeds the finished worktop height, so it is fixed before the cabinets and the appliance openings are. The backsplash is decided by zone, because the wall behind the hob and sink works harder than the wall behind a dry pantry. Next: compare the worktop first, then the backsplash for each zone, and check your tile or slab sample against the worktop.
Everyday problem
The line where worktop meets wall is where water, grease and crumbs collect.
Useful comparison
Compare a sealed junction, an upstand and, only for a solid surface whose maker publishes the method, a coved detail. A coved detail in one material does not show that quartz or porcelain can be built the same way.
Still needed
Material compatibility, fabrication method, heat clearances, joints, cleaning and replacement requirements.
You are choosing what is inside the cabinets and how they open: adjustable shelves, full-extension trays, inner drawers or vertical dividers; how the corner cabinet works; and whether wall cabinets open on hinges or lift up. The inside decides what you can reach without emptying a cabinet; the opening decides what clears the worktop and your head. Next: compare the interiors, then the corner and the opening, and use the cabinet tool to note your preferences.
Everyday problem
The things you use most end up at the back, at the top or in a corner you have to empty to reach.
Useful comparison
Compare drawers, shelves, pull-down storage and corner solutions inside the same cabinet envelope.
Still needed
Reach, operating force, usable capacity, rated loads, clearances and replacement parts. Name the actual component, material, load rating and warranty: the word stainless alone says none of these.
You are choosing how the appliances sit in the kitchen: where the built-in oven goes, gas or induction for cooking, and where each unit is placed for comfortable use. Integration depends on the exact model, so the units are settled before the openings are fixed. A comparison for refrigerator integration is coming soon. Next: compare the oven placement and the cooking energy, then plan your actual units at the appliance tool.
Everyday problem
A dishwasher added later needs an opening, water, a drain and power that were never planned.
Useful comparison
Compare fitting one now, allowing for one later and not needing one. Width alone does not decide whether a cabinet can take a dishwasher.
Still needed
The exact dishwasher model, or a documented future allowance: opening, floor levels, hoses, power and removal access. Compatibility is not confirmed until the actual model is checked.
The sink's support and leak protection are compared. A standard, workstation or smart sink, and a standard, pull-out or rain-curtain faucet, are also options, but that comparison is for ELS's StayReady rental package and assumes a landlord choosing a rental fit-out, not a homeowner. Next: compare the sink support and leak protection, and ask ELS about your own sink and tap.
Everyday problem
A sink that is moving, or has blocked or leaked before, needs its outlet, fall and access checked before the cabinets are fixed.
Useful comparison
Compare sink supports and leak protection, and what you can reach if the trap or an isolation valve needs attention.
Still needed
Existing outlet location, feasible pipe route, trap, access and the plumber's assessment. The fall is set on site by the plumber.
You are choosing the light, the power points and the water supply that the cabinets and walls have to be built around. Lighting runs from general light, to layered ambient, task and accent light, to cove and cabinet LED; power points from a standard layout to a planned one to dedicated circuits; water from reusing the existing lines to a fully planned supply to every fixture. All of it is decided before the walls close, because moving it afterwards means opening them. Next: note your preference for each, and ask ELS to plan the points against your layout.
Everyday problem
Appliances that run together can overload a circuit that was planned for sockets, not for how you cook.
Useful comparison
Choose the appliances that run at the same time, not only the number of sockets you want, then compare power-point layouts.
Still needed
Exact appliance ratings, circuit requirements, isolation, outlet locations and electrician verification, plus access to the lighting driver and the hood filter.
An example only. It shows how the parts fit together for one kitchen. It carries no price and is neither a quotation nor a package nor a project.
These are scope-based offers without discounts. Each service can be bought on its own.
1. Design decisions (ELS Studio)The ten decisions on this page, taken in order. Each group is recorded on an A4 sheet that you approve.
2. Relevant ALUMAX products, by familyCabinet fronts, the quartz worktop, frames and glass, flooring and a wall panel, by family. No price, and no product is bound to this example: exact products and prices are ALUMAX's to confirm. ALUMAX supplies and installs its own products where commissioned.
3. Specialist materials (ELS Source)A specialist component is checked before the design is frozen. In a kitchen that can mean recessed lighting or cove lighting, a shadow-gap trim, a handleless (Gola) profile with its end caps and corners, or a floor transition profile.ELS Source is a related supply and retail service. Suitable alternatives may be used if they meet the specification. Supply is subject to suitability and quotation. Explore ELS Select at ELS Source.About ELS Source
4. Optional ELS+ workDelivering the agreed works, with scheduling, quality checks and handover as set in your proposal. Optional, and commissioned separately.About ELS+
5. Inclusions, exclusions and assessment requirements
Included in the example
The ten kitchen decisions, recorded on approval sheets.
The finish roles of the style you choose, as published reference selections.
A list of products by family and of specialist components, with who supplies each.
Not included
Any price, range or discount: a written quotation sets them.
Any product bound to an exact reference: ALUMAX binds those.
Supplier verification and sample review, which have not been done for the published references.
Site works, unless you commission ELS+.
Specialist components, unless ordered by quotation.
Assessment needed first
Site measurements and finished levels.
The water, waste, electrical and gas points.
The exact appliance models and their ventilation needs.
The condition of the walls, floor and ceiling.
Concept study — not a photograph of a completed project. ELS's visual review reads it as the style's reference roles; order-specific finishes and samples are confirmed in your approved specification.
Product list
Cabinet reference Melt White (HMMJ00059) + Napa Grain (HMMJ00056) (illustrative finish — published reference selection)
Worktop Pure Grey (illustrative finish — published reference selection)
Hardware not identified, Specialist profile none identified
Responsible supplier ALUMAX for its products where commissioned; ELS Source for specialist components
Does the outcome you want fit the module you chose, or does it need an ELS+ infill, a ceiling adjustment, a service void or a custom component? ALUMAX supplies the module it quotes; ELS assesses the fit. Not every module can be modified.
Where one is needed, ask ELS to set out its effect on access and usable storage before you approve it.
Price: to be quoted.
Four checks before we specify your room
These are four questions to settle with ELS before a specification is written for this room. Each example below is for this room, and each link opens the decision it belongs to. They are prompts, not an inspection.
Air and heat
Where does heat or stale air collect, and how does it leave?
Enclosing a wet kitchen keeps heat, smoke and smell in one place, so decide where the hood goes and how it vents before the cabinets are fixed. Built-in appliances also need the gaps their exact model asks for.
A preference is not an approval. This is a decision aid for this room, not a promise: it lists what is still open and who checks it within the scope you commission. Nothing here is a condition for asking ELS about your room.
What to decide
Why it matters
What is still needed
By when
Who verifies it
The exact model of each built-in appliance.
Openings, ventilation gaps and the services behind them follow the model, so they are settled after it.
The model chosen, and the maker's installation sheet for it.
Before fabrication or ordering
ELS
The named product supplier, for its own product's ratings and instructions
Where the hood goes and how it vents.
A hood needs a route out, and walls and ceilings are closed over any route that is not planned first.
The hood position and the route it takes through the wall or ceiling.
Before the walls are closed
ELS
Your appointed trade, for its own work on site
What the drawers and wall cabinets will carry.
Heavy items load drawers and wall fixings differently from light ones, and hardware is chosen against the load.
A list of what goes where, and the hardware and fixing the supplier names for that load.
Before fabrication or ordering
ELS
The named product supplier, for its own product's ratings and instructions
How the sink base and its valves are reached.
If the connections are boxed in, servicing or replacing them may mean taking the cabinet apart.
The sink and waste positions, and where an access opening or removable panel goes.
Before fabrication or ordering
ELS
Your appointed trade, for its own work on site
ELS verifies these against the information you supply, within the scope you commission.