At the turn of the last century, kitchens were considered the bowels of the house where servants toiled, and into which family rarely – and guests never – entered. Today the kitchen is the nucleus of the home, where families congregate to cook, consume and converse.

Le Corbusier, the father of modern architecture proposed that the kitchen should be on the top floor of the house – to eliminate odours, and clearly had little interest in the culinary arts himself as his summer cabin didn’t contain a kitchen.

The concept of the kitchen triangle, where the sink, refrigerator and hob are laid out, is said to be the ideal configuration to ensure a kitchen runs efficiently. The University Of Illinois School Of Architecture developed this and 30 other kitchen principles in the 1940’s, which have today become industry standards, and deal with everything from work aisle widths for multiple cooks, to disability guidelines. See starcraftcustombuilders.com for the full list.

“The key to a well-designed kitchen is harmonising functionality with a unique, welcoming design,” says Micheál Cusack of Creative Wood, in Mayo.

Aoife Bushell of Bushell Interiors in Dublin agrees. “Function, storage and lighting within an aesthetically pleasing layout are the most important factors.”

If budget does not allow for a new kitchen, consider painting the existing cupboard doors and replacing the handles or knobs. Using tiles as an alternative to counter tops can be inexpensive way to update the style.

If you are on a tight budget, look for creative solutions rather than the cheapest kitchen on offer.

According to Ger O’Brien of OB Woodcrafts in Cork: “A flatpack kitchen may seem good value but you pay for what you get. Install a proper carcass and you can change the doors or have them re-sprayed in 10 years if the kitchen looks tired.”

“The same can be said of appliances. “If your extractor fan sounds like a tractor, the decibel reading on the appliance will give an indication of its volume, so research is important.”

For larger budgets the possibilities are endless. Gordon Ramsey spent €630,000 on his kitchen, in 2012, with a €67,000 Rorgue Oven taking centre stage.

For pure decadence – or possibly insanity – the Fiore di Cristallo kitchen by Claudio Celiberti will set you back €1.3 million, but for that price one would expect the kitchen to come with a personal chef.

One way to acquire a quality kitchen with high-end appliances is to consider buying a floor model. Bushell Interiors in Dublin are selling their floor displays, and the black and white Allmilmö kitchen, which normally retails at €64,000 is now €29,070, including €16,298 worth of appliances.

McNally Interiors in Dublin is also offering ex-display models with savings up to 70 per cent and an option on discounted appliances.

Philips are investigating the possibility of a microbial home, taking composting to the extreme, where the kitchen is an integrated ecosystem in which waste products from one process become energy inputs for another. But for the foreseeable future you may have to make do with your local joiner.