Have you had a look around your kitchen lately? If the paint is peeling, work surfaces scratched and the flooring has seen better days then maybe you should be looking at updating it and fitting a new kitchen.

If you don't really know the first thing about kitchen design then looking for a new kitchen can be a difficult task. Where do you start? You have to think about how much money you have, do you want to rip everything out and redesign the entire space? And the amount of styles, different designs, materials, appliances and flooring is immense. Maybe the kitchen doesn't look so bad after all!

Don't panic, just take it step by step and you will probably start to enjoy the challenge. The best place to start is to inspire yourself by looking at lots of home magazines or browse through some of the hundreds of kitchen design websites and identify the kind of style you prefer. Anything from rustic and traditional to modern and custom-made can be found and you'll get an idea of the materials used for worktops, storage cupboards and sinks, as well as an idea of price.

Once you know how much you can afford then measure up your kitchen to find out how much floor space is available. Try to be as accurate with your measurements as possible and make a sketch of the layout noting down the position of any objects that may affect the way in which you lay out the kitchen, these can include doors and windows, plug points, piping and boilers.

You now have 2 choices, you can either use the kitchen design software offered by most professional kitchen designers, this means you can sit at home and play around with the layout and design until you are bored of the whole affair, or have found something you really like. Or you can visit kitchen showrooms where they will come up with a design for you. Some companies will even offer to visit your home for a free consultation and design service.

Some aspects to consider in your design are the placement of your 'triangle' – made up of the oven, fridge and sink you may not have a lot of choice as to where they can go due to facilities already being in place. It can also add a lot of expense to move wastepipes, etc. Also consider how much counter space you require, whether you want a sitting area, and the type of flooring best suited for your household. There are plenty of other decisions to make of course, but these will beep you busy for a while.

You can find a lot of information online about complete kitchens and which worktops and materials are most hardwearing, non porous, etc. but if it all seems like a lot of hard work then get to the nearest kitchen design outlet and let them do all the work, you can still have your say.

Once you have an idea of the layout, you can start thinking about how to make it look visually stunning. This is where you choose all the smaller items, such as door handles, open cupboards or ones with doors, deep drawers for pans and customized for cutlery, taps and flooring – there are a lot of things to decide so don't rush into anything as once it's done you want a look that makes you smile with satisfaction every time you walk in the room.

If you need a loan to finance your home improvement then you can inquire about their payment plans and spread the cost of your purchase. You can either keep repayments low, spreading them over the maximum period, or make extra payments to shorten the life of your loan.

The main concern for most homeowners when choosing a new kitchen is durability. Installing a new kitchen is a big project, if you're going to make the investment you want to be sure the kitchen you choose is designed to fit your lifestyle, and will last for a very long time whilst still retaining its quality look.