Kitchens crucial marketing tools

With the housing market in a sorry state of affairs, sellers are looking for ever more inventive ways to push up the value of their homes and increase their appeal to buyers.

With this in mind, National Home Improvement Council (NHIC) director Andrew Leech has advised that "kitchens and bathrooms in particular are the real marketing tool of the house".

"I think they are crucial," he told Adfero.

"People are very aware of whats current and whats not so current. They look for trends.

"Stainless steel is already a big fixture in kitchens, but people are more and more aware these days of the direction in which trends are going."

One major trend is to build a stylish glazed extension around the kitchen, extending it to allow more workspace and extra eating space with a view of the garden.

This also allows light to flood into the kitchen, enriching the cooking experience