text: Kitchens sell houses. They are the heart of the home, the hub of dinner parties and usually the ‘debrief of the day’ meeting room. So what makes a great kitchen? It’s a balance between a warm and inviting design combined with practical efficiency. After judging the kitchens on The Block last week and taking into account what buyers look for in a kitchen, property buyers expert Frank Valentic gives his tips for ensuring great kitchen design. Activity based design: . The key to ensuring the practicality of your kitchen is to zone areas of the kitchen based on activities e.g. food preparation, cooking, clean-up etc. with storage for those activities within those zones. These areas need to be easily accessible to each other and flow well (e.g. food preparation near the cooking area etc.). There’s no use in a pretty kitchen when your preparation area is on the opposite end of the kitchen from your stovetop. Bench space: . This is one of the most common bugbears when buyers are looking at kitchens. Enough bench/counter space is crucial not only for food preparation but also for serving when entertaining. Scroll down for video . There was plenty of bench space in Dea and Darren’s kitchen on The Block . Storage space: . Plenty of storage space is essential and you need to find a good balance between design aesthetics and practicality. Take into account what’s most important for you in terms of storage, as I recommended a Walk-in pantry vs a Butler’s pantry, consider whether having extra space for preparation and a large area to hide your appliances is paramount to you or whether a larger area for food storage is more vital. Judge Neale Whitaker said Dea and Darren's kitchen 'didn't have their usual the flare, confidence or pizzazz' Sufficient lighting: . As the Buyer’s Advocate Jury discussed when viewing Josh and Charlotte’s kitchen, it’s not an area of the home that you can get away with the ‘bare bones’ when it comes to lighting. For the purpose of safety in food preparation and cooking, good lighting is paramount. Specifically in the preparation, cooking and cleaning areas, it’s essential to have good quality lighting. Josh and Charlotte’s kitchen lacked lighting above the benchtop according to Frank Valentic . Splash backs: . In the cooking and cleaning zones of the kitchen, splashbacks are important and while design is also important, it shouldn’t be at the expense of practicality. Try and find a good medium between something that looks great but is also low maintenance and easy to clean! The judges were shocked that Josh and Charlotte's had overlooked lighting over the bench top given Charlotte's food styling background . Ventilation: . Akin to the bathroom, the kitchen requires great ventilation so ensure you have a good quality range hood and windows that can be opened. Valentic says there was 'great ventilation' in Tim and Anastasia’s kitchen . Tim and Anastasia had a range of issues this week with their kitchen, mainly due to it not being their original design, the couple were shocked with the largely positive feedback from the judges . Flow on: . The overall design of your home really needs to come into play when designing a kitchen. The flow between the living areas, specifically dining areas and the kitchen are important. As we mentioned when judging Jess and Ayden’s and Tim and Anastasia’s kitchens, a kitchen with a flow on to an outdoor entertaining area is very much in demand at the moment and a huge plus for buyers. Jess and Ayden’s kitchen had a 'great flow' on from the living and dining areas . Ayden and Jess were able to edge ahead of their rival teams to pull off their second room reveal win and add $10,000 to their kitty . Valentic's example of a kitchen at 12 Kyarra Street in Hampton that would attract buyers' attention . Frank Valentic gives his tips for ensuring great kitchen design . In the end, Dea and Darren’s kitchen for the Buyer’s Advocate Judges showed the best balance between design and a practical layout. While a kitchen is a very personal area of the home, make sure to take into account re-sale when renovating so that it doesn’t affect the value of your property when you re-sell it. However, if The Block: Triple Threat judges were the buyers this week, they would have walked away from each of the team's apartments without placing an offer. Judging trio Shaynna Blaze, Neale Whitaker and Darren Palmer were all left largely unimpressed by the kitchens delivered by the Blockheads on last Sunday night's episode. The lacklustre performance, in the eye of the judges, meant that Ayden and Jess were able to edge ahead of their rival teams to pull off their second room reveal win of the series and add $10,000 to their kitty. The judges were shocked that Josh and Charlotte's had overlooked lighting over the bench top given Charlotte's food styling background. Tim and Anastasia had a range of issues this week with their kitchen, mainly due to it not being their original design, the couple were shocked with the largely positive feedback from the judges. Meanwhile, Whitaker said Dea and Darren's kitchen 'didn't have their usual the flare, confidence or pizzazz'. The living area, dining room, and kitchen flow onto the outdoor entertaining space .
target: Buyers expert on ‘The Block’ gives his tips on kitchen design .
  Frank Valentic takes into account what buyers look for in a kitchen .
  Bench and storage space, splashbacks and lighting are key factors .
  Along with ventilation and flow on and activity-based designs .