Kitchen Advice Please

[Casmie]

Well, mortgage has been approved and builder has been booked for the extension. We now have to go shopping this weekend for a kitchen while hopefully the January sales are still running! Problem is, I'm not really sure what to look for so was hoping for some advice from any new kitchen veterans.

Budget is limited but then so is space (won't be huge, but will be much more useable than it is now).

Thoughts for what I want out of the kitchen is: decent big fridge/freezer, sink with a waste disposal unit (either a 1.5 sink or double depending on how it plans out), light colours to make the room look bigger, wine rack, some sort of lockable cupboard for under the sink stuff, telescopic towel holder somewhere, easy clean surfaces, LOTS of cupboard space, space for a decent sized kitchen bin.

What other considerations should I be thinking of. No idea of types of flooring (in the budget range - easy to clean priority!). Don't know anything about worksurfaces and what the differences are. Generally want a clean, modern look without too many things on show (like to hide all the manky kitchen equipment that isn't going to get replaced for years!!!)

Primarily going to look in MFI, B&Q and Wicks... we won't be using fitters, the builder will install. Just generally fishing for advice on what sort of things I need to check/ask/be aware of so I don't just accept whatever some kitchen designer tells me I need!

[Blossomhill]

I think Moden (sp?) have a asale on as I saw it in the paper. Quite good deals from what I could see!
Flooring I would go for ceramic. So easy to clean and quite reasonable too.

[SoupDragon]

Flat doors with no panels to catch dust or grease.
don't get a stupid plastic white sink or you'll spend your life bleaching stains out of it.
Sensible corner cupboard carousel thingy
Big drawer for saucepans

[doggiewalker]

Keep the cupboard fronts nice plain and simple, you don't want any nooks and crannies that will just attract dirt and germs.

[Casmie]

Ooo... definitely flat doors, thanks for reminding me. Definitely no white sink - have one of those now, hate it hate it hate it.

Blossomhill: do you mean Moben? Aren't they the other arm of Dolphin Bathrooms? We have "issues" with them, so will probably avoid no matter how good the deal is, unfortunately

Kitchen will be long and thin with a door at the end, so technically shouldn't be any corner units...

[Blossomhill]

Yes I think I possibly did mean Moben - sorry !!!

Agree with flat doors as ours have grooves in and are a nightmare!!

[Casmie]

Had another thought - definitely want a double oven built in with separate hob - really miss that from my old house.

[Casmie]

Anyone heard of Kitchens Direct - are they any good and are they in the budget bracket?

[Evesmama]

howdens are very good in the north east..dont know if they have more branches tho?

[moondog]

Spent a long time kitchen researching (and then bought a brand new house so no need!)
Was pleasantly surprised at B&Q kitchens despite having to be dragged there kicking and screaming by dh as am a terrible snob. They had a great solid oak one a few months ago that I was going to have-very simple so it wouldn't date and reasonably priced.
Also IKEA do have some nice ones. My sister's still looks really good after 6 yeras, and my neighbours (whose house is very groovy and featured on a tv interiors programme)have a great solid wood one from them.

Yes, go for light colours. My last (bespoke) kitchen was dark blue/purple cupboards with slate floor and worktops. Looked dramatic and great on candlelit wintry evenings, but dark otherwise!

[CarrieG]

Builders coming in to start our kitchen Monday!

Kitchens Direct - I ordered a catalogue from their website. Never got one, but I did get endless sales calls - which continued for a couple of weeks after I'd told them loudly & clearly that I just required a catalogue, & had now gone off them as a company anyway!

[Casmie]

Oooo CarrieG - who did you go for?

Yes, have just done an archive search on here for Kitchens Direct. Maaaaaybe not!

[Casmie]

B&Q we'll definitely look at. Ikea is a bit too fiddly to get to from here - not sure that's really practical for us, unfortunately.

[CarrieG]

Ermmm...we're still deliberating whilst they do the preliminary stuff - we're having the cellar converted (existing ground floor kitchen will be my study ) so they've got a load of crap to deal with first!

Builder has been waving catalogue from Howdens under my nose - apparently he's installed them before & they're good - I wouldn't know, I'm completely out of my depth so I'm just vetoing dh's yen for white units (sticky little fingerprints!) & leaving the technicalities to him & the builder...!

[Casmie]

LOL... can you get yours fitted quick then let me know what they're like please?!

[CarrieG]

Right oh!

[shrub]

my neighbour has just installed a ikea kitchen - 'adel' in birch. looks lovely, very light, loads of cupboards, said it was very good value though don't know of price (yet!!)
just out of curiosity - have you just remortgaged for an extension? if so, could i ask how much an extension costs? we are about to apply to remortgage as we have no space - my third baby is due at the end of april and i'm going mad with tiny 1970's kitchen falling apart and just the living room for my 2 ds's to play in. was in habitat the other day and the 'oliva' kitchen was lovely

[WestCountryLass]

My SIL really hates the gap between the top of her cupboards and her ceiling, not sure if you have to ahve the gap but she uses it to store crap and it makes her kitchen look cluttered, otherwise it is a dust magnet.

Have you thought of MFI?

[Casmie]

CarrieG:

Shrub: Well we're technically getting 3 extra small rooms - single storey, 2.7m x 7.65m. Going to be around 22k ish (not including kitchen).

[essbee]

Message withdrawn

[Casmie]

WCL - funnily enough currently doing the MFI kitchen designer now, only I think I've broken it Look nice though - just need a ballpark figure.

[JanH]

Ask your builder about Howdens, Casmie; they are the trade-only arm of MFI (SIL works for them and recommends) and are supposed to be pretty good.

Agree about flat doors. Mine have beaded panels and the corners are full of grime. Also agree about white sinks, mine is that granitey stuff rather than plastic and started off very well but thanks to the men in the house it is now chipped and battered and has permanent brown spots in the bottom. Yuck.

[CarrieG]

Good point about the gap...hopefully we can get away without it given it's a lowish ceiling & dh & I are both v tall! Just looked at ours in current kitchen - it appears to be piled with old newspapers, a fondue set & a castle thingy that we removed from the fish tank some months ago...!

[JanH]

I hide packets of desirable cereal on top of mine.

[Casmie]

I have to say, we find our gap useful for spare cereal boxes too... and those cake tins you only need once in a blue moon but when you do...

[WestCountryLass]

I like the Limoncello MFI kitchen but the other MNers say panelled doors are a no-no, I also like the Maranello one - mind you, I am not into all that neutral tones baloney, I like colour in my life!