Live alone? Tell me about your kitchen

[buckingfrolicks]

I'm having a new kitchen. I live alone and will do henceforth.

So do I really need ...

1. A big fridge freezer
2. A dishwasher
3. A tumble dryer
4. A double sink

Kitchen designers keep telling me I do, but I'm not convinced. It's a small kitchen and I want it as spacious as possible not rammed with stuff I don't use.

But I also don't want to regret not having eg a double sink!

Not the double sink

When I lived alone, I did like a fridge freezer because it meant I could bulk buy/cook and then not have to bother during the week if I was working.
I would also say yes to a dishwasher as long as you have enough plates and cutlery to make it worthwhile.
No to tumble dryer and double sink.

Having a dishwasher cancels out the need for a double sink. Guess it depends on if you ever sell on to a family if you need a big fridge freezer and tumble dryer

Either you want a double sink to cope with all washing up or a dishwasher. Do one of them is not going to be used. Don’t have a dishwasher as just me and take more than week to fill it.

How do you dry clothes at present? More cupboard space might suit you better.

I have fridge and half size freezer on top it is tiny next time I will get a proper sized one. Least then when I cook I can freeze meals to make it worth while.

I don’t live alone now, but when I did I would have wanted all of these except maybe a dishwasher. Although now I have a dishwasher, I wouldn’t want to be without!! Maybe you could have an under the counter fridge with a freezer in the garage? Although depending on the layout a fridge freezer doesn’t actually take up any more space than a fridge it’s just taller.

I guess you could think about whether you will always live alone, or if you plan to sell up and move fairly soon too.

Definitely wouldn’t have a dishwasher. Do you have enough room elsewhere for hanging up washing to dry indoors? Tumble dryer in 1 bed flat = godsend, in a house with a spare room = waste of kitchen space

Get a slimline dishwasher. If you get a full size it won’t fill quickly enough so you’ll end up running it half empty.
You don’t need a double sink.
I’d get a tumble dryer and a fridge /freezer.

Yes to a freezer to put leftovers into and yes to a dishwasher because otherwise it's always you doing the washing up. I don't think the tumble dryer is necessary easy enough to line dry and big stuff can go to the launderette. The dishwasher cancels out the double sink.

You should be getting your design done first by someone independent then shop around with one plan and buy from wherever you like. Don't let a salesperson plan it!
@oneplanonhouzz is the person you need in your corner.

That's really really helpful.

Yes to slimline dishwasher
No to double sink
No to tumble drier (do have spare rooms for drying)
No to fridge freezer (don't batch cook).

Yay! Job done. Thanks!

One and a half sink? I use mine all the time, and I have a dishwasher too.

Ok, so you don't batch cook but do you not need anywhere to store the ice cream?

I have a single sink but a washing up bowl that leaves space to - say - pour hot or dirty water down the side. So it works like a double sink but isn't one. Sink and bowl were from Ikea and bowl is rectangular rather than round, it's great.

I live alone and have an annoyingly small galley kitchen. No dishwasher, no tumble dryer, no double sink but I do have a fairly large (tall) fridge-freezer.

Fridge-freezer is certainly useful for buying things on multibuy offers etc. I wouldn't get one of those wide American style ones but a tall one is useful and doesn't take up any more space than a shorter one would do (unless you only plan to have a small under counter one?).

I don’t batch cook but still need a freezer. What about always having a loaf of bread in and some milk? Ice cream? Left over food that you can pop into the freezer and eat another time?

I also have a dishwasher and tumble dryer but no double sink.

No to all of them. I have a 1970’s apartment and I don’t have any of those things and have more than enough workspace and convenience.

I'd die without a one-and-a-half sink.
Yes to slim dishwasher.
No to dryer.
Yes to a fridge freezer, but make it a sensible sized one like 5ft tall - you need somewhere to keep the icecream and ice cubes and frozen peas (in case of knee injuries), and it also gets the fridge part up off the ground and much easier to find things in. Being solo you can get one with thicker walls which means better insulation and cheaper running.

You can get a half sized drawer dishwasher

When I lived alone I had a smaller than standard fridge freezer it had enough of a freezer for those occasions I needed one- sometimes just to stop meat going off! I had slimline dishwasher and definitely only single sink

I have a small fridge freezer and definitely use it
No tumble dryer
I would like a small dishwasher and a one and half sink

One and a half sink v useful.

Get normal sized dishwasher - same price and you can fit large pans in there etc. Slimline is no cheaper really. Only if you have absolutely no space would I get a slimline.

Don’t bother with huge fridge freezer.

Tumble drier occasionally useful?

I have a table top dishwasher, I'd say get a small dishwasher,m you can get table top ones that can become fitted and you can also get ones with 2 drawers, you can use both or one so you may only use one but if you sell onto a family it will still be an asset.

As for worktops/counters v double sink, do you cook? Do you cook a lot? What do you cook? If you do a lot of baking you might need more counter space.

Big fridge freezer - no, but would want a small freezer section to freeze ice cream, keep a pizza, add some extra leftover soup/bolognese or whatever

Double sink - nope

Dishwasher - yes, get a slimline. you can easily fill a slimline every 2 days alone if your adding 3 meals worth of stuff, odd pan, mixing bowl, small chopping boards. Saves clutter on the side also.

Tumbledryer - I wouldn't get a separate one, but look to replacing your washing machine with washer dryer in future when it breaks. They are handy to dry bedding and towels in winter.

Definitely yes to the dishwasher & tumble dryer.

Not sure about the big fridge / freezer - depends if you'll be batch cooking or not? I probably wouldn't if it was just me.

Double sink not needed.

Not on my own now but before when I was I had dishwasher , dryer , 11/2 sink , medium fridge freezer , range cooker , used everything lots except for the 1/2 sink , just a waste of space , so now I'm in a relationship and a new house I just have a single sink , currently don't have a dryer and wish I had , I use local laundry instead as hanging clothes all over the place is too untidy for me