What is your absolute must-have for a great kitchen?

[BrandoraPaithwaite]

Getting the ancient, grubby, falling to bits kitchen finally ripped out and redone in the Autumn (Covid permitting).

Please help me plan an ideal kitchen!

It's roughly 4.5m square. Door to porch and back of house which we use as main entry/ exit to house. No scope to extend or have bifold doors. Family is 2 adults, 1 dc, dog and cat.

What is your absolute must in a kitchen? Or what have you got in yours that you couldn't live without?

All we have already decided is to have a range cooker in the chimney breast, a big cupboard near the door for coats and shoes. And no island unit or breakfast bar.

Thank you!

Pretty much everything Ginfilledcats has mentioned! Definitely an induction hob, not gas and absolutely an eye level oven. In fact 2 proper ovens.

One of those slidy tambour doors to hide toaster/kettle etc behind. I hate anything being on display.

Cupboards built right up to the ceiling. A pull out larder for lots of storage. Pull out bins inside cupboard. Lots of drawers for storage rather than cupboards.

I also want DP and DC to have their own drawer in the kitchen for their bits and bats that are always currently strewn.

Vape stuff, earphones, sunglasses, pencil case, crossword books, treasures collected on walks... put away... ahhhhhh

A separate fridge and freezer not an American style one. That way when one breaks you've only one to replace not the whole thing.

A KFC mega bucket holder.

No breakfast bar! Hate them and those high stools that you can't pull in once you sit on them.

Double drainer sink, i.e. draining boards on both sides - we don't have it atm, and the 'normal' work surface next to the sink (where we put dirty stuff that needs washing) is constantly wet and dirty.

Wine fridge.
USB charging ports
Huge island to sit at with a drink
Range cooker
American fridge freezer

OMG I just googled tambour door 😍

If you/DH are tall have cupboards set higher so worktops are higher. Have wall cupboards which go to the ceiling for extra storage space and no dust accumulating on top of cupboards. Have a floor to ceiling larder cupboard to store all food. Plenty of drawers and 800/1000mm wide deep drawers are so much more practical for storing crockery/pots & pans etc in than cupboards.

Eating area - that was the whole point of redoing our kitchen! And waist height ovens - would hate to have to get down on the floor to lift hot stuff out of the oven. Bright lights. Powerful but silent fan. Two sinks - One and half is enough for us. Large fridge. Would have liked a cold water dispenser but didn't want an American style fridge. And sharp knives!

Under cabinet lighting is brilliant

Tip - make sure you can get your fridge freezer into the room and don't have to end up getting a smaller one.

Plugs with usbs on them
Biggest fridge freezer you can fit in
Ice dispenser
Big worktop
Double or 1.5 sink
We have a range master and love it
Removable kick boards to hoover under.

Pull full height out larder
*We don't have a bin as the dog used to eat it- but yes a bin and recycling centre.

Things I have actually found useful and had space for:

• Ceiling height wall cupboards
• Pull out storage below the counter
• Some floor to ceiling units, preferably pull out
• A fridge big enough to store bodies
• Waist height ovens (two if there is space)
• Gas hob, the type with 5/6 rings including a central wok/hot plate burner
• Double sink
• Well designed lighting

Things I couldn't wait to get rid of from the original kitchen:

• Dust trap "open" shelving
• Areas of marble worktop (stains like hell)
• Under counter cupboards with were awkward to reach
• Tiny fridge
• Electric hob
• Crappy lighting which cast shadows over every area I was trying to use

The smaller frills are mostly personal taste.

One of those taps that gives you instant boiling water.
I want one of those.

I have the best of both worlds - 2 ovens with an induction hob and 2-ring gas hob above. I have granite worktops which I clean with washing up liquid and hot water - they shine beautifully!

Definitely somewhere to hide away food debris before taking it out to the bin.

Enough storage space so you don't have to have anything cluttering up the work surfaces - I mean a cupboard for the toaster, cups and mugs, coffee and tea caddies. I can't bear dust gathering clutter left out!

1. Waste disposal
2. Lighting, it needs careful planning so you don’t cast a big dark shadow when cooking
3. Boiling water tap
4. Fitten oven at eyeish level, so now bending down to use the oven
5. Easy to remove kickboards/no kickboards for easier floor cleaning
6. No clutter on the work surface

Fridge with double doors so you can see everything.

Pullout bin, so you can scrape everything directing off the surfaces.

Pull out wire drawers
Decent worktop. I wouldn’t have wood because it needs a lot of looking after.
Good task and general lighting

Good ergonomics/zones. Accessible storage.

Sorry, no range cooker in the chimney for me. A good deep wide work area right next to the cooker/hob is a must have for me, it's the part of the kitchen you spend most time at, I wouldn't want it surrounded by obstructions.
Honestly I'd think again if I was you. If you really want a cottage look, have some sort of canopy/mantel on corbels instead.

I have an induction job and hate it, would much prefer gas. We have cupboards that go right up to the ceiling which I like as no annoying tops to clean or get dusty.

A big table, a big fridge and a dishwasher

Pan drawers, so much easier to find things than in cupboards. Easy to clean splashbacks all round.

I would love a walk in larder, like in the old Nigella programmes. Wrap round shelving, with everything decanted into glass jars.

I would love a wok burner. I do a fair amount of stir frying, and my gas hob doesn't really get hot enough.

Do you mean a waste disposal unit SimonJT?
Aren't they bad for the environment? Most water companies don't want anything other than bodily fluids and loo roll in the sewers.