What should I include/avoid in new fitted kitchen

[salsamad]

Having a new fitted kitchen in the near future and Ive never done this before.
I feel a bit overwhelmed with all the choices for cupboards, units, surfaces, sinks, appliances etc. I was wondering if any of you had advice of things we should definitely include or avoid.
We are not having an island and there will be units across 3 of the 4 walls.
We have a square window and also French doors out to the patio, so plenty of natural light and a four seater oak table & chairs are in the kitchen too.
We are keeping our reasonably new tiled floor so having to match in that for cupboard colour/work surface. (Have attached pic of our floor tile).
We are thinking smooth shaker style door fronts in Matt finish but can’t decide on colour - just know we don’t want a dark colour.
Quartz or laminate work surface? Is using an eye-level integrated microwave more dangerous than one on the work top?
Glass or acrylic back panels behind hob or tiles or something else?
Stainless steel or composite sink?
Cooker hood - does glass on it attract more grease?
Integrated pull out bin - do they make cupboards smell?
Induction hob - are they worth the extra money?
Should we consider one company does it all or buy separately & get a fitter?
Any ideas welcome and any advice on companies to choose or avoid too.

I wouldn't get a gas hob again as it produces a lot of moisture when it burns so you needs really good extractor.

We’re considering ours at the minute and there are a few things I want to change that others really like.
Big pantry drawer/cupboard - we thought this was fab when we moved in until we realised that you can’t put anything heavy in it! It’s basically a pull out set of drawers but all on one set of casters and full length of the fridge freezer. The weight of the whole Tins and bottles are a no go, so it can only house cereals, kitchen roll, packets of pasta, crisps and spices. And that’s pushing it.
Built in microwave - needs to go. Too dangerous as it’s actually above our eye level so you can’t see anything cooking and the kids can’t use it.
Sink - we want one with a little extra one so you can drain pasta when the sink is full of washing up.
Splash backs - we’re going for glass as the stainless steel one we’ve got is scratched to bits and looks awful. And I hate cleaning tiles!
Flat smooth cupboards - every house we’ve lived in had some kind of patterned cupboard and they are just unnecessarily
awkward to clean.
Drawers - everywhere! So much easier to access the stuff at the back. That’s been a game changer for us. We’ve 3 large ones under the hob now and love them!

We’re going to work through where and how we want to store stuff and go from there 🙂

Not sure I would want an eye level microwave, we have one in our caravan and I am a bit wary of it in case it spits hot stuff into my face and wouldn't want to use one all the time, also it is difficult if you want to get a hot container out to stir it, the bench top ones are much easier for this.

Following, as we would like to update our kitchen at some point! Some good points here already, thank you!

Yes to integrated bin, but make sure it has several sections for recycling and non bits.

Remember power points - you’ll need more sockets that you think, plus usb sockets. Would a pop up charging tower be an option?

The electrics that supply it not all coming from the same source/fuse. So at least something should always work.

Watching this with interest.

Get your quartz from an independent supplier and not from the kitchen company. I was quoted £6k by kitchen company and have just bought one for £2.5k from independent supplier.

Worktop: I’ve “upgraded” from laminate to stone and while it looks beautiful I miss the workhorse quality of the laminate because you have to look after stone, and look after your dishes on it. Is your kitchen a workspace or a showpiece?

microwave: is chest level an option?

bins: just change them regularly and smells won’t be a problem. I love mine. We have four - glass, recycling, compost, waste. And there’s a small shelf above with space for bags, and small baskets for bulbs, batteries. They’re quite small bins so they need changing regularly and they’re beside the sink so any transfer of smells don’t matter.

sinks - steel is a workhorse, and the ideal material for a sink. Everything else is just silly fashion trends. But I’m saying that I have a ceramic Belfast sink that I love. I love it enough to keep it sparkling. But it’s not as practical as steel.

it is big enough to take oven trays, and hide the pots after dinner. I wouldn’t go back to smaller, or split sinks.

Induction hob - instead of what? It’s miles better than an electric hob. It’s not as good as gas but much easier to clean. It’s easier to damage than both of those options. Quality varies, and you will see benefits for paying more so it depends on budget too.

low drawers are a game changer. Get the kind you tap open with your foot. Drawer shelves in your food cupboard are brilliant too because you can just drop newer stock behind easily without any reshuffling.

sockets sockets sockets! Get the kind with usb slots. Put some over the cupboards if you want to put Christmas lights up there.

Corner sink was my best idea ever. Releases so much work too space for better use!
induction hob and big drawers also a win
plebty of plug sockets!

We're deciding on a new kitchen at the moment. We last did one 4 yrs ago at our old home and there are some things I'd do differently.

No to shaker inframe, dust collects in the cracks and the frame was a pain to get things in and out of cupboards. We're going for white gloss handleless next time.

No to solid wood worktops. They look amazing but needed care and attention. I want laminate or something equally hard-wearing.

Yes to tiled walls with no upstands, we overlayed the tiles at the hob with a clear glass splashback, great for easy clean.

Lots of sockets all over, we had too many but it was perfect.

I'd love a boiling tap but we have hard water here and I don't think it would last long.

I want an eye level cooker this time.

Rectangular sinks to be avoided - getting bits out of the corners is a total pain.

Drawers, drawers, drawers. So easy to get out plates and pans etc.

Never had a problem with in built eye level microwave.

Avoid integrated bins- whatever dirty stuff you've got on or in your hands means that you then get that on your cupboard handle and you'd have to constantly clean it.

Rather like swing top bins they're just not hygienic. Go contactless and just get a good pedal bin.

Things I miss and will have again money permitting....

I loved having a dropped window at my sink with extra wide worktop cut into the window shape so it felt much bigger. I'm short so I could see out too.

I loved having a decent waste disposal, saved so much mess in the sink.

Good hidden bin storage solutions are a must for me.

Getting an extractor that goes on an external wall. That has click and remove filter panels you can wash in the dishwasher.

Pelmet heaters that are connected to the central heating system.

Low level background lighting.

Decent tap with spray attachment.

Drinks fridge.

I also really like wide deep drawers for crockery, pans, cups. It's so much easier to pull oven a drawer and see where everything goes when emptying a dish washer.

Really good (the most you can afford) induction hob and separate double oven. It's worth spending on a good oven if you are a cook rather than a re-heater of meals.

Modern plug sockets with USB and USC ports in every one.
Also, enough plug sockets.

I've never bought a new fitted kitchen but from ending up with a few poorly designed ones I suggest you don't forget room for the bin (preferably hidden) and tiles splashbacks are hard to keep clean. Drawers are much more useful cupboards.

My fantasy kitchen has a corner larder because I have lots of baking ingredients.

boiling Water tap. The convenience is life changing

induction hob

spare integrated fridge if you don’t have a spare on in a garage / utility room

at least 1.5 sink. 1 sink is a total pain

all appliances integrated. Never looks good or finished to have the dishwasher and washing machine on show, it breaks up the lines

Big drawers are lovely if you have space for them to open and not be in the way... that sounds daft but our kitchen is quite small and the drawers open in front of the food prep area so there can only be one person using them at a time.
We upgraded our electricity supply to have an oven that cleans itself. My oven is beautiful.
A kitchen fitter/planner who cares. Our fitter made sure all our electric sockets where aligned with each other. I would never have thought of it but is looks really lovely.

Oh and kettle/hot water tap. We have a hob kettle on the induction. Faster to boil. Doesn't take up work surface and because there is no heating element inside there is no limescale build up.

Laminate worktops are fine - we have a newly installed laminate worktop in our utility room and modern laminate is much better than the stuff from the 80s and 90s

I agree. We have compact laminate as quartz was just too expensive and I’m very pleased with it.

We're going for white gloss handle-less next time

They will be covered in fingerprints. We went for matt with handles because of the fingerprint issue.
We have a glass splashback behind the hob, and it is so much easier to clean than the tiles.

Big drawers are lovely if you have space for them to open and not be in the way... that sounds daft but our kitchen is quite small and the drawers open in front of the food prep area so there can only be one person using them at a time.

We have a small kitchen, and I find the inconvenience of rummaging at the back of a cupboard much greater than asking DH to step back when I want to get something out. I have found base unit drawers a game changer.

We ended up with an induction hob by accident, having ordered a gas hob, but am getting used to it and am pleased with how easy it is to clean it.

I'd avoid a composite sink.
Stains very quickly and you need to keep on top of it

Yes, we have gone back from composite to stainless steel. All the kitchen suppliers we approached were more keen to sell stainless steel as well.

@AntsAntsAntsAnts

... our one big extravagance is that we have two dishwashers!

I've often wondered if two dishwashers would provide efficient storage in a tiny kitchen where standard cupboards won't fit.

Just had a kitchen fitted.

Don't get a stainless steel sink. Scratched very easily.
Quooker tap is excellent though expensive.

Quartz worktops are amazing.

DIY kitchens have a great online kitchen planner. Even if you are getting yours designed elsewhere, it's worth a look.

I had 3 designs done and they all looked the same, they just asked what I wanted and stuck some units in. No new ideas at all. With the planner I was able to see the different options available for every space.

EG I don't have a built in microwave but a cupboard with a space for an eye level one (with chopping board space at the side). I wouldn't recommend eye level if you have younger children but I love it.

Echo what others have said about drawers, so much more useable than cupboards. I only have one wall unit and it is directly above the dishwasher (by design) for ease of putting stuff away. The door cantilevers upwards which is absolutely fab as I was forever banging my head on top cupboard doors before. One thing I would add is a second dishwasher. It sounds like it is a space waster but is great. Alternating one is clean and one is dirty, so actually provides storage and only occasional use stuff has to be moved anywhere else.

Absolutely love my induction hob. I've used a few and some are definitely better than others. Because I live alone and have a smallish kitchen I have opted for a couple of single plug in units so can be totally cleared off the kitchen side if I want.

For those that have cupboards and are struggling with access to the back, you can get retro fit pull out wire drawers (like these from Amazon.)

Love my integrated pull out bins, including recycling ones.

I've gone for matt finish handleless doors, easier to wipe marks off a flat surface rather than cleaning handles to me AND nowhere to bang my hips. (Yes I'm accident prone and my kitchen is small). They also give a clean uncluttered look to my kitchen (or a neutral backdrop to my kitchen clutter)

Worktops - I've gone for laminate. Spare cash went on more useful things. I haven't got a water boiling tap but I love the pull out extension; it's useful for so much.

This link for the online kitchen planner