to ask what KITCHEN mistakes you made?

[Albadross]

I needed this after the bathroom one - we're about to get a new kitchen (replacing the 90s disaster of worn chipboard and a cupboard you have to open the fridge to access).

love love love this thread. We are doing a major house renovation including kitchen and bathrooms so am off to the bathroom thread now. Our design includes

A walk in pantry/larder. I am in love with this. It will have pocket doors so can be closed off or kept open. have a bit of counter space in there too so I will keep all my appliances out of sight.

I picked out the most beautiful piece of granite for out countertops. I have only had laminate/crap up until now. It is grey/white swirls with tiny specks of purple. When I went to the granite showroom, it was like going to an art gallery.

Tons of lights.

2 bin pull out for recycling and rubbish. Have this in the house we are renting at the moment and I love not having a bin in the kitchen.

Extra small sink near the hob for draining pots

Some BEAUTIFUL kitchen on this thread! Envy.

Have moved from a flat with lovely kitchen to house with not nice kitchen.

Thing I loved from my old kitchen:

• Brown speckled granite doesn't show marks
• 1.5 sink that is deeper than normal
• Granite up stand so no manky seal
• Deep cupboards
• Tall cupboards
• Cupboards boxed in at the top so no manky top of cupboards to clean, plus cupboards that don't go to the top / aren't boxed in in modern low ceiling houses look stupid. Fact.
• Hob on island. Thought I would hate this but in fact liked it because nothing else was near like cupboards to get greasy and it was really sociable. Was quite a big space around the hob.

Things I woudl 100% have in addition to the above if doing my own kitchen:

• all pan drawers
• induction hob
• non intergrated appliances

Don't get an oven which opens to the side as opposed to downwards. We did and it swings into me and burns me every time I open it. Grr!

I didn't really think about handles and when the fitter asked just said for him to do as he thought best. So some are horizontal (drawers, dishwasher etc) and some are vertical (cupboards). One cupboard in the corner is difficult to open all the way as it bangs up against the work surface - if it had been horizontal then it would have been fine. It now bugs me and I wish all were horizontal. But as they are drilled I can't change them without changing all the doors! So look at your handles and try them out each way before you fix them on.