To ask what one thing you’ve done to a new kitchen that you can’t live without

[LaPampa]

Finally planning our first kitchen and looking for ideas from people who’ve done it before - What’s the best thing you put in or chose in your kitchen? (Or indeed, the worst)

The tap installed through the sideboard and cut into the windowsill

Pan drawers. Lots and lots of pan drawers.

Oh and pan drawers.

We are having a new kitchen which gets delivered next week and fitters start the following week. We decided we could not do without a dishwasher but are moving from freestanding oven to built in eye level oven with the slide and hide handles and combination built in microwave and grill above plus induction hob. Could not do without our waste disposal either. New things going in are tall pull out larder and deep pan drawers. All appliances integrated to give smooth lines and quartz worktop with profile lighting under them and plinths.

After many years of a completely crap kitchen I now have my perfect one.

Favourite bits are

walk in pantry with shelving, larder cupboard, counter tops for small appliances and a door that shuts. My kitchen is utterly clutter free as a result.

Filing drawer in one unit so I can put away all the paperwork (if you are younger than me you probably have gone electronic though)

Spray tap (standard in the US and I don't understand how people do without them

Upper cupboards go up to ceiling (with crown moulding) so no cupboard tops to get greasy and dirty.

Huge island with the nicest granite I could afford. prepping and serving food is so easy. It also has built in bookshelves for my cookery books

Two separate big sinks - one near the stove for cooking and one near the dishwasher.

Two ovens. Only thing I wish I had was a warming drawer.

I love to cook and make dinner every night but I honestly think if I didn't have a dishwasher I'd live on takeout.

Would you get wall cupboards up to the ceiling to maximise storage space? I suspect the top shelves would only get cluttered with useless gadgets (such as DH's Simpson's Donut Maker).
I'll never reach the top shelves myself so it seems pointless and possibly making the kitchen look even smaller than it actually is.

I went up very close to ceiling and then finished with crown moulding but mostly because I hate the way grease gets trapped on top of cupboards in a kitchen. I love that look. I use the top shelves for things like appliance manuals (basically one shelf is everything we got with the renovation), seasonal stuff, stuff we barely use and things I want to hide from the kids/dh. I wouldn't think it would make the kitchen look smaller - maybe sleaker?

oh the only other thing I wish I had done in my kitchen is put in a flat narrow drawer that you can use as a horizontal spice rack. Had one in our rental house and it was so much easier to see the spices etc when they were laid down flat.

I could talk about kitchens forever :) :)

We have small shelves on the walls about midway between the worktop and the underside of the wall units. Brilliant for grabbing spreads for toast or herbs etc when cooking.!

Cupboards to the ceiling (no, I can't reach the top shelf but I put things up there tbat don't get used often and have a set of small steps in my understairs cupboard for when I do need to reach them) Worth it for the extra storage space and no sticky/dusty cupboard tops to clean. Also stops unsightly storage on the top.
Corner cupboards where you can open both doors to access the whole space - far more useable space than a carousel or sliding shelves.

Ordered and paid for new kitchen yesterday.. Eek...done it diy kitchen so very anxious it will fit.
Dishwasher a must, bin cupboard as dogs get in the bins, wine fridge and lots and lots of pan drawers and a bookcase unit

I have a very tiny kitchen,(after having a Hugh farmhouse type one).So trying to maximise storage and keep counter space clear.
Will be planning properly soon.
On my wish list is and induction hob again as I am finding gas a pain and hard to clean.A slimline dishwasher.Oven with shelves that pull out so that don't burn myself,also has to be under counter due to space.Drawer under for tins.
I want cupboards up the the ceiling but not long ones so that I can have a shelf underneath for things like ceramic jars of tea,coffee,pestle and mortar,mugs ,timer,salt and pepper mills etc.I am now going to work out where I can fit a pull out larder.I have 2 dead corners so will have carousel in one and those slidey out baskets,so that all the reusable containers,baking tins can be organised.I will also not have plinths but have baskets under the base cupboards.
I have no idea about counters as have only had wood before but feel this kitchen is too small.Had a corian sink before but the bottom got spoiled by the bowl so will not have that or stainless steel.I also have no idea about cupboard doors as I have never has wall capboards before.
The downstairs look has had to go to make room for the washing machine and tumble drier with shelves for large jars of flour,pasta etc,catfood,painting stuff,generally anything that can't fit in the kitchen.

I love my walk in larder. I can bulk buy offers and always know I have somewhere to store them. Space for hooks for large pans not used everyday, area for storing cleaning supplies, shelves for jars, tins, packs of pasta, rice etc. Space for 24 packs of bottled water, full trays of cat food tins and other larger items.

Dishwasher is top (love it so much I won’t book a holiday home that doesn’t have one)

Induction hob
Pan drawer
Shallower drawer above the pan drawer under the hob which houses all our kitchen utensils (used to have loads of things like big spoons, carving knives, rolling pin out in vase type holders on the worktops)
Larder cupboard
Island with 2 bar stools.

Freestanding fridge (freezer is under counter one in utility room)

Only the dishwasher is integrated. the fella who drew up our plans said “oh you just need a small fridge under the counter for your regularly-used bits, you could put a fridge freezer in your utility.” I laughed at him. My mum used to have an integrated under counter fridge and you could hardly fit anything in it. She used to have to traipse outside to her separate utility room so much. Complete waste. She re did her kitchen and rejigged so she could fit a fridge freezer in. Although personally I wouldn’t have had integrated like she did because the actual storage space is smaller than a freestandif one.

We had a random space that our freestanding fridge freezer goes in. Perfect.

My kitchen is almost 10 years old and I still love it as much as when it was new. I don't have any of the fancy gadgets or clever storage. But when I chose it, I thought very hard about how I actually cook, and how I wanted it to look. I can't imagine ever wanting to change it, tbh. Every so often I do try to work out a way of fitting a dishwasher in, but I'd have to sacrifice something I really love or something absolutely essential, so I don't.

If you have an island, get power installed - we didn't, big mistake, extension cord and trailing wires I trip on!

Reading all these I would note it depends on your kitchen size! Mine is pretty big, so a range cooker, American style fridge freezer, separate utility room and dishwasher were my "essentials" they would not have been with a galley kitchen.

Pull out larder cupboard - if I was doing it again I'd have two I love it that much! Drawers especially deep pan ones. Dishwasher. My kitchen is long so I went for a range cooker and an American style fridge freezer.

As it's an extension the ceiling isn't as high as the rest of the house so I went for full height cupboards. Mainly because I knew my tall ex would put stuff on top of shorter ones and it would look messy.
the one thing I avoided, despite one kitchen designers ideas, was glass doors. One I hate cleaning them, two I'd have to keep them tidy.

Definitely a dishwasher I couldn't be without it, it's only a slimline one but that's all I need even as a family of five. Drinks/wine fridge not an essential but I love mine. No wall cupboards, its opened up the space as my kitchen isn't very big. I also have an induction hob and love it.

Quooker
Bin cupboard
Larder that houses microwave & toaster - keeping my lovely quartz worktop clear
Decent sized freezer

Double fridge freezer. The space was massive in our kitchen, much bigger than any American fridge freezer I could find. So we have two fridge-freezers facing each other, known as a pigeon pair, so it looks like one giant unit. Somehow it’s usually full, too.

pretty sure you're all thinking about this in entirely the wrong way...

My kitchen Essential is...

Gin

Filtered water tap!

Swisscave wine fridge best decison ever! (in utility room)

Pull out corner cupboards; they swivel out & use all the dead space

Pull out larder cupboard - especiallyy good for shorties like me!

I wish I had installed a water filter.

A water filter for whole house in utility room. No more limescale or soap scum or hard water or descaling. We use less detergent, I don't clean shower screens any more. We've had it about 8 years and it's fantastic.
However, it comes at a price in that you have to have a seperate drinking filtered water tap.

wink1970 I've just looked up swisscave wine fridges and I want one!

Walk in, open shelf pantry with worktop and dishwasher and my fabulous range cooker with 7 gas burners and 4 electric ovens. Love it!