Kitchen must haves and mistakes

[ladywithnomanors]

I’m in the process of buying a house and will be having new kitchen. I’m worried about making any expensive mistakes and don’t want to regret layout, appliances etc.
For example I put oak counter tops in my last house and while I loved the look of them , I won’t be getting them this time as they mark too easily and have to be maintained. Also I found the position of my oven partially blocked a door when in my previous kitchen.
What do people regret having? And anything they didn’t have they wished they did ?
TIA

Things I didn’t like:
-induction hob. Gas is so much better
-second sink and tap in kitchen, rarely used, one more thing to clean
-shiny black things, water spots and fingerprints all the time
-ornate cabinetry, dust and grease get in the cracks and curly queues

Things I loved:
-two ovens
-pyrolitic oven
-fridge with ice maker and water dispenser
-counter space
-drawers
-pull out larder
-tap where the nozzle pulled out like a hose
-large island
-cupboard for mop, broom, dustpan and brush, vacuum
-insinkerator
-underfloor heating

I love (unlike @whirlyhead!):

Built in bean to cup coffee machine
Built in microwave

Don't like:
Standalone electric cooker

Will be replacing:
Slimline dishwasher with a big one

Plenty of sockets
Large sink with large drainer
Dishwasher/sink should be close to the dish/utensil storage area
Boiling water tap
Large gas hob
Eye level electric ovens (slide n hide doors if there is limited space)
Good lighting, natural and otherwise
Good flooring
Storage to put appliances out of sight (cluttered worktops look awful, worse when appliance colours don't blend with the kitchen colour and style)
Think carefully about cupboard storage and shelf height if you have particular size jars and containers that will be placed in them. And to store larger pots, pans and ovenware. Oven tray storage near the oven helps. We have ours under the oven.
Lots of worktop space
If you have high kitchen cupboards, think about what will go in them and how they will be accessed.

Black sinks are also a no, soap marks etc

I don't get that, things go to either the dishwasher or the sink not both.

Things we really like about ours:
Deep pan drawers
Under cabinet lights
Quooker which also does normal hot water quicker than it coming from the tank, also with a pull out house
Range cooker - I’ve never had an eye level oven and don’t see the appeal.
Non integrated bin with motion sensor opening, saves having to keep opening a cupboard and frees up cupboard / drawer space
Spice drawer
Extra wide cutlery drawer
Large single sink - we had large and small in our previous kitchen and this is so much better
Tall cupboard for stick vacuum (socket inside) and mop
Plenty of counter space

When we did our kitchen about 5 years ago those appliance cupboards which sit on top of the counter leaving just a narrower part in front were all the rage, I am SO glad we didn’t do that, we choose attractive but good appliances (dualit toaster etc) and keep them out, looks nicer than all bare and far more flexible on space.

We have oak worktop on our breakfast bar where we eat and work, it’s warmer and plates / cutlery don’t clatter on it, and quartz for the preparation worktops as wood =gets damaged more easily there.

A hanging rack for pans. I never got why you would do this, think dust and hygiene, until we moved into a house with one. It’s so easy when cooking. I use a much wider range of pans too as it’s easy to get the most appropriate one. I’d have another in any new kitchen going forward

large single sink - big enough for your biggest roasting pan

insinkerator

Quooker

Induction stove

Good, well thought out, dimmable lighting, so you can make zones bright or dim it right down for eating (if you'll be eating there)

Good extraction fan

Drawers

@whirlyhead What are you doing to your taps!? 😅I don't think I've ever had one break.

@EasterDecoration

Non integrated bin with motion sensor opening, saves having to keep opening a

I do not recommend this for anyone with a retriever type dog. Guess how I know 😆

4 compartments bin cupboard, makes recycling easy https://binopolis.com/products/hailo-euro-cargo-4-compartment-90l-recycler-dark-grey-600mm-door?_pos=2&_fid=086ad4221&_ss=c. And I love the motion sensor underneath, perfect when you’ve got dirty hands https://binopolis.com/products/hailo-libero-3-0-electronic-sensor-opening-system-with-optional-alexa-voice-control

A strong, ceiling fitted, vented extractor fan, we have something like this https://www.neff-home.com/uk/en/mkt-product/extractor-hoods/ceiling-installation/integrated-ceiling-hoods/I95CAQ6N0B

Dekton worktops, so easy to clean, no maintenance and very durable.

Drawers underneath all worktops

You need to think how you use your kitchen - a good guide is what annoys you about your existing kitchen. Get rid of that. Then get cheap nice to have things like extra sockets. I don’t think you will ever wish you never had an extra wide cutlery draw over extra wide drawers. Or a bin drawer. Or a place to unstack the dishwasher next to the dishwasher etc. Design for life.

the cats haven’t worked ours out

Lots of good stuff above. I would add:
Decent lighting above food preparation areas.
Not too much distance between oven and hob. Carrying a tray of roast potatoes or Yorkshire puddings between hob and oven is a fraught business in our kitchen- far too much floor space to cross! I’d much rather have the oven next to the hob (but not underneath).

I have two single ovens stacked on top of each other. I asked the fitter to have them lower down so I reach the top one easier! I have a small drawer at the bottom for oven trays and love it!
Find them much better than one double oven :)

A wish I had a bigger sink. It's deep but not wide enough.

Hangjng rack definitely the way to go.

Drawers drawers drawers!

I love my conventional oven door as I often baste things resting on it (don't like telescopic oven shelves) and miele doors as rated to support up to 25kg.

Other things I love are my quartz worktop and the dishwasher whose door pops open to let the steam out at the end of the cycle.

I have a posh tap and love it. it is an object of beauty and I can turn it on and off when I've got dirty hands with minimal fuss using my hopefully non dirty wrist.

I store baking sheets and trays and cooling racks upright like books in a cupboard over the oven. So much easier to get things out than if they are on top of each other. I’ve got a slatted cooling rack that they stand in to stop them sliding down.

Agree! I never thought about it til I had a kitchen with one and it was brilliant. You also avoid that slightly musty smell from when someone puts a pan away and it's not perfectly dry, because they dry out in the open.

Would also say, open shelves not high cupboards. They're so much easier to keep organised, you don't lose things at the back, and they make the whole room look lighter and nicer.

Instead of a pull out bin drawer (reduced volume, expensive, hard to clean around) Leave the undersink cupboard free of drawers and shelves and buy normal flip top bins for waste/recycling but leave the lids off.

We have just finished a renovation on a derelict home where it all needed to be new:

Recommended:
-DRAWERS everywhere
-Plug sockets. Get double what you think you'll need! It's amazing how many things plug in. Kettle, toaster, air fryer, pressure cooker, slow cooker, mixer, blender or just charging phones. I often bring my laptop into the kitchen to follow a recipe too.
-We have floor to ceiling cupboards which means no dust/cleaning on the top and extra storage for lesser used things in the top cupboard
-Got a softener at the same time. Ours is in the utility, but if you don't have one, consider a cupboard for one
-We had the space for an island, but decided on a peninsular. It meant a wider space on one side and made the kitchen more airy and open
-We didn't get these in the end, but you can get plinth drawers to add extra storage. You need absolutely flat floors though. https://www.drawerboxes.co.uk/PBSCProduct.asp?ItmID=27528016&AccID=104018&PGFLngID=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwp7jOBhDGARIsABe7C4eam4KT3PEBgFsSTSTaSS0eSkdiXAOIGZm1YhQc00ox1cWIXnazyn8aAo8pEALw%5FwcB&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=1010349331&gbraid=0AAAAADmxohWCaZGK0GTMRXziTk%2DSa98tt
-We bought an integrated fridge/freezer. I know people worry if you need a replacement, it just won't fit. We have it at the end of the run, so if/when it dies, we can remove the integrated part and just replace with a freestanding one. We also have an integrated microwave. Same idea, when it dies, IF we can't find something to fit the slot, we will just put a freestanding one in the hole.

Regrets:
-We have a butler sink. The one thing I really wanted was a basket in the plug hole, so it collects food debris etc and can be tipped into the bin. I never thought to actually measure the plug hole! Ours seems to be half the circumference of any other one I've seen and only 4cm wide. With the basket loosely in, it won't drain at all if it gets the tiniest food debris in it. Without the basket- it drains marginally faster. Get an 8cm plug hole size!
-We didn't get it, but agree with NOT getting hanging pots/pans on display. You'll see show home pics with beautiful, often brass, matching pots hanging above the island. In reality, they are awful IMO. MIL has this set up. Her pots/pans are well used, some are greasy, collect dust and hair and its the focal point for flies to land on and fly round in summer- and no, she doesn't wash them before using them. I'm 168cm (5ft6) and always bang my head trying to do food prep on her island 😡
-Our pull out bin is within the cupboard. The concept is brilliant. That and the corner cupboard mechanics were from an Italian company, but the bin drawer I hate. There is a 30cm gap above the bins of wasted space (before the underneath of the worktop) which could have been filled with taller bins. Above the bins, is a flimsy piece of plastic. If 1, tiny bit of anything touches it, the entire plastic shit lid falls off its runners. I can't store anything on the lid and its just a wasted space.

Black fridge freezer and washing machine there, they show up dust and fingerprints so much. I wish my bin cupboard was a bit bigger to accommodate “normal” bin sizes. I had to hunt to find something that would fit.

One thing I really like that I’d do again is the oven is at a height where I don’t have to bend down to look in it or open it. I don’t mind losing that bit of counter space as it’s way more convenient, safer for kids and has storage above and below for baking dishes and tins

I love real wood worktops - our oak worktops have taken on the patina of a life well-lived and I love all the marks on them. We just scrub ‘em with washing up liquid and don’t fret about spills or stains - they’re still clean because most wood species are naturally antibacterial.

We've also got a couple of sections of reclaimed marble worktop and the same applies. It came out of a 300 year old farmhouse - with all the marks of history on it and I never worry about being all prissy over it. The idea of a surface being something you have to be careful with is an anathema to me.

I can’t imagine spending thousands on a kitchen and it delighting me even a tiny bit more than the one we’ve built from reclaimed materials. It’s totally unique and will never date either. It’s cost less than two grand, excluding appliances.

this chap on YouTube has good advice https://www.youtube.com/@kitchinsider, I liked his idea of a space tower instead of a pull out pantry

Smooth cupboard fronts without ridges, they just gather dirt.
Think about the lighting. I can't see the cooker hob very well because the ceiling light is behind me and dh wouldn't agree to have any task lighting put it in.
Plenty of plug sockets.
Above counter wall cupboards that reach the ceiling to save you cleaning the tops all the time.
Where you will position CO2 alarm if that's where you need one.
Flooring without ridges so not tiles.

Ha I came on here to say avoid oak worktops, but see you have experienced these! EVERY time I sanded & applied the oil, some fucker was guaranteed to come along to make a sandwich.

Appliance garage - despite the wanky name id love one of these. Our toaster & air fryer live in a cupboard as I hate cluttered worktops.