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

Agree with having a pull out larger. No hanging rack-use deep drawers.Wheh it’s finished, line the cupboards and drawers for ease of cleaning. In one house we had a very narrow cupboard near the cooker for spices.

But DO have them in a soft water area. I never wanted black granite but it was already there and too heavy to change, and now I love it. It looks as good as the day we moved in 10 years ago and is so easy to keep clean with a sponge and all purpose cleaner, followed by a wipe with a tea towel. Nothing scratches or damages it.

You need a clear surface near the oven to put down hot tins safely, and to have the sink on the same stretch of counter as the hob. Keep the washing machine away from the cooking area. Think about where people will be walking past and avoid these being places where you'll be dealing with hot pans to avoid accidents. Leave plenty of space to open cupboard doors. Don't put a table in the middle of the work area or you'll be constantly walking round it to fetch things. Have a window you can open to let out steam, don't rely on cooker hoods which get filthy and don't remove the smells as well as a window.

Our cooker hood is far more effective than the open window and the filters go in the dishwasher, the rest just needs a wipe. Get a high-powered externally vented one over tje hob (I wouldn't have a hob on an island for that reason but I wouldn't want one there anyway).

I agree with making sure you won't have to keep walking round a table or island. We have the fridge freezer to the left of a section of counter and the hob on the right and it makes it so easy to get things in and out as you prepare and cook.

Love - drawers for almost everything, full size double sink, cupboard with drawers for most appliances (mixer, rice cooker etc), pull out bin with 4 compartments, sink next to dishwasher, pull out cupboard with spices and oils etc next to fridge, range cooker. Hot tap.

don’t love - stupid little pull out rack for putting tea towels in a cupboard. Never used! Charging station for phones in cupboard - everyone including me uses the plug on island! Pull out larder - really tricky trying to access. Drawers in cupboard would have been better.