Can you help me to plan my new (small) kitchen?

[extremelychocolateymilkroll]

This is very exciting. We are finally getting a new kitchen. Have never been able to design a kitchen where I have lived before so a bit heady with the thrill of it. We have a small space - rectangular shape 200cm x 300cm but it?s quite a high ceiling. We were going to have a split level oven and hob and I had forgotten about getting a hood extractor so that will take up more space but it's probably going to be more efficient with space to have the hob above the oven. Also, even though I do bake quite a bit, I wonder how often will I be bending down to look at the oven to make it vital to have a split level arrangement.

Because the ceiling is high the units can be tall but I guess it's not going to improve access as I don't think you can get larder style cupboards which start above the work surface. I suppose the best thing to do is get the Lakeland add a shelf solution. We are planning to get pull out deep drawers on the lower units and a carousel for the corner unit.

The other thing that is bothering me is where to put the bin. At the moment, as there is very little space on the floor, we have a carrier bag hanging on the door which is obviously not a great solution. Ideally I'd like a sensor type bin in a unit without a door so I could get to it easily but this seems to be very difficult as the only space we'll have will be under the sink. Also, I'm not sure where to put the recycling which is currently a plastic bag stuck on top of the dishwasher.

We're also planning on getting a sliding door to maximise space. Has anyone ever done this and if so did it allow much noise through? TIA

Best thing to do is go to the DIY store (Wickes/B&Q/homebase etc all do this) and ask for a free kitchen design, they will help you plan the space onscreen and suggest units that will work there.

Sliding doors do not maximise space really. Do you need a kitchen door for fire reasons? Why not just an opening?

I have an IKEA kitchen which I love - it has high wall units and you design it yourself - simples!

Go onto the IKEA website, and you can use a programme that helps you to design your own. Obviously, if you're not getting an IKEA kitchen, just choose similar units etc. You can then get 3D images from all angles , scroll around and print yourself off a plan. IT was brilliant when we were doing ours.

Thanks for such swift responses. Will definitely check out the IKEA website but I think we're going to go with a medium range John Lewis kitchen. With them you have to decide upon a range of units and basically plan it yourself before the planner comes out.

Re. the sliding door, we live in a small flat and if I'm in the kitchen would usually have the radio on and dh would have the tv on in the adjoining sitting room so we would need a door. I thought if we had a sliding door that slid into the wall that would save space - just not sure if it would be practical and how sturdy the door would be.

How exciting, a new kitchen! I remember the heady days of planning our own tiny kitchen redesign - was about to tell you about their planning tool but I see LoopyLoopsHulaHoops has beaten me to it. Might be worth a bash even if you're planning on a john lewis kitchen as it really helped us visualise how things would look.
My main aim was to get a dishwasher in, no matter what else. We found a slimline one from indesit and worked backwards from there! I would have loved to put in a sliding door but we ran out of cash. Instead the DH re-hung the door so it opened into the living room rather than into the kitchen - is that an option for you?
Ikea do all sorts of clever bin solutions to fit under the sink too. Though we had a 'mare with the delivery of the kitchen we purchased from them - loads of tiny bits missing. Think we ate meatballs every night for a week, with the number of visits we had to make back to the store...
My final tip would to not put in a dark worktop like we did. I've regretted it as the room is so small it really needed a warmer/medium colour.
Good luck!

Thanks topsmart. It's interesting what you say about the work surface. We're planning on getting cream units to make the kitchen seem bigger but planned on a darker - maybe grey - work surface for contrast with the units. Are your units light coloured and if so do you not think that a contrast of colours would look better?? Currently thinking about Corian as cheaper than Granite, tougher and no joins.

Ah, corian, lucky you!
We went with cheapo basic worktop (I presume is laminate MDF or somesuch) as we knew we wouldn't be living here all that long and budget was tight. We've got glossy white units and the worktop is black. Didn't realise how dark it was until in situe - thought it was more of a grey! Duh.
Also we picked chocolate coloured flooring. Contrast is nice, but my next-door neighbour has v similar units and a wooden worktop and it looks gazillion times better. Maybe the warmth from it as well as the colour, if you know what I mean?

carousel for the corner unit, I find really good as I can get a lot of larder stuff in it.

i would love a larder cuboard that pulls out as a space saver.

I would like an oven where it opens on the side as to not have to reach over the door to get my cakes out - or one oven the door dissapears underneith - found this in JL

i like open shleving for easy putting away from dish washer.

i have a tiny weeny kitchen and a pantry just behind - so lots in pantry and cockery in kitchen above sink and next to dish washer - cutlery draw opposite dishwasher - so I can stand still and put everything away bar the glasses i didn't want to do lots of walking to put stuff away as it is only tiny kitchen and that would be silly.

washing machine is other side of sink and tumble dryer in garage.

i have cream units and no cuboards on wall - just open shelving to make the room look bigger.

i have wooden worktops which look lovely with cream and slate grey floor

The builder that did my kitchen has a brother who is/was carpenter and he made the worktop come over the radiator so I had extra worktop. i have hooks underneith for teatowels and i could fit a proper stool under their to sit at if really needed - though at the moment I have a stool with a basket of teuperwares on.

I have a microwave on the wall over my bread machine (which I use three fourt times a week so has to stay out.

i wouldn't stick with just one idea - but try to get in everything you want even if it means smaller sink or loose bin not tucked in cuboards - or old fashions bin on cuboard door that hides away under sink

on the sliding door - I recently got this system for double sliding doors between lounge & playroom.
The frame fits into the wall (in my case a new stud wall that was being built anyway, so they just built it round the frame) and the doors are just normal doors the same as all my other internal doors.
So noise is no more or less than through any other doors.
I wanted them because I didn't want the doors opening into either room - and with the sliding doors they just disappear, I think they are fab.

Well, we're planning on Corian but it hasn't all been costed out yet so who knows what we might end up with. Have just looked at our kitchen - I'm not terribly observant- and noticed that it has similar colour surfaces and units and it looks fine though maybe some contrast - but less of one - would be good. Your point about the floor colour is good. A friend of mine said it had made the most difference to his kitchen when he made it a lighter colour - though brown is good for hiding the dirt!

Thanks ivykaty. Was it a Neff oven you saw? Saw that in JL today. I was impressed by that we're probably going to go for a Miele as the oven capacity is so much bigger. Do you find that the open shelving can get a bit messy or are you naturally tidy?

Thanks ChasingSquirrels. That system looks fab and would make such a difference. We had a second loo made into a utility room and didn't have a wall a sliding door could disappear into but even changing the way the door opened out rather than in made such a difference.

I have a feeling it was a neff - But like you the meile was far better - I think even a double oven and much more up my street as I cook a lot so two ovens far better for me.

I have a side door now on a very old 20 year cooker and want to change but trying to find a side opener is a problem and I can't reach...! even at 5f8"

I have a sliding door into my kitchen - but the carpet went down and it doesn't open anymore... it was glass stuff that isn't glass and blue but a great idea to get ride of the door in a slide

I really like the Miele but dh is now asking questions about the chemicals which might be involved with the catalytic and prolytic cleaning systems and if it's safe. Just when you think you're about to make a decision. The sliding door should be great.

I had my kitchen done a year ago and love it. It's a very narrow galley-kitchen in a Victorian terrace, so smaller than yours but similar in shape.

The best thing I did was to get a wide range of quotes - what I discovered was that the independent local craftsman kitchen-man who I didn't think I could afford wasn't that much more expensive than B&Q/Homebase, but focused on the solutions not the problems and gave me a much, much better design than the others.

Have fun with it! It'll be so lovely when it's done!

Thanks very much Lucretia. I hadn't thought of going to an independent. I don't suppose you live in the London area and if so could give me the number of the person you used - if you don't mind?

Sorry, I'm in Northants. If anyone round here wants his number, though, I couldn't recommend him enough.

In my last house I had a B&Q kitchen fitted & while I wouldn't necessarily recommend them (they were ok, but took their time fixing some problems) I did lI've their bin drawer, you could put different size rectangular bins in their for your rubbish & recycling. We didn't get them in our new house & I miss them.

Also had underfloor heating as there was no room for any rads. I miss that too!!

In our new house (MFI kitchen) we had a big larder cupboard fitted with those wire tray type shelves which pull out when you open the door... I've just got DH to replace them with normal shelves coz you can fit about twice as much on them!
The other thing which was a waste of space is the narrow (about 15cm?) pull out cupboard, it's got two wire shelves on & I thought it would be perfect for storing olive oil etc on. Every time you open it, all the bottles fall over (DH has now put cable ties across it to keep things upright) the big bottles of olive oil don't fit, so we can only buy the narrow ones, and we don't bother putting anything on the bottom shelf as it's a pain to get stuff out (and only short bottles fit in there)

Hope that helped!

One of the best things I did, which sounds really obvious but i didn't do with my first kitchen, is make a list of all the stuff you need to put in the kitchen & make sure you've got a home for it all (plus a spare cupboard/drawer) before you commit to anything. In my experience the kitchen designer will make you something that looks really nice, bur he won't care where you're going to store the cling film or the Pyrex!

Sorry that was so long!

When we got our kitchen done the kitchen designer came and watched me in my old kitchen. It was a bit weird but it has made a difference to the design. He had a poke about too to see where the problem areas were.
I have since heartily recommended him to lots of people. He is an independant and even if you don't buy your kitchen from them you do get some great ideas that you might never have thought of yourself.
I would phone round a few independants and ask them if they offer that sort of service, see their plans and then either use them (their prices can be surprisingly good) or use the aspects of their plans that you like.

The things he did which I liked a lot were:
built in recycling drawers
built in microwave (so it is not on the worktop and I don't have to clean around it and under it, just in it)
a step up into our corner larder cupboard so that I can reach the top shelf
a drawer for potatoes, onions, etc that you wouldn't keep in the fridge (narrow one with wire bases)
a shallow drawer for chopping boards and cooling racks
a drawer for cling film, baking paper etc
a full height cupboard for ironing board, mop, hoover etc (we have no under stairs and no big storage in utility)

bessies tip to think of what you need to put into your kitchen is an excellent one.

I just put our recycling straight into the wheelie bin outside so I don't need to store it in the kitchen first. We have a small compost caddy that goes under the sink.
Carousel cupboard is a good idea. You can fit loads into them.
I have a space saving microwave that fits in a corner and it will fit a dinner plate size container in it. It's brilliant.

Thanks so much for your responses. Shame I don't live nearer Northants Lucretia. If anyone could recommend an independent near London that would be great. bessie, Carrots and dexter - thanks - really good suggestions.

Just another question for you all - do you have any experience of Howdens kitchens? Our builder is recommending we go with their stuff as he said the quality is better than John Lewis which surprised me. TIA

Sorry extremely I don't personally. I will bump this though and see if anyone else does.

Thanks very much Carrots. I have started a couple of other threads on this topic and the responses are mixed but I think on balance more good than bad is being said about Howdens.