High maintenance kitchens - let me learn from your mistakes

[KristinaM]

I'm a terrible housewife, I live in the country and I have three small, messy children. What do I NOT want in my new kitchen??? (apart from the kids of course )

I've already worked out that the beautiful cream glossy floor tiles are probably not for me.....

Stainless steel splashback a breeze here. Have stainless stell spray and just wipe occasionally. Baby oil is also great for bringing up the shine. Infinitely preferable IMO to tiles, because is one seamless sheet rather than lots of tiles with grouting between. I think they have a far greater potential for grubbiness.

thanks pooka
I am inordiantely excited about getting one now

mmmmmmmm stainless steel splash backs, just like the lovely kitchen at work

We have inherited a hand made kitchen with our very very old house - not super swish but looks nice - since I repainted it! Really doesn't matter what you spill on it - it is supposed to look a bit countryfied and lived in - much prefer it to the £20k new one we installed in our old house - and if you get local carpenter to build it and install it you can specify everything you want.

Major bonuses for me with this kitchen is butler sink - white enamal - so I can just bleach it - nothing but white sinks ever look clean to me.

Granite worktop - we had it installed after old wooden one split - is great can just whack anything down on it and it never ever looks dirty - unlike the butchers block one we ha at our old house!

Huge larder cupboard - is so much easier to put all the food in one place.

We have also put in a dresser - although that was from Cotswold Co. just to make it a bit prettier and less together IYKWIM moe eclectic.

We have stainless steel splashbacks and they're problem free - Method Home (available from John Lewis and some branches of Waitrose) do a great stainless steel spray and an even more brilliant Granite spray for worktops.

However, we have also got a rail across the top of the splashback behind the hob and this is not such a great idea (inherited it) as any utensils hung on it get splashes of oil from cooking and have to be run through the dishwasher each week or they just get sticky and disgusting.

have a wooden floor in my kitchen which i love (nothing breaks when it drops and safer for kids) However really wish I had tiled in front of the aga and sink- my friend did this and it looks fab like a rug-as i find water dribbles down at sink area and also would be great to be able to rest heavy aga pans on floor for a min while putting them in and out of oven.

you don't want a ceramic hob either!!

gas is also a pita. apparently induction is meant to be good.

btw i meant induction is meant to be good for quick response etc and better to control than gas, ceramic, halogen. it is no better to clean!!

we have a 70 year old aga ( ingerited with the house). its fab and guess what.....you NEVER need to clean the top oven of an aga [ smirk]

i am a very scummy mummy

oooh i'd love an aga.

We don't have gas - in a flat and no chance - so are looking at an induction hob. They are really expensive - is there anything you need to look out for, any recommendations? Thanks.

jajas - well teh thread may be old but my kitchen is brand new. still painting it. microwave and dishwasher still in boxes. ( and yes, we did cook our Christmas dinner on two rings of a hob and a microwave)

do you really think sink and a half necessary?

I hate my cream floor...I have spent more money and stress cleaning it over the years. Like the 5-7 yr refurb suggestion...only another couple of years until I can justify doing it all again properly!...would not put sink (unless veg sink) on island as the "showpiece" of my kitchen is always stacked with dirty dishes...

Think about where feet will traipse dirt and try to organise things to keep it all in one place.

We have a 'galley' kitchen i.e. long and thin. The floor is dirty almost constantly because the whole floor gets trodden on, all day, every day.

Get as many sockets as you can - I like to always have one socket spare for every bit of worktop space as I hate having to unplug things before I can plug something else in. Too many is not a problem but one too few will annoy you every time.

Re oven & micro I wish I had positioned fhem higher up as they are just right height for DSs to stand and look at themselves reflected in doors. Result is lots of sticky hand prints. Wish I'd known to avoid placing them at that level.

I see that the original OP has already got the kitchen, but if anyway else is interested, here are my tips;

Matt Black tiles - nightmare as it shows any water marks but otherwise looks lovely straight after mopping

Double belfast sink - just need to quickly bleach it if it starts to stain.

Don't get double dishdrawer - doesn't take many big plates

Dark teak work surfaces, takes any stain well and DH sands it for ten minutes if it does get stained.

Pantry - great for dry goods and baby spends ages looking around in there shakig things.

The only thing I would add is if you have darkish tiles (we have grey on floor & above sink), use dark grout - doesn't look grubby like lighter colours.

Don't get a black slate floor - they make the room really dark and show up the dirt like you wouldn't believe.

A lighter floor with a marbled effect brightens the room yet hides smears and dirt. You'd be amazed that a lighter floor hides the grime better than a black one.

Wooden works surfaces are high maintenance and need oiling like funnyp. said. An overly shiney surface leaves streaks and mare to clean.

noted down lots of advice for my new kitchen what a brilliant thread thank you!