Ever designed your own kitchen? Any pitfalls or tips to pass on?

[suzywong]

Thanks

I don't have a great deal of room and it will be open plan in the living area as well, I have an L shape with 5 metres of wall space, the wall with the window and about 2.25 on the short end, part of which will be taken up by fridge.

I have a 70cm free standing cooker

I also have a 60 x90cm stainless steel prep bench but the rest will be cheapo Ikea with a faux stainless steel work top.

Can't decide on what kind of sink

Will only be having one double doored over head cupboard.

Never designed a kitchen before, so if there are any HUGE HOWLERS one should avoid.

thanks

well spotted Suzy! Most people just say "ahem, have you noticed your name is spelled wrong" which is starting to tee me off a touch.

I have always wanted one of those full-height pull-out larder thingies that you put all your spices and mustards into and then you pull out the rack. There is no room in our kitchen for full-height units which makes me pine for one... although I have a suspicion they would be less exciting in reality.

Very jealous of your dishwasher. I have been scheming for years about how to fit one in our kitchen, but the only way I can do it is to sacrifice one of my two ground level cupboards and I just can't bring myself to lose either.

We designed our own kitchen from IKEA and love it. Best points are

large 80cm drawer for pans under hob. All saucepans fit in there with lids on!

Large drawer with wooden inset for knives, cooking utensils. Nothing is lost again!

Drawers rather than cupboards for plates

Bin in pullout drawer under sink with two compartments, one for recycling, one normal

Cups on open shelves above kettle

Look at what you have on your existing worktop and see if you can find somewhere for it to go. Our microwave is now on a special shelf unit.

Make sure that the dishwasher door, when open, does not obscure the cupboards into which you want to transfer the dishwasher contents. When I unload my dishwasher I have to get items out, then close door to access pan cupboard, then open door to get more items out. Grrr.

those full height pull out thingies are being actively discouraged by IKea staff although they are still on display on the shop floor, as they tend to keel over and injure people, I was told. Shame as I fancy one.

Over here everyone and I mean everyone with a house built after 1970 ahs a built in pantry/larder. I 'venever had one so i won't miss one, we don't have one int he new Wong Wing (we have built a smallish self contained apartment in MIL's backyard, with whom we live, plus an extension to the main house for the Fragrant Wong Brothers - for those of you not au fait with the minutiae of my life and I can't believe there are many of you

twig did this a while ago - some good ideas here

I am designing mine, though won't be doing it for a couple of years/bonuses yet. Essentials for me are:

Bins (compostable/green bin/black bin) under the worktop, with the compostable one directly under a hole which is covered by a pivoted chopping board so you can swing the board off and sweep peelings etc straight into the bin. Or you could have the bin in a pull out drawer underneath your main chopping area so you can sweep straight into the open drawer.

Drawers rather than cupboards

Push click on all drawers so no handles are necessary.

Make sure there aren't any gadgety bits that are difficult to clean - leave room behind taps so you can get a cloth behind etc.

You can get those skinny pull out cupboards as well now.

Suzy, when i was planning my kitchen I started the thread below and got some good tips....

www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=9&threadid=231882#4671085

One of the things I love about mine is that the cupboard for crockery is next to the dishwasher - so easy to unload. I have put my saucepans in a deep drawer - much better than a cupboard imo.

Mine is from Ikea too - got their oak worktops and a steel one from Wickes for the prep area. A larder cupboard is good if you don't mind having a tall cupboard - can fit so much stuff in there....

oh wow, thanks for all these ideas

I haven't had so much attention on MN since I posted anonymously that I thought I may be up the duff

The pull out cupboards should be ok if attached to the wall surely? I know loads of people with them.

I echo the really tall wall cupboards. When we moved in here I hated them, but they are really good. I have stuff that I rarely need on the top shelf.

Haven't read all the replies so may repeat:

if you are not doing much washing up (ie you have a dishwasher) get a smaller sink with no drainer - increase your work surfaces. (The only downside to this is that it can be difficult to wash things like oven trays, but I manage somehow)

Get fewer wide cupbaords/drawers rather than lots of narrow ones - looks sleeker - I have a v small kitchen with a column of 90cm drawers on each wall - they hold everything.

If it's a small kitchen you must make use of dead space (even just to store infrequently used stuff). We have a small carousel in one corner which works fine and a "magic corner" woohoo in the other - this is a pull out drawer which once pulled out, pulls out another from inside the corner iykwim. It's fab.

There is something at the back of one of the Jamie Oliver books about kitchen design. It involves a floor plan and drawing lines of travel for regular cooking - does it look like a 3yo's scribble with millions of lines or is there a sleek triangle from x to y to z - idea is to aim for the latter.

FWIW I love our pull out cupboard. It's not quite full height (though maybe that's because it would be in a new build and ours is in an old house with high ceilings...). Would also recommend 5-burner hob if you can. Have also been converted to the benefits of having one pretty large oven over having a double oven where both turn out to be quite small.

Have fun!

Oh. Also. Sink in front of window - nice to have a view when doing sink jobs. Maximise storage space under work surfaces and see if you can get away with not having wall cupboards - really opens up the space.

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yes, get your tips out please icod

I should point out that i will be keeping most of my equipment on a proper catering stainless steel free standing shelving unit because I've got one anyway

Have designed two now.

Main tips:

Make sure there is a heatproof surface near the cooker which will not get cluttered up

Have the preparation area next to the sink, or you will end up trying to prepare your food on whatever surface is next to the sink

make sure there is still enough room to circulate/stand when the dishwasher/oven door is open

Dishwasher next to sink and not too far from cutlery/crockery storage (mimic unloading the dishwasher to ensure it's not too awkward)

If there are two or more people likely to be cooking together ensure second person can circulate while first person is cooking/washing up

I'm sure I'll think of more soon.

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MFI will draw up your kitchen for you and quote for free. Go to 3 different branches and get three different people to come up with 3 different configurations. Alternatively, pay the consultation fee for one of the more upmarket kitchen companies and then you will have their input and their drawings (which you will be able to work on with your Ikea stuff). We have a handbuilt kitchen which is hand pained with granite worktops. I designed it myself but had loads of space (about 6 metres by 4 metres) to play with. I kept it really simple. No wall cupboards, just an L shape with a 4 oven Aga and an underlying double stainless steel sink. We are really pleased with it and there is nothing I would change. Plus in a few years when I am tired of cream painted cupboards, I will be able to have them repainted French Grey or Ball Green or Duck Egg Blue or whatever.

I meant to say that the units themselves cost less than we were quoted by MFI for one of their kitchens. So handbuilt by a joiner is not nec an expensive option.

Sink jobs not necessarily washing up! I do most of my veg prep in the sink as our veg box always comes with a healthy load of mud and I like a view when washing off mud!

Don't forget to have a one and a half sinks. We only have one and it's the bain of my life.

one and a half sinks? really, I ve never had that before ... is it vital?

Good for food prep. We had two and a half before the new kitchen was put in--good for storing painting kit.

Ok not read it all but we just did our own kitchen

You need a wet area - Dishwasher, sink, washing machine if youre having one etc.

Magic corner (if you have corner things which I think you said you weren't but they are cool)

Soft close drawers - Will prolong the life of your drawers (esp if you have a DP like mine!!)

LOADS of cupboards and work tops (you won't realise how much you need till you get it and run out)

HTH

oh and DON'T USE KITCHEN's DIRECT!! We did and it was expensive and doesn't even look that good.

MFI, IKEA all places like that will do a nice kitchen without costing you the earth!