Brand new kitchen - things you love or hate...

[anonymousbird]

We are in the fortunate position, now we have planning permission to extend our property, to go to town a bit on a completely new kitchen. Nothing of the current will remain, other than the (pretty modern, installed 2 years ago) Rayburn. It is pretty exciting and have got the wheels in motion as to basic look/function of the new kitchen.

It's not a case of "money no object" but I am prepared to spend money on sensible things or features that make it as useable and practical as possible for life with 2 young DC's, but also want to consider any seriously good modcons/kitchen fittings that make a difference to its use. Our current kitchen is 30 years old so has absolutely nothing modern or modcon about it!

For example, and it's not the best example, is it worth spending the extra on things like a built in Brita filter?
Usefulness of cupboards versus the big deep drawers that now seem to be all the rage?
Fridges with icemakers/cold water taps?
On another level of expense, I gather that you can build in steam ovens and Nespresso coffee makers, but I suspect I will be stopping short on those - but open to any ideas really to at least think through.

ANY tips you have on things you installed, and wished you hadn't or didn't and wish you had, or did and think "thank goodness we have one of those" would be very gratefully received. The kitchen runs straight into our Breakfast Room and Playroom/daytime TV room if that influences anything!!

Thank you.

Housemum,
Thanks. Just been on the Karndean website and they have a dealer no too far away. They look really nice and if we can make savings rather than choose Amtico, DH might have to take me out to a cosy Italian restaurant or two on the savings we'll make

We have an AEG pyrolitic oven - fab! I buy the Oven Mate from Lakeland or the other one from supermarkets with the bag (name escapes me) to do the racks/door, but the inside of the oven is spotless.

Just realised i lied about my Siemens oven and its high temperature. It doesn't go to 250. It goes to 275!!!!

agree with 2 dishwashers, and make sure everything you buy is dishwasher proof....never have to clean any dishes in sink... marvellous!

My kitchen has been done, and when I get my utility room done I might seriously consider a second dishwasher.

Pull-out tap, fabulous!
Pan drawers - great.
Larder, proper one, not one of the wobbly wire basket things - super!

just marking my place, kitchen extension starting in two weeks time. Some fab tips on here already

Marking my place too as planning kitchen extension and whole new kitchen in early 2011.

I adore my mum's kitchen. It's more traditional than I would go for but not in a fusty way. She has a 'utility cupboard' with drawers in the lower half for all the cooking equipment and a roll top cupboard above which holds her mixer, plus breadboard etc. The roll top comes down and hides everything so things don't clutter the worktops,but the cupboard itself has sockets so the mixer can be used in there and bread/bread board/knife kept in there so they never have to be put away - just roll the top down IYSWIM.

things i love about my kitchen from 2 years ago:

pull out larder - have a thin, full-height one - the wide ones are a pain as you can't reach across easily, but the thin ones are joy.

entire base unit designated as the washing cupboard, with pull-out basket shelves, each of which will take a laundry basket; top basket is ironing, bottom is washing. Previously I had no storage space and kept the washing in the shower...

open metal shelves instead of top level units - the whole kitchen looks so much lighter without closed units above the work surfaces. we keep saucepans, lunchboxes and baking trays on them. They have a mildly industrial chic look rather than a sleek one but i love them.

all work surfaces at the height that suits us - the units have adjustable legs and the builder put them and the cooker on plinths too so that the surfaces are something like 6 inches above the norm. Absolutely amazing - I never knew how annoying it was to have everything so low down, and dh's back is much better!

big single sink rather than 1.5 sink - this was semi-accidental but it's fantastic to be able to put whole baking trays in the sink flat. I guess if you have a butcher's sink this won't be an issue but I don't like them - I think if you are a bit of a slattern, as I am, they always look a bit scummy, whereas a stainless steel one will scrub up really fast.

Loving the kitchen porn.

just redone my kitchen. I didnt go for pull out larder as I !as told by a friend who manufactures kitchens that these units become quite unstable and can come off their runners. The same goes for the pull out 'magic corners'. You need to ask about longevity of these pull outs and establish what after sales care is going to be like. Also be careful not to overload them. My neighbour had a good tip - get them but dont get the pull out fixed to the door so that you dont always have to pull them out.

In terms of worktops I went for quartz over granite. Its a man made granite - resin composite, but did cost more than the granite. I wanted to avoid watermarks on shiny black surface and get something that was more fogiving on marks and dirt so Im not prowling my kitchen with a cloth hourly. Ive only had it a few weeks and already I lurve it. Its got shiny mirror particles in it. Looks good and been easy to maintain.

Something I wish Id realised. Integrated appliances have smaller capacity than free standing. I knew this for fridge freezer and wash machine but I now hate my new integrated dishwasher as its so small compared to my old freestanding one. Be warned - research carefully!

i have fridge freezer with ice/ water dispenser - love it. so do the kids.

dont bother with trendy upstands. they are crap crap and crap. we replaced ours within a year with tiles. upstands look nice while the wall behind them is nice and clean. give it 4 weeks. you will be repainting every week. my advice is dont bother!

i also love my induction hob. (induction - not halogen or ceramic) there is a difference!

would have had granite worktops but im planning to move next year.

would also have liked a tap with a pull out nozzle to wash veg etc.

and never get black floor tiles!

This is absolutely fantastic, how long do threads stay in your profile??? I go on hols shortly but want to come back to all this on my return to get on with the serious business of specking (sp?) up my kitchen in a serious fashion!!!!

And, of course, the squillion dollar question what on earth does all this cost? Is anyone prepared/willing to let us know what you spent? Did you stick to budget or just let rip and go crazy.

We've been given a ball park of £25k so far for a complete refit of a fairly sizeable kitchen with top notch appliances. The quality of units is fantastic. Just yesterday I saw a very similar kitchen built and fitted by the company we are intending to use and it is BEAUTIFUL.

That does NOT include my enormous free standing fridge freezer or my flooring , but includes all other appliances (Washer and Dryer are separate in the utility room, so not included).There will be various things to add to this (following this wonderful exchange of ideas on here) for sure. I suspect including those we are I.R.O £30k.

Oh, and that has an assumption of Corian work top (large area) but I am not sure whether I am set on that yet or not.

Er, whtaever you think it will cost, add another 50%.

I was running out of money and decided to economise on the dishwasher, it was behind a door and no-one saw it. Big mistake. It's cheap crap, it's never washed well even when new, and it's on its last legs now - only three years old! Buy the best quality of everything that gets heavy usage you can possibly afford - espeically appliances. The things you can skimp on a bit are tiles, flooring, sink, all the fancy gubbins inside the cupboards. If budget is an issue I can thoroughly recommend one huge floor to ceiling larder cupboard where you can see everything at a glance and reach everything easily. Then your other fitted cupboards can be simpler/fewer.

Just re-read the OP and see that as you are extending you have carte blanche with layout. In that case I would DEFINITELY recommend you get building plans to include a walk in larder cupbaord/pantry shelved out from floor to ceiling. It will cost virtually nothing in comparison to fancy fitted kitchen units with the same volume/capacity, and it really is so much easier to access things and put them away from open shelves than delving about and bending down to get inot the back of cupboards. That way you can keep the kitchen fairly simple and uncluttered - especially at eye-level.

anonymousbird - whereabouts are you? the firm that's doing ours has a website with guide prices on - optiplan.co.uk - the prices are for the units and installation excluding worktop. Good kitchen porn too - there are over 150 pictures of real kitchens! They are based in Hampshire, Surrey, Berkshire, Wiltshire.

Our kitchen is 12' x 12', for our u-shape we are paying £13k for kitchen units like these:

Cobham light oak

with black granite worktops, inset sink with drainer grooves, using existing single oven but getting new dishwasher, 5 burner hob, cooker hood, American style fridge freezer and combi oven/microwave. This company does do good special offers - we chose the granite from a half price range which saved us £2k, the Samsung fridge freezer was half price, the dishwasher and cooker hood were on special offer too. I'm sure there are other companies doing the same. We're also having our cupboards made taller to use some of the dead space above - they can't go right to the ceiling as you have to be able to get them on their brackets to fit them, but there will be a lot less spider space!

Two threads I recall which may be of use to you.

Mistakes when planning

High Maintenance kitchens

FN Sadly, the extension doesn't actually encompass the kitchen, it's just that whilst we are extending an adjacent area, we can do necessary building work to shore up our kitchen and replace it all at the same time. Seeing as we are going to have to move out, and the builders are in causing chaos and dirt, might as well do it all!

Unfortunately there is no scope for a walk in larder, I would one, truly I would. We live in a cottage, wierd layout anyway, so we are working with our existing space as it stands pretty much....

I sympathise on the economy DW - have had a cheap one before and agree the extra money on it is absolutely essential for cleaning power and longevity...

Olivia thanks - and how long will this thread stay "live" please? Will I still have access in September post school holidays when I actually look at details and do some research from all these fabulous ideas??

Cheers!

My dream kithen would contain the following (although have not read Olivia's links yet, so may have to strike some off my list!)

Underfloor heating, tiled floor
Double sink, not white!
Larder cupboard
Dustbin in a cupboard - anything else is too small
Waste disposal unit in sink
Island with push down/up socket tower
Two full sized ovens and warming drawer
Under cupboard plinths that are actually drawers (or bespoke units so no plinths)
Pull out hose type tap
TV on a cupboard door
Wine fridge

I would also have a 'futility room' (as Psycho would call it) for washing machine, dryer and all house-hold cleaning stuff - the house-keeper would hang out in here a lot too

AnonBird- all threads not started in chat/classified are here INDEFINITELY

Does anyone have any experiences of aeg products.... About to order steam oven, combi oven microwave, warming drawer, gas hob,hood, dishwasher, larder fridge..... From a company that sells ex display so prices are good :)

I HATE my Rangemaster cooker, looked lovely in pics and in the showroom, it's black, and every single spec of dust in the whole world lands on it, give me back my little built in one anyday, s the saying goes, carefull what you wish for :o

had a larder built (cheaply) with my (cheap) MFI kitchen - I love it. Love ice dispenser and water dispensers but they do go wrong a lot.

Larder is not walk in - it is in teh corner so uses the upright space in the corner with a full length door next to it with L shaped shelves running around the edge. LIke a double sized broom cupboard.

magic corner cupbards Love 'em

Pull out thingy on tap - I am so pleased we went for that.

Ours is an Ikea kitchen and I love being able to sort out all the right sort of pullouts in all the right places - I've got everything exactly where I need it and it works great.

Regarding pantry - we got rid of ours to have more space and light and because it was just too narrow to be able to get good access to all the shelves so we wasted a lot of space and got far too many bruises. I prefer what I've got now.

I also love my sliding door cupboard...

If I'd have had the money I would have had someone do all the tiling and painting for me - I'm just feeling a bit worn now...