Talk to me about Galley Kitchens and best designs...

[Thandeka]

Hi,
We are buying (hopefully) a Victorian terrace that needs a new galley kitchen. (is 10'10 by 7'4 (but a big extra lobby at end with door into garden) Standard "corridoor" through to bathroom at end. Big immersion tank in cupboard at in "lobby area) but no central heating so we will rip that out and put boiler in. Sink unit under window. Am thinking washing machine, dishwasher and possibly cooker on side with window. Then cupboards on other side with one continuous long workspace. There is a tall cupboard on one side which I think we will keep as a tall larder type cupboard and put our tall fridge freezer in the space where the immersion tank was.

Won't have any eye level cupboards on side with sink, but on other side thinking we will have some shallow eye level ones or maybe even shelves (but that possibly makes it look cluttered and cramped?)

Will plan on keeping units white/cream and a lightish worksurface (recommendations). But any ideas for tiles and flooring? Basically want maximise the feel of space and functionality!

Help!

Marking my place.

Sounds like our old kitchen.

On left we had sink and drainer with some worktop space and window. Underneath drainer we had tumble dryer (previous owner had dishwasher), undersink cupboard, washing machine and then 25cm dead space (not big enough for bin!). Rear left was 1100 wide full height boiler cupboard. If I'd redone the kitchen I would have had this ripped out and out in a combi boiler. This would have released space for the tumble dryer to go next to the washing machine (so we could get dishwasher) and another under-counter cupboard and an over-counter one. Room was 3.2 m high mind.

On the right we had space for a fridge freezer. Then (under the counter) 4 drawers, double oven, cupboard and corner cupboard. There was no carousel in the corner cupboard so it was hopeless getting to everything. We'd have replaced this with an ordinary one. Above the counter we had worktop (over the drawers), hob, worktop (over cupboard and corner cupboard) and put the microwave on the worktop tucked into the corner. (Could have gone on fridge freezer, but we use it alot.) Cupboard wise we had one over the drawers, a recirculation extractor hood, another cupboard and some corner shelves. We'd have replaced these with an ordinary cupboard.

Layout worked pretty well. There just wasn't enough storage. (Hence dreams of how it could be improved!)

We kept surfaces clear apart from kettle, toaster, microwave.

The units were blue stained wood with beech worktops, beech wood effect lino (made a huge difference when we replaced dark brown terracotta tiles effect lino). Walls were cream. Tiles white.

New owners replaced the kitchen with a cream one and laminate worktops. Kept the layout. Missed a trick I thought. I also thought it was very plain, but maybe that's my opinion.

did anyone bother with under plinth drawers? also pondering whether having lots of drawers maybe better than having cupboards? (easier to see at back?)

Can't really picture it but assuming that the long walls are the ones against which you can put the units, I would put tall cabinets along one side (with built in oven, integrated f/f and then normal tall units) and have base units along the other holding hob and sink with under counter integrated w/m and dishwasher. Would look very stylish and give you loads of storage. I would also buy a kitchen that allows for you to put internal drawers behind the cupboard doors (Ikea is a good example of this).

Yep long walls for units (think a corridoor kitchen with bathroom at end) - am worried Ikea kitchens maybe too deep as such a narrow space. Can't picture drawers behind cupboard doors will have a google.

Go for 'L' shaped on one side, so units go along most of the wall, then rather than carrying on to the end, they turn and stick out into the kitchen a bit. Gives the illusion of width which can be difficult to get in a galley layout.

no width for an L-shape as doors at either end so would be blocked!

A very simple trick is to use wall units as floor units - they are narrower than floor units and you can have a half width worktop.

Just an idea.

Get as many drawers as you can afford - they are more expensive than cupboards but worth it. Get either the drawers inside a cupboard or standard large drawers, they will dramatically improve storage space in a small kitchen - every nook and cranny in foor space units will become valuable space that you can easily access.
I would go for waist high units and shelves on the walls - the shelves give a less claustrophobic feeling.

7'4" is more than enough to allow a row of cabinets each side: they are two feet deep each (60cm) so that leaves more than 3 ft in between them which is a very nice space. Also, Ikea cabinets aren't really deeper than standard - they are 60cm deep but butt up against the wall - standard cabinets are 50cm but you leave a 10cm gap at the back to allow for services such as gas pipes - in Ikea units, you build these inside the cabinets, iyswim. If you use less than 60cm depth, you would struggle to find a hob or sink that would fit and you would also have to cut down any worktop.

Anyway, I'm not ordering you to get an Ikea kitchen (although I think their design is pretty good), I was just suggesting it as a place that offers the sort of interior storage you should go for.

cheers lalalonglegs that is really helpful!
We have found the ikea kitchen we want so we will have to look into it.

Am confused about the pipe work running inside the cupboards though- doesn't that lead to a risk of damage? or do you build a false back? How would it work if you had loads of drawers or are the drawers 50cm depth to allow for this?

Am excited now!

re pipework

your choices are to channel it into the wall- if you are diy, a lot of hassle, project the cupboards forward and put a filler panel in- could lose a good 3 inches doing this, or cut the cupboards so that the pipes run along the inside of them.

when i had the kitchen done professionally i went for the first option, when i did diy, i did the last!