Does this look odd to you? (kitchen) DH thinks so.

[jamaisjedors]

Photo on profile.

Awkward kitchen. We need to free up the door to the basement to get to the washing machine/freezer.

This is our Plan C (from an online kitchen designer who knows her stuff).

DH doesn't like it. Does it look odd to you?

Don't go for under counter fridge! Nightmare. My parents bitterly regret theirs and my dad went out and bought a full size one which is now just stuck in a corner.

Agree with getting as many deep drawers as you can. They hold loads.

Agree with those who say it looks messy because of the differing heights and styles.

Sent you a design

It was a great design.....apart from the whole forgetting to add in a cooker [pratt]

oops. We're sitting in the kitchen now, still trying to work it out.

I think I'm going to have to compromise on having the hob next to the sink. I wanted it nearer but I think it'll have to go on the opposite wall.

You say you have a basement - is it possible to access the central heating pipes from underneath? If poss, then maybe remove radiator and run the heating pipes under the tiled flood from underneath, as per underfloor-heating.

There are 2 on Ikea now btw

Katie thank you so much for fiddling with my plan and coming up with 2 different versions - even if you did forget the hob/cooker in the second one!

It gives us another perspective. I see you don't think it's a problem having the sink and hob on opposite sides - it's what we have right now, and as I said above, I think we will have to stick to it.

captainmummy there is a 60cm concrete floor beneath the kitchen so I don't think that would work unfortunately.

TBH I'm not convinced the radiator is the issue, if we want a table it'll have to go somewhere, and it may as well go against the radiator.

The fridge is our main issue I think.

katie we are thinking of something along the lines of your 1st plan, so using the opposite corners of the room for the sink and hob, but we think it might be a bit dark, cooking with your back to the light.

So your 2nd plan, (if it included a hob) nearer the back door (which has a window in it) would work.

Remember your kitchen needs to be designed following the work triangle. The principle being that there is equal distances between the Oven, sink and Fridge Freezer, which in turn make your kitchen more efficient.

With this in mind you then need to think about the worktop requirements in the kitchen. You will want enough space to prepare food next to the oven and also next to the sink. Once this is done the kitchen can be designed in terms of the cupboards required (remember corner cupboards are a far better option than two cupboards as you can put a carosel in).

xx

WOuld you consider undercounter fridge drawers as others have suggested? Much easier to access than a normal undercounter fridge but easier to fit into a kitchen design than a tall fridge.
www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/ncd191i/hotpoint-ncd191i-built-under-fridge?refsource=apfroogle&gclid=CNH3mLSrzq8CFQ1lfAodeFu1Ag

I agree a table next to the radiator would be ok.

Dh and I were just discussing those drawers, the ikea ones are really expensive 900 euros but will have a look at others.

I know the thread has moved on but I think the layout of the fridge end of the room is OK, it's just visually cluttered. It's really good having a little separate area to make tea and breakfast away from the main work area.

IME there are two schools of thought about breaking up lines with different height/colours to add interest (cottage style), or keeping it streamlined and it's personal preference really. Also you have to accommodate practicalities before design perfection.

More could be done by evening up the heights, colours and shelves. Integrated fridges are not cheap but neither are Smegs, would probably be cheaper to get an Ikea or mid range integrated FF, or a bog standard white one with a taller top half?

FWIW I have got my microwave diagonally across the corner of my new worktop, I hate hate hate it but there was nowhere else that didn't upset another thing, and that was my least worst compromise! Life still goes on .

I do think the cooker diagonally in the corner opposite the sink diagonally in the opposite corner would look good

& I think an integrated worksurface above the radiator would be great - I'll see if I can draw one

If you have a freezer elsewhere, fridge drawers may be the answer. The fridge was the main issue in ours too, as it has to go on the 'deep cupboard' wall. In the end we put ours in the utility area by the washing machine. It's close to the kettle/snackmaking area so that's fine. Having only one deep wall makes the room feel more spacious (as opposed to an L shape) and your only problem is finding a home for the fridge as it won't fit on that wall.

Have you been to Ikea to have a try things out for size and access? their 3-drawer units save huge amounts of space, as I said I have all my cooking stuff and cutlery in just 2 x 60cm 3-drawer units, including herbs & spices, flour, food processor, pots and pans, utensils, baking stuff, dry goods etc etc. They open all the way out so you never have to crouch down and reach in anywhere. They were good value for us because we could install them ourselves - I built the cabs and he fitted them all together and did the worktop. A linear arrangement made that quite easy.

We have all our other bits stored in shallow tall cabinets, including plates etc, with no wall cabinets and cups and tea things on open shelves. The cabinets have plain white doors (paint effect) so are unobtrusive as a row. We have 5 x 40cm and they hold, well, too much.

I think the two wall cupboards - one each side of the door - look very odd, and the fridge and tall cupboard is all wrong. And it looks like you have a mix of brown and white cupboards. To be honest it looks like someone has got a random selection of cupboards, appliances etc in different colours and styles and shoved them in without thought of overall design and flow. Sorry. You can do a lot better than that.

Just re-read that and I sound really smug about my new kitchen! Sorry, just sharing, honest.

Just re-read the whole thread.

Dh and I went over and over the kitchen again last night.

The sticking point is the fridge because they are deep.

We are going to IKEA sometime this week or next week so possibly that will help (although I have all the catalogues and know the unit models off by heart).

Any thoughts about the whether it's more practical to have the sink and hob together or to have 2 separate preparation areas?

Our sink and hob are opposite one another and I like it that way. I think if they're too close together it becomes a bit of a clogging point in the kitchen and it means two people can't cook at the same time. I often wash and chop while DH starts cooking so it's handy for us to have them opposite one another.

Definitely have an area dedicated to random snacking and drinks preparation and another for chopping and cooking, but they can be along the same run. Nothing more annoying than someone barging in to make a cuppa while you are trying to cook.

As I said (and we had exactly the same problem) the fridge is deep and needs that space. If you have a separate freezer anyway a would fridge drawer under the counter work for you? That would give you a huge amount of space for a solid kitchen table for all that jam-making and preserving.

If you need more storage, shallow but low cabinets can give you a little extra space for a worktop as well, you could put the kettle on there for instance (if they have them in France these days). Low cabs give you a feeling of space when you are moving about.

PS - Ikea cabs are 60cm deep and you HAVE to get their worktops or a custom built one (or a breakfast bar top cut down). It's a big drawback but their drawers hold tons.

Thanks for all the input everyone. Am bearing it all in mind (and can't sleep at night! for mulling it over).

For the fridge, we are considering at least getting a slightly lower built-in one, which would leave some space on top for say the microwave.

Not sure under- the counter will work for us because it would be a lot smaller than we are used to, but we are definitely considering it.

Good idea. Don't lose sleep over it though, I finally decided on my kitchen when I threw away everyone else's advice (particularly the kitchen planners).

I also looked at US sites because in the US they seem to design exactly how they want to. They think of things like a 'snack cupboard' for kids, or an 'appliance garage' but ultimately anything goes and there's no right or wrong.

I based it on where we wanted space to move around and where people stand.

Good luck, I think I've said more than enough now so I'll leave you to it!