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Tell me what you love and what irks you about your kitchen

38 replies

OliviaLMumsnet · 20/06/2012 17:45

Am planning a new kitchen, and space will be at a premium
What works well in yours and what is irritating?

Drawers or trad units?
Sink in the island unit?
No island unit at all?
Open to all thoughts/help
Tia

OP posts:
spotty26 · 21/06/2012 21:53

Love my standalone larder. You get so much more in it than you would in the equivalent fitted cupboards.

Love my honed granite worktops

Love my extra tall wall cabinets.

Don't love that my cheapo travertine floor has numerous holes and cracks - should have spent that extra few hundred on what I really wanted.

Don't love how cr@p my smeg fridge freezer is.

Don't love how often my spotlight bulbs blow.

Don't love how my worktops look if I have not given them my special rub down and spray with Method grrrrrr.

myron · 22/06/2012 00:14

Kitchen and utility being installed atm. My main run of base units are pan drawers all 7 of them. Large central island with sink, dishwasher, boiling water tap and wine cooler (yeah, a bit style over substance fridge that one) and yet more pan drawers. I think I might have over reacted a tad against the Howdens design which gave me a miserly 2 sets of pan drawers whereas I could have a shedload with Ikea and still have all my Neff appliances/Franke sink & taps so that's what I did. Too late to reorder my oven - in retrospect, should have spent a little more on a pyrolitic double oven from De Dietrich rather than a Neff non pyrolitic one. Sparkly mirror flecked quartz worktop (because non porous and not laminate) and a contrasting island unit with crescent overlaps both ends for breakfast seating 6. Rejected the popup socket because seemed to ruin the look of my precious quartz worktop but wondering whether I made the right decision. Eye level oven and flexinduction hob plus separate gas wok burner with extractor on outside wall (sensible on this one). Plumbed in American fridge freezer (no phaffing with water refills) which has filtered water/ice dispenser and huge capacity (Samsung Ecospace one) and my favourite - full height larder pullout units on either side of it (I moved a doorway to accommodate these). Our separate utility room houses the water softener as well as being totally kitted out in standard kitchen units (basic shelves inside). LED downlighters throughout - stainless steel spalshback behind the hob (good enough for professional chefs = good enough for me!) with smoked grey rectangle glass tiles. Matched F&B's Elephants' breath for a more practical Johnstone's fake (yes, not a chalky finish but at least I can touch up without repainting the entire 45ft length open plan space - still looks good to me!). I do have wall cabinets - you can never have enough storage space and wall space is a premium in an open plan kitchen. I wanted a quartz worktop not Corian so changed from my initial U-shaped design to one with a large central island to avoid joins! (I do have a generous kitchen area though).

DaemonsaFalcon · 12/07/2012 11:06

A couple of people mention sinks big enough to soak Aga pans and racks - can you tell me what sink you have? (I am desperate - posting all over MN for help!)Thank you.

ASillyPhaseIAmGoingThrough · 12/07/2012 20:55

Are those pull up/down shutter style units any good? I was thinking of keeping, toaster etc in the unit.

I dislike the carousel corner unit in our inherited kitchen. I dislike the undercounter oven, hurts my back.

I love the tall unit we added.

IvanaHumpalot · 12/07/2012 22:04

I have a small dark north facing basement kitchen.

I planned to get maximum worktop space.
2 single ovens, one on top of the other. Neff slide a way doors
Double sink
White Caeserstone worktop. This has been fantastic, still looks like new 3 years on
Induction hob, cools down v quickly and cleans up easily
Underfloor heating, works really well, no bulky ugly radiators
Large tiles on floor. No maintenance issues, unlike stone, grey grout
Pale painted cabinetry.
I chose a local kitchen maker, which worked out cheaper than branded kitchens. Painted rather than laminate/gloss doors so if I want to change it can just be re-painted
Floor to ceiling larder cupboard fitted into alcove.
Wall cupboards only fitted to one wall so you don't feel hemed in

Basically, I'm lazy (hate cleaning/maintenance) and didn't want to spend a lottery win on my kitchen. I'm pleased, it looks bright, has worn well and can be modified later if I want/afford to. Will add some mirror splash backs later - to bounce even more light about.

Spend your money on good cabinetry, worktops and appliances. All the hard working bits. Internal fittings bump up the price

bacon · 12/07/2012 22:21

Previous owners kitchen - tiny silly drawers that have absolutely no use but to pee me off when everything gets trapped. Those silly 30 cm wide wall cupboards again little point.

Poor quality - Ex magnet, joins are showing (get a proper fitter) the floor panels are in small pieces hence they have moved, the edges have got water damage from floor washing - bleaching from fluids. Doors are always dropping and fall off, wooden stupid knobs that stain and look yuk. Area around dishwasher steam has caused cracking and paint damage.

Not enough units - no where to store foods and crockery - had to buy a larder unit from Ikea.

To be honest it stinks....cheap flat pack lasts about 5 years.

bacon · 12/07/2012 22:24

I have a huge double sink in my renovation property and had it free from the kitchen shop as they were going to bin it!!! - really deep possibly Franke or another expensive brand - you can fit big pots and pans, huge spray tap. Too many sinks are too shallow and glossy.

caughtincatchment · 13/07/2012 11:32

We've rented a number of places, so my kitchen snags are well-tested!

Irritants:
If there are child level cupboards, if they are all hinged on the same side, meaning (a) the space inside is all cut up and (b) there's no chance of slipping a child lock through the handles, which is the easiest way to child-proof.

Blanco stainless steel sinks always seem to have stupid half-sinks with strainers or bin-holes with the hole capped, configured in such a way as to be incredibly unhygienic. I hate them. When we have our own house I want a double sink or single sink. I also hate those stainless steel drain strainers which also double as a plug: I think they're unhygienic, too!

Kick-boards are never flush: also unhygienic!

You need a splash-back for the range top. T'would be good by the bin, too.

Space for kitchen bins is important. Not just for a bijou bin, but a big one, and also for the recycling! This should be close to the door through which you take the rubbish out!

Breakfast bars are un-ergonomic for adults and dangerous for children (not just for sitting on, but also for bumping their heads into). I wish they weren't so bloody fashionable!

Built-in appliances (by which I mean co-ordinating cupboard doors over fridge, etc.) are a high-maintenance, showy, empty con.

Cupboards which don't go to the ceiling get filthy.

Range top needs plenty f space around it, on both sides, for spices/sauces/spoons/dishes while cooking!

If the working triangle is impossible, that is not just an irritant!

Hope this all helps! Smile

FriedSprout · 13/07/2012 11:51

Had a new kitchen a few years ago, I have some regrets:

Should have kept large pantry
Should not have had white ceramic floor tiles as they chip and need cleaning daily
Would not chose to have under counter fridge, it is way too small, should have gone freestanding
Somewhere to hide bins would have been great
Not had spot lights
Should have paid to have one piece counter tops as the joints now look scruffy less wall cupboards And more wall space for shelves Nd hanging spices etc.

Think I should start again Grin

I would use a designer next time and also a proper kitchen fitter rather than the
cowboy general builder I had. They made an expensive kitchen look pants!

heroutdoors · 13/07/2012 17:21

If space is at a premium, maybe you should go for one of the German makes.
The most innovative on the market.
If you can only have an undercounter fridge have the drawers as somebody upthread said.
If you go for granite make sure it is the proper honed one. So you can sling
anything that comes out of the oven straight on it.
You can't do this with tumbled granite.
Good luck.

Frikadellen · 13/07/2012 21:14

Love the most about my kitchen the larder cupboard. I never want to be without one again. Room for a big american style fridge wide area to walk around in. bit wide sink

hate how the units are falling apart from heat..water damage (not us who put them in we rent) the floor lino.. (hard to clean)

would like. Oven up at eye level. boiling water tap Ice water tap (or to be able to plum my fridge in)

Fiveflowers · 13/07/2012 21:36

Love:

two sinks
lots of cupboards, drawers under hob
built in flat-bed microwave
induction hob - best ever buy!
table and chairs - would hate a breakfast bar
3 tall cupboards to use as larder, cleaning cupboard and for paperwork (no office space in house)
wall and floor tiles with dark grey grout (might as well, it'll go dark grey eventually Grin)

Don't really hate anything but if doing it again would have more wall sockets.

Would also like more worktop space but haven't really got the room - prefer to have lots of storage space.

Fiveflowers · 13/07/2012 21:37

Forgot - love my filtered water tap and wish I'd got a boiling water tap too.

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