The MN lessons learnt kitchen thread.

[jollydiane]

I have read loads of kitchen threads so here is my conclusions.

1. Plan for where you bin is going to go.
2. Handless kitchens look lovely but can wind you up.
3. Floor Tiles look stunning but can be a bugger to keep clean.
4. Splash-backs are very practical for cleaning and can look stunning although some of you think they look naff.

What else should I add to the list before I make my purchase?

The one area I'm really stuck on is flooring. I want something that I can use my lakeland steam mop on (another MN suggestion) which I love.

Ah, ok. I don't mind not having a door in the dishwasher, presumably it can be found a space to freestand.

More importantly..tell us about your kitchen!!! Any pics? Are you pleased?

All our other non-Ikea integrated appliances are fine. We have a specialist IKEA kitchen fitter coming tomorrow to examine dishwasher and report to IKEA. If they can fix it then that will be wonderful but can't see how they're going to at the moment. I will report back!

Yes please do!

Walnutpie - YES I am pleased! I have cocked up and got the wrong sized handles on some drawers but apart from that it is perfect!

We are still waiting on the splashback (not IKEA) as they won't template until the worktop is in. The worktop fitters left 30 mins ago

It's almost all drawers. All doors are the same on the exterior but behind the door there are drawers of different heights. I spent hours reading this thread which has been worth it. It's also lit up like the Blackpool Illuminations with two long runs of LED ceiling lights and under counter lighting(not yet installed).

It's a galley kitchen so we had to compromise on a few things. We only have wall to ceiling cupboards on one side as otherwise it would be too claustrophobic.

The IKEA fitters were technically excellent but we got messed around with the logistics - when they measured up we were told 2 weeks until a fit date - but then it turned out to be 6 weeks from when they measured up. We also had to pay extra for the hob cutout in the worktop we needed, even though we were assured they could fit any hob.

Will post pics once bedtime has been dealt with!

I read this thread obsessively when planning my new extension with kitchen, and am very pleased with the way things turned out.

Matte off-white laquered slab doors, speckled off-white duropal laminate worktops and upstands, tall wall cupboards, 800mm pan drawers, lighting under the cabinets, bamboo floor, stainless steel sink. I'll see if I can put pictures on my profile.

Get a designer that can do kitchen design and not just cabinet design.

Ie when they place the cabinets they consider things like radiators and how to get appliances in and out.

Or they should turn up with a fitter to check their design.

Pics here if they work. We'll have some Gruntal shelves on the window side but there is going to be NOTHING left on counters except the kettle.

There is a slim pull out cupboard beside the sink (door not on yet) for hand towels and tea towels.

Whilst I was planning, I went through every item in the old kitchen and planned where it would go in the new kitchen.

How do you put pic in posts?

Pics.

Very that kitchen looks like its going to be a delight to use. No wonder you are pleased! Its amazing!
thankyou so much for sharing, very inspiring. must be so exciting for you, if you arent too knackered to be excited!

Get your joiner/fitter to check your order before you confirm it - I say this because we spent £4500 on a b&q kitchen we had them out to measure up and do designs etc. we returned £1300 worth of unnecessary things when we finished having it fitted for eg: a full length of solid wood worktop, plumbing kits, way too many kick boards and end panels and stupid things that they sneak on the order like cleaning kits (a spray and a cloth £7!!!) and worktop installation kits - £85 x 3 which consists of worktop oil that you can buy for £15 and stuff to apply it with. If I had been stupid enough to have b n q to fit the kitchen I would never have known about a lot of the stuff they would have used it all or it would have stayed in there van!! So I'm glad I had a reliable experienced joiner to fit it. B n Q were good in picking all the surplus stuff up but was chasing up my refund for about 4 months before they finally sorted it!

JasperDamerel just below the text box is a paperclip icon - click that and it will take you to the camera app (this was on the mobile version of the site)

Walnutpie thank you for your kind words!

To be honest it was extremely nerve wracking when they turned up to install - it was so long in the planning that I was worried they would put it together and I would hate it, or (even worse) just be a bit meh about it.

I am impressed by the quality of the drawers. The wide 80cm drawers are rock solid - in some of the kitchen showrooms we looked at wide drawers which were rather wobbly.

WRT IKEA appliances, we have got an IKEA extractor above the hob and an IKEA fridge. We were unsure how non IKEA extractors would fit, so just went with theirs for convenience. We looked at other built in fridges but the IKEA one was the best value for an A+ large fridge (our freezer is in the utility). You could hide bodies in our fridge :grin:

We also have a separate wall mounted extractor fan. We spent more on getting one which is ultra quiet.

Sorry my posted after reading first few on the thread - looks like things have moved on since then it doesn't make sense in the middle of your conversation!! Love your kitchen btw!!

Ok, hopefully this will work.

Oh jasper, that looks lush. The floor s a great colour. Where did you get the kitchen? We are just starting to look for one...have got tonnes of ideas from pintrest - different story trying to find it in real life - oh and having the budget too!

The units were pretty cheap. They were from the Carrera range from DIY Kitchens.
www.diy-kitchens.com/default.asp

The floor is bamboo.

I am v tempted to go up ad have a look at DIY kitchens. So many people rave about them. But it's a flipping long way from where we live...maybe get some designs done by Benchmarx etc then price it up with DIY.

VeryPunny and Jasper - love both your kitchens! I've been trying to convince DH that white cupboards are the only way to go and will show him your pics as extra ammo.

Monkeycheesebanana so I can find this in 6 months when I'm making my kitchen.

We've covered most things here already but just read a good article with pics:
www.houzz.co.uk/ideabooks/47163024/list/kitchen-planning-7-key-things-to-remember-when-planning-your-kitchen

me too marking for later - hopefully not too much later!

Anyone more recent lessons learnt? We are finally in our new house and about to start planning our remodel inc relocating the kitchen. Now i have to read through these 14 pages - better get a cuppa before i start

Granite worktops and tiled floors are for those who canba, I can't, things can break on granite and on tiled floors, which can chip.

I am SO pleased to have been directed to this thread. We are just embarking on a downstairs extension which will include a new kitchen and i am overwhelmed by the amount of decisions. I will take time to read this thread carefully and jot down all helphul hints! Thanks to the people who have posted photos - that is so helpful! More please!!