What do you LOVE about your kitchen layout?

[PlaymobilPirate]

We're putting an extension on soon - it'll make the kitchen about 6m by 6m. So far that's all that's decided!

We're chucking ideas around about:
an island or* peninsula thingy
underfloor heating or not
patio doors or bifold
*utility room or not bothering

And, erm... everything else!

[Marmitelover55]

Bifold doors (aluminium ones), American fridge freezer with ice and water, peninsula with breakfast bar, pull out larder and wide pan drawers, wine fridge, range cooker, no wall cupboards (love this aspect) but have pan rack for hanging pans and utensils

[YouCannotPossiblyBeHungry]

Yes to all of those! I loved planning our kitchen extension and it is roughly the same size. I drew it to scale on graph paper and was able to plan what went where. I actually really like our bi-folds and have a 5.5m run of them.

[specialsubject]

when the tatty wooden stuff gets replaced, I will keep:

the large space with no island
the sink under the window so I can look out
the lack of cooker hood; I've got windows
the 1.5 bowl sink
the eye level fridge and cooker
space for the bin and the recycling crate, where everything can just be washed and thrown in without bending. I sort it all outside.

there is a utility with washing machine, chest freezer and extra storage. Dishwasher next to sink where it should be.


I will get rid of:

• the stupid flip up doors, doors open SIDEWAYS not up
  
• some of the excess cupboards, replace with some shelves so I can have 100% clear worktops. Generally less storage, there's too much.
  
• the too low extension worktop
  

the gap on top of the cupboards which just generates muck

• the ghastly 'country' style tiles...

[MrsJamin]

Had an extension last year, these are things I love

• bifold doors, run of 4m from creative bifolds door company.
  
• peninsula with cupboards both sides
  
• No overhead cupboards, full height cupboards and just some open shelves
  
• big pan drawers
  
• big American fridge freezer
  
• overhead velux for natural light

[whois]

Defo put in a separate utility room if you have the space. So much nicer to have washing hidden and makes it quieter.

Good quality bi fold doors with an 'access' door that you can open normally are great I think. Without an access door they are a pain in the neck! Also consider if you actually want your kitchen totally open to the garden? Great for a south facing aspect, maybe totally pointless if you face north.

I really like islands with hob - great for looking out when cooking and also doesn;t use up valuable wall space that oculd be used for cupboards.

Big deep wide pan drawers = amazing. I would get nearly all drawers if doing kitchen from scratch as love the ones we do have.

[Deux]

Here's my list

Boiling tap, large island with overhang on 2 sides for bar stools, large larder cupboard adjacent to fridge - grocery shopping goes in the cupboard or the fridge, bifolds 5 m run and 4 m run round the corner, small but super functional utility room, under counter bin cupboard has a bin for rubbish, one for recycling and 2 smaller sections that hold cloths, rubber gloves, bin bags, electric velux windows.

[Deux]

Punctuation fail. Velux windows are not under the counter.

[mummytime]

Cutlery draw right next to the dishwasher (especially as I have a dishwasher with a separate top shelf for cutlery). Lots of Pan draws rather than cupboards.

[Mum2KSS]

marking place :)

[RaisingSteam]

Good ergonomics. One large 2 door larder takes nearly all food. Good clear prep space next to cooker (what is it with cookers in a chimney or even worse a fake chimney?). Pull out wire shelves or pan drawers in base units. Accessible corner unit. Sink, bins, dishwasher and crockery storage all next to each other (bins pull out including recycling). Separate bit for kettle etc so not in the way of cooking.

Did not have room for built in oven but if I did I would make it a bit lower than standard as I don't like lifting hot stuff up to eye level.

If you have that big a space I'd consider partitioning off a utility.

What I don't like- just couldn't find anywhere for microwave so it's sat on the worktop!

[Dashie]

Thanks for starting this thread OP, there's some great advice here!

Out of interest, at what stage is the kitchen planning done in a new extension? We've got as far as architect plans for room size and shape but presumably it needs to be done before electrics, etc are planned for. Difficult to imagine the layout when you don't have the actual room yet!

[SeaLionsOnMyShirt]

Large breakfast wine bar area and the separate utility room are my best bits from our new kitchen which has just been finished. We gave up on the bifold doors idea & just went for french windows instead, it freed up a lot more space along that wall & still lets in enough light (plus saved ££). We also decided just to have the underfloor heating in the dining area of the kitchen, not across the whole area as the kitchen & utility room bit get warm enough with cooking/dryer as it is.

[PlaymobilPirate]

Thanks everyone- lots to think about...still waiting on the architects plans. Think I need to tape out a 6m by 6m space somewhere and just sit in the middle so I can see how much room we're going to have.

I'm hoping to avoid wall units by having a corner larder and maybe another tall (ceiling height) cupboard and then just base drawers. DP wants lift up wall units but they remind me of caravans!

We have the living room to sort first too (floor to rip up because of woodworm) wall to move, ceiling to come down and staircase to open up 😨

[Kr1stina]

Yes you must do the kitchen plan for the electrics and more importantly , the plumbing .

We marked out a kitchen with tape in another room, used random furniture for key items ( cooker, fridge , sink ) and pretended to make a cup of coffee, a meal, stick the fridge etc .

It took about 2 mins to spot that the beautiful plans done by a kitchen company didn't work .

No drawers near kettle and mugs , so you had to walk across the room for a teaspoon . Crockery in several different cupboards and not near dishwashers.

I forgot to say before - we have two dishwashers as we are a big family . So we never have dishes sitting on the worktop . If you have the space I Defo recommend it. It's only a little more £ than a cupboard .

[RaisingSteam]

The Ikea kitchen planner was a great help in visualising the room and you can mock-up partitions, dining tables etc. Even if you are not using ikea units it's helpful for planning circulation and where the basics are.

[RaisingSteam]

I would plan it as early as possible as you might even want to tweak your doors and windows to make sure things fit in. For example we had a window turned into a door and it was important the door opening was made to one side of it so I had a long run of units. Another blocked up window became a shelved recess with deep worktop running into it. Doors at the back are purposefully not full width so there is room for a vertical radiator next to them. Anyway you get the idea - and you have a lot more space than we do!

[Kr1stina]

6m square is a lovely big room and you will end up spending a lot of time in there, especially if you have patio or French doors to the garden .

So ...

Have flexible lighting
Hide the recycling bins
Buy a quiet dishwasher ( or two, see above )
Have your dining area near the window

Most important of all - have a utility room . No one wants to eat, entertain and scoff wine in sight of your dirty laundry, ironing pile, muddy shoes , wellies, old jackets etc

[PlaymobilPirate]

Still waiting for the plans and I'm getting impatient (even though we've not even started on the living room yet!)

Can I ask an oven question?? We currently have a manky old gas one... never had gas before and I love it. They're more expensive though. We'll definitely have a gas hob.

Do you have gas or electric? 2 single ovens or a double??

[ChishandFips33]

Love;
UFH
Lots of worktop runs (u shape)
No wall units
Pantry
Utility room (No sink though )
Sheila's maid
Solid wooden units, slightly taller than average
Freestanding appliances hidden in cupboards
Smaller appliances all tucked away in cupboards
Deep work tops
Sofa
Tea kettle cups etc all in same place and near sink
Table in centre rather than island

Loathe:
Current wooden work tops
Not enough sockets
Cupboards not drawers
Uneven natural tiled floor - jarring to mop!
Gap between freestanding cooker and units
Gaps in dishwasher and fridge cupboards - big enough to get appliances in and out but not big enough to hoover/mop!

[MangosteenSoda]

I like to have a big square or rectangular space with a table in the middle rather than an island which leaves space for sofa seating at one end of the room. So a kitchen diner family room. However, if you entertain a lot that might not suit unless there's another more formal dining room elsewhere.

I'd definitely have a utility, but would have a long galley style one so the rest of your main room remains as rectangular as possible.

[thisishardwork]

We extended our kitchen. Is now a large rectangle rather than square.

As said above, we didn't go for an island. Not being able to move it might have bothered me sooner or later.

Instead, we have a small table and chairs set which can be moved as required (though it reality, sit in middle all the time). Space then at far end for sofa and TV. Dining table is in another room.

Double doors opening out the way to garden.

Utility is very small but sink, washer and drier fit in it and can close door on the chaos (we are very untidy!).

[ExtraHotLatteToGo]

If you want some of the advantages of a utility but don't want to lose too much space you can have one end of the room for the 'utility' but use a bifold system to hide it all away. It just looks like a matching run of cupboards.

It was floor to ceiling.

From left to right we had:

• huge shelves (big enough for laundry baskets)
  
• tall larder cupboard type space for the ironing board/mop/broom with fitting for iron
  
• tall larder cupboard with shelves for cleaning products etc
  
• big sink with hanging rail above it, cupboard underneath for bucket etc
  
• washing machine with dryer wall mounted above it
  

• big shelf above all of that for storage.
  

Because it's all open when you're using it it's easy to use and spacious, yet takes seconds to hide it all away and no space lost.

I really miss that from our old house.

[PlaymobilPirate]

I've just had to Google 'Sheila's Maid' I had no idea what one was - i like that they fold into the wall...

Extra If we do go for a utility i'd want floor to ceiling cupboards - we have loads of camping equipment that I'd like to be able to store get out from under my bed

Lots of really helpful things to think about - thanks everyone!!

[agapanthii]

a walk in pantry with floor to ceiling shelves, a butler sink ( to dump and hide dirty pans) and an extra fridge freezer for wine and icecream. we have a BIG island, a big range oven ( Mercury) .
I do not like bi-fold, notice when I have visited other people with them, that all manner of garden leaves, twigs, paper bits and shit gets blown in and I would be constantly cleaning the floor! with 2 sets of patio doors, you can open one or all of them,