If money is no object - what kitchen would you have...?

[another20]

...

one with a cook in it

Marble work tops.
Gas hob.
Electric oven.
Extractor fan that works.
Well designed storage.

None I'd live in a hotel and eat out

Something like this.

I've painted our beams white, plus have more windows, so it is much lighter. I love the style. It's perfect for the house. But I could not live with how dark and gloomy it ends up in all the real life examples I've seen, cos of the local love of coating beams in what looks like black treacle.

Not too big
Marble worktops
Deep drawers not cupboards
Enormous double Belfast sink
Dishwasher
Huge windows
Double-width fridge
Double-width upright freezer

I'm designing my new house at the moment, and I'm very taken with this style of kitchen. I'm not sure that the breakfast bar at the end should be a different colour, and I don't like the stools, but I love the layout. I think I would be tempted to put a sliding shutter on one of the tall cabinets to hide the kettle and toaster so that the counters are clear (that wouldn't last long with my family though). I like the symmetry and the dark cabinets with bright white counter top.

I'd love an island, I think they are called?!?
Also double oven and a huge fridge freezer
I'd have gloss cream units with a deep lilac gloss finish unit doors ect
Worktops black with sparkly bits in
Seen it in bnq when we was looking at Christmas trees
I fell in love with it
Oh and I'd get cream kettle toaster ect

Try Clive Christian, Mark Wilkinson or Smallbone. These guys are high end hand made kitchens.

Depends if you are a cook or care more about aesthetics. The best kitchen we ever had was a galley because it is such an efficient shape for moving around whilst cooking. And dark granite is perfect because it isn't slightly porous like the light stuff. There are always trade offs IMO.

Smallbone, Martin Moore, Mark Wilkinson, Tom Howley etc. are all mass-manufactured kitchens with a few twiddly elements which they call bespoke but which are just standard cabinets with a built up or scribed frame. They can't or won't give you a piece that exactly fits your funny alcove and uses the same mouldings as your 19th century architrave. For that you need a cabinetmaker. About £2000 a unit, so the same as the big names. The downside is that bespoke joinery and cabinetmaking is not automated and computerised so the lead time is mad. Not everyone has six months to wait for their kitchen.

Clive Christian are proper cabinetmakers but their house style is irredeemably naff with no respect for architectural integrity.

Not for the first time, Piglet John is right. If money is no object, put in a Hacker kitchen (the property developers' favourite as they are cheap and the production line is so slick) and hire a private cook for £150 a day.

thanks all -- I was really interested in what people aspired to and what the top end quality kitchen companies were - W8woman - an amazing insight...!

For me [[http://www.plainenglishdesign.co.uk Plain English]] appeals....

If money were no object I think I would like something unique like the ones designed by www.splinterworks.co.uk - not sure if I've done the link properly!

Different companies have different distinct styles - some uber modern manufacturers suit sleek modern apartments or new build homes and some delightfully countryfied styled manufacturers suit more rustic or country properties ...
... which kind of home do you mean for ?!

(Artichoke do some fab country home interiors ... )

The aesthetics are a slightly movable feast for me, but the functionality tends to be constant:

• Big, deep, continuous work surfaces
• Good ambient and task lighting
• Good natural light - skylight?
• Enough sink and drainage space, plus a dishwasher
• Reliable and smooth-functioning corner cuboardry gubbins
• Space for mops and shite like that, which keeps them instantly accessible but tidied away at the same time
• Enough plugs

We had a Plain English kitchen in our last house- it was absolutely gorgeous. We were very lucky though and managed to get it ex-display when they closed a showroom. There is no way we could afford a new one.I'm looking at their ready made Britsh Standard kitchens for our new house- also a company called Sustainable Kitchens- although I haven't seen their kitchens in real life yet.

My ndns have a Smallbone kitchen. It's beautiful.

Properly designed with good ergonomics and storage and made to measure where needed to fit the space.
Classic design that won't date for the actual units. like this but in a more modern house I'd go for a modern style.
But quirky and interesting decor as well in a big friendly room with space for everyone. And working well with the rest of the house.

To be honest some kitchens look like people threw too much money at them and not enough design, you only have to look at top end estate agents. I've seen a family kitchen in a stately home with beautiful bespoke units, done by an interior designer, but there was obviously nowhere to actually cook, put things down or use the microwave, as there was stuff piled everywhere.

I want a Heartwood designs kitchen. They are a local company and their kitchens are all handmade solid wood and utter gorgeous

I'll have to stick to my shitty Howdens one for another couple of years at least.

Poggenpohl

Why would you need a kettle in a kitchen when money is no object? I have a boiling water tap that is als a cold and hot tap. Brilliant tea, instant boiling pasta and veg......

Big - lots of storage, surface space, breakfast bar, big table and soft seating area too.
Lots of glass and views onto a nice garden.
Some kind of beautiful stone workrooms
UFH
Two ovens and microwave.
Induction hob.
Effective outside extraction
Water softener
Boiling water tap
Filtered and fuzzy water tap
Deep double sink
Tap on hose
Wine fridge
Side by side full size separate fridge and freezer
Separate utility room

Function first
No fiddly bits that attract dust
Efficient (and quiet!) extractor fan
Drawers not cupboards
Appliance garages so worktops stayed clear
Pantry
Ufh
Self cleaning!
Dishwasher (but DH would still put plates in the sink/area above the dishwasher!)
Boiling water tap
Large sink big enough for oven trays
Separate utility

Martin Moore, Tom Howley and Simon Benjamin Kitchens are all lovely and on my WANT list! Oh and a big big larder cabinet, maybe even two!

Ah, just read W8woman's comment... mass produced indeed! Simon Benjamin it is then, they're definitely bespoke!

Actually it's quite interesting that a lot of the larger companies are made on mass rather than truly bespoke. There are some smaller hidden gems out there and in my experience you get a better service and less 'middlemen' as well as a better product.

Right now to plan my dream layout...

Kitchen porn! Yessss!

I'm a bit tacky and bling when it comes to interiors. Happy to admit.

Here is my inspo...