What's fabulous about your kitchen?

[moretea]

Just that really. I need to renovate but not really sure what to consider. I know I need as much storage as possible and a dishwasher but not sure about materials or what's available in terms of magical touches to make life easier and the kitchen more exciting. Just read on here about Appliance Garages, liking the idea of hiding everything away but still being accessible whilst avoiding built-ins. Please inspire me.

Ohidoliketobe I love the idea of the mini utility room. How much room does it take up?

I'm purchasing a house with a large kitchen and no utility room. I'd love a space for when we do renovate the kitchen.

This thread is brilliant!!

There are some brilliant ideas here, things I'd never considered. Thanks especially to those recommending induction hobs, glass splashbacks and big pan drawers, I'll definitely have a look at those. I especially like Arrietty's method for choosing flooring, that made me smile. My current kitchen has laminated mdf doors, which are peeling off at the joins and have sharp edges, so I,m hoping to find something this time that will be better quality, but without the cost of solid wood, if such a thing exists. Feeling more excited than daunted at planning my new kitchen now, thanks everyone.

Never yet had room but I'd have 2 dishwashers!!

We currently have 1 fridge & 1 fridge freezer which works well for us as a family of 6!

ArriettyClock1 we are just choosing Amtico flooring and have 2 mud magnet spaniels - which design did you go for to hide the paw prints?!

Granite work surfaces and a Stone flags on the floor - they show nothing!

My brand new slate worktops

The fact only one person at a time can fit in it. So I can make a drink and food without being hurtled out of the way by teenagers.

This is a really useful thread as just planning a kitchen - thank you.

From previous kitchens I'd say that full height pull-out pantry doors are very helpful and I miss mine terribly. I've never used the silly turny things in corner cupboards as they are a fiddly pain. Just use corner cupboards for stuff you don't use much.

Induction hob

drawers, drawers and more drawers

washing machine either in a utility room or behind extra sound proofing

dishwasher next to drawers/cupboards for your most used things

Big fridge freezer with ice/water dispenser

space to store everything to of sight so you don't need to leave much out (e.g. just kettle & toaster)

underfloor heating

bright lighting under wall units (or under display shelves if you aren't having wall units)

plenty of space for sorting recycling and rubbish

Two bins for sorting standard rubbish and recycling. A large Miele dishwasher - the quietest you can get I think. Two ovens and a microwave combi oven. Large Miele induction hob. 5 years old and looks like new. Two fridges built in. One small built in freezer and a built in coffee machine. Huge island with veg prep sink near fridges and it also has the hob in it. Double butler sink near dishwasher. Seating area and double width larder unit with drawers under. Drawers and cupboards for crockery and pans. I like my corner cupboard with swing racks in it. I would never fish stuff out of the back!

Laundry room with washer and dryer, washing hanging rail. Sorting bays for dried washing - socks, pants, towels when they come out of the tumble dryer. Large sink for hand washing. Storage for ironing board, mop and cleaning materials. Large storage baskets for recycled paper and welly boots! Large towel rad for extra drying! Most important - wine fridge!

Pan drawers

Tall pull-out larder cupboard.

Big solid oak bar unit with stools.

Bendy tap.

Plug sockets that pull up out of the worktops.

Wine fridge (obvs)

Not my current kitchen... but things that I have had and love:

• Induction hob
• Almost all 'pan' drawers rather than cupboards
• No gap at the top of units (take the cupboards all the way to the cealing)
• Deep surfaces so that all appliances like dishwasher are fully under the counter (i.e. not a standard 60cm deep counter).
• Deep, large 1.5 sink
• granite + upstand and glass splashback behind the hob, no tiles.

If I was getting a new kitchen I would put in a hot tap and also a water softener.

I'd love a proving drawer...

ohIdoliketobe, would you mind posting a pic of your utility cupboard please? I have a free standing washer in a space just off our kitchen, and I'd love to be able to hide it!

Do you have any photos please bojorojo

Marking place as we are planning a refurb

Not much I love about our current kitchen but here are a few good things about it I will be replicating:

Big fridge freezer with double doors and water spout (Fisher & Paykel)
Lots of plug sockets, including on the island
Washing machine and dryer are not in the kitchen
Speckled black/green granite, good for not showing the dirt
Lighting is on several circuits and dimmers so lots of options

Lots of drawers
Double sink with hose tap
recycling bin cupboard
UFH
plumbed american fridge freezer
range cooker
granite worktops and splashback across the whole of the wall - no tiles
I actually love our swing out corner cupboards
led lighting
large dining table
French doors to garden.

There's actually nothing about our kitchen that I don't like/regret.

I recently got "daylight" LED bulbs.

They have literally shown me the way (hallelujah!). Every time I go in there I smile at how clean and bright it all looks. I can't believe the crappy lights I had before. It's changed the kitchen so much, without doing a single other thing to it.

This

This thread is great. We are planning our new kitchen at the moment.

Can I ask if you have a deeper work surface than standard, what depth is if?

I am worried about the lack of surface space in our planned kitchen and wonder if a deeper worktop would compensate for this?

I love my island, pan drawers, pull out bin cupboard. I actually really love the simplicity of the layout and how much easier it is to use and work in than my old kitchen. :)

I think I'd need and extension to fit in all the features I'd ideally like. Although RandomMess made a good point about the more storage space you have the more crap you keep. I would like to take up Snorkmaiden's suggestion of underfloor heating, radiators take up so much space and usually are where I'd prefer to put something else.

The fact that mine is a mix of built in and freestanding pieces that i've collected over the years. I love my Fired Earth Tuscan tiles that can deal with a hot Le Creuset being plonked on it, and I love my Stanley range.