Cunning ideas to tweak my kitchen, please!

[PimpMyKitchen]

(Name change, obv).

I can't afford to have a new kitchen at the moment (although I do have more radical ideas for the long term) but I do have a few thousand to throw at improving this one. Plan attached - the kitchen end is roughly 12 ft by 6 ft but then it's half knocked through into the dining room end, which has a big table and an enormous dresser which holds a lot of kitchen stuff. Luckily, Howdens still make this kitchen, so we can get more/different units if wanted. Things that don't work well:

1. There isn't enough worktop space. I think this one probably can't be solved without the more radical idea of knocking down the wall betwen the two rooms completely, but any ideas very welcome.

2. There isn't enough storage (as the photos I'll post next show! I have had a good declutter, although you wouldn't think so...)

3. Some particular problem areas, which I'll post photos of next.

So far I have in my sights; replacing the worktop (the laminate's chipped), getting a couple of doors replaced where the foil's come off (it is 12 years old, so I don't feel it owes me anything), new cooker without the eye-level grill, kick drawers under the units (no idea how much these cost though), some kind of boxing in of the boiler, maybe an appliance garage in that area?

Problem area 1:

This bit! There used to be two shelves of glass jars which looked quite nice but the new boiler meant there was only room for one which looks silly. There's too much stuff out on the worktop. I don't mind the pot of spoons, but the compost bins and the food processr are ugly. I do like keeping the food processor handy though.

Could an appliance garage work here? But I read some reviews saying the rolling type often stick? Ones where the doors that open outwards would just be annoying and further limit the precious workshop space.

Could I get some cupboards over the cooker, if it didn't have an eyelevel grill? I don't want a cooker hood - we have an extractor fan on the wall that meets building regs. But it would have to be quite high which wouldn't be so useful (DP and I are both tall and DC look likely to end up tall).

The small cupboard just above the kettle is really handy (oil, condiments, tea and coffee - the mugs live just to the right of the photo hanging on hooks on the dresser) but it's got really warped from the steam from the kettle. I guess the kettle could go on the other side but that would clutter up one of the few useful bits of worktop and be several steps from the mugs.

The windows are in really awkward places! I've never liked this wall cupboard - it blocks the light from the windows and just looks really ugly. But taking away storage just seems wrong.

I'm not a fan of the carousel cupboard - I think we could get more in with cleverly placed shelves but DP reckons that's at the expense of being able to actually find/reach the things. What do you reckon?

Afterthoughts:

When I say 'a few thousand' I mean one or two, not eight or nine!

I'm not aiming for a sleek modern kitchen - it's not our style or the style of the house. But I would like it to be less cluttered and messy.

I think you have too much out on the counter tops too - could you store plates etc in built in cupboards in the dining room and put small appliances in the kitchen cupboards? The other thing we have done is built the microwave into a wall cupboard and put the sink and cooker fairly close to get a longer run of counter top. The Windows do look awkward though, I see what you mean!

Sadly probably an extensive de-clutter is probably the most effective option

If you moved your freezer to where the carousel unit is and removed the 300mm unit, you could then get some serious tall storage in on the wall that would be freed up. A dresser for plates etc or just a big double cupboard.

Thanks for suggestions!

Slightlypeturbed: It is messy in these pics - I didn't tidy up first! But the stuff that lives on the counter-tops does so because there isn't room for it in any of the existing cupboards. We already have all the cutlery and crockery in the dresser (as well as the tin cans and other dry goods). I don't think the sink and cooker can go any closer together without your elbow hitting the worktop as you washed up. There isn't much that we don't use all the time - we're all quite keen cooks, so I'm really not sure decluttering is the answer.

Grockle: where would the fridge go then? I guess if we could move the FF out into the dining room end we could get one tall deep cupboard in there which would be good - but it would only be 2ft wide as that's all there is before the window. And the fridge would be a long way from the rest of the kitchen and we'd have to move a radiator. Hmm, it's tricky!

You could have a plate rack over the hob, or a rail for hanging saucepans.
I see what you mean by the wall cupboard, could you put it where the spice rack is now and replace it with open shelves?

Sorry I'd misread and thought it was a freezer that went under a counter.

Thanks Bamaluz. I sort of feel hanging saucepans should be beautiful copper things, not my motley collection of Sainsburys' and Tesco's stuff! But that would certainly be practical, or the plate rack. Unfortunately you wouldn't be able to open the door on a cupboard where the spice rack is because it would foul on the boiler. But I do like the idea of the shelves instead of the wall cupboard. My full collection of old Kenco jars could go there instead of just a few under the boiler. And you could make the top shelf level with the top of the little windows and maybe continue the line of shelves into the funny corner between the two little windows, tying them together a bit more. I'm not a big fan of open shelves in kitchens because of dust/stickiness but it might be the only solution for this awkward space.

Ah I understand now, GrokleBoks! Unfortunately it's a fridge-freezer (and an extra narrow one at that, because of the limited space, which is a right pain to replace when it breaks on Christmas Eve...)

You can still get little extractor fans and put a bridging unit over the top, which might work over a new cooker.

The 90 x 90 carousel unit... I wonder if this could be replaced with another rectangular corner cupboard with only one door, like in the opposite corner. We have a couple of these with just shelves. They're not ideal, the stuff "round the corner" is not very accessible, but if you keeping something easy to shift in the accessible part, it can work, and I think it'll hold more stuff than the carousel. This would mean you could change one of the 30cm base units to a 60cm one, which holds disproportionately more.

Is the crosshatching a radiator? If so could you have either shelves over or cut back, extra shallow wall cupboards, say one sweetcorn tin deep?

Another idea I love is a very, very narrow full height pantry pullout next to the FF. Literally the width of a tin. I'm not sure how you'd keep it stable but have a look on pinterest.

I wouldn't move the fridge out of the kitchen if you can possibly avoid it. It would drive you mad every time you make a cup of tea. I think the basic problem is too many windows! Nice but not v practical.

That's a thought, Singing, about the carousel cupboard, thanks. The crosshatching is a radiator but it's already got the towel rail above it (and a calendar above that, but I guess that's not essential!). I think even a narrow shelf would be annoying becaue you'd bump into it going to the fridge. Unfortunately there's only about 2" between the fridge and the window starting, so unless it was a very tall thin spice-rack pullout, I don't think there's much scope there!

The windows are definitely part of the problem. But I don't want to lose any as the dining room end is decidedly gloomy already. I've discovered my cunning 'tie the low windows together visually with a shelf' plan doesn't work because they're not the same height at the top. One is about half an inch higher than the other, damnit!

A quick mock up of what I would do. Swap cooker for oven and hob. Put wall cabinets along that wall including boxing in boiler (you have extractor for kitchen already. they will get more grubby but who cares!). Replace kettle with hot water tap over sink (re use in new kitchen). Put microwave where kettle is. Switch to 450 dishwasher. Swap dishwasher and washing machine. Remove wall cupboard between windows and replace with open shelving. Ditch draining board in favour of more worktop space. Get a 'lid' for the sink so you have a full run of work top in front of window. Store very occasional use things out of the kitchen

I'm not surprised it's a mess as the storage is nearly non- existent. To remedy the space, I'd lose 1 or 2 of the windows (look odd with the different shapes and sizes anyway) to accommodate wall units. I'd also knock the little wall to the dining area to make a peninsula or island with further storage.

Ideally replace the carousel end with drawers and a fridge and have nothing on the short wall. Just the island where the current wall to the dining room is (I really find corner cabinets annoying and useless).

I think I've come to the same conclusion as Yours and daddy.

From the left:
Fridge freezer (door reversed)
600 drawers (1 deep for crockery)
Straight corner unit with magic corner pullout
Dishwasher (small is a good idea)
Sink with drainer to L or no drainer
Washing machine
Your L shape corner with offset shelves
Replace cooker with a Second hand Canon double oven
600 drawers or pull outs
Replace dresser with good 2 door tall larder.
Walk units across the boiler wall.

IME kitchen units can look quite ropy when undone but if firmly screwed to wall and each other they should copy with the move.

I honestly think you would be better to hold onto your money and keep saving. I don't think that a couple of thousand will make enough of a difference, and you will still be disappointed, and it would have to be redone in a couple of years anyway.

If you cannot face doing nothing (and I have lived with a kitchen for five years that was falling apart and no longer had doors on cupboards so I do know how you feel) then I would try to take a longer view and if you were to do anything I would do the building work, so that you feel half way towards new kitchen. So decide where you want to end up and implement first half of plan.

Do you want the kitchen/dining room to be an open plan space longer term?

I think you could lose a window and the wall as the light to the dining room is actually cut out by the wall, rather than too few windows. You have got electric not chased into the wall just to the right of the boiler,
feeding the boiler controls, which are now adding to the difficulty of using that wall, and you need 1metre clearance above a cooker, so cannot put cupboards on that wall.

Knock down dividing wall, and make good. Get rid of dresser, because they do not give good square footage of storage for foot print. Buy two lovely old tall pine cupboards, or get carpenter to make them. Paint them if you don't like pine. Together they will take up the floor space of the dresser but give you far more storage. One has plates, bowls, cups, cutlery, glasses, mugs, serving dishes, Tupperware. The other has all baking stuff, bowls, ingredients, metal trays, food processor, bread maker, scales, even saucepans, frying pans etc.

Clear all your spice jars, Kenco jars etc out of the main kitchen and into these cupboards. Clear the walls of the kitchen of spice racks, shelves, clock etc as they make it look much more cluttered.

As someone previously said, get rid of cooker and do oven and hob, B & Q is you friend here, I have bought several sets of stainless steel oven and hob from there for under £300. They look the business, and have staying power. They don't always show up on their website, so you may need to search, or wait till they have their event weekends.

If you don't need the free standing cupboards in your final scheme they make great hall or toy cupboards.

I think this may come across as a bit harsh, I don't mean to be, but I have been in your situation and it is difficult to see the way to go when you are living with it day to day.

Good luck!

Thanks all - all ideas are useful, if only in working out what I don't want!

I am in two minds about whether I do want to knock the half-wall down between the two rooms, which is why I thought I'd try tarting it up a bit first instead. I like the fact that from the table you can't see the washing up and other mess (we have a curtain that we pull between the two rooms for once in a blue moon dinner parties). Obviously with more storage in a bigger room it wouldn't be as messy but I guess there would always be some mess (with us, at least) and I like eating in a dining-room-ish feeling space, but with the convenience of being only a few steps from the work area, unlike a separate dining room. I also like the fact that this way you can still see the original layout of the house with kitchen and scullery (the modern kitchen being the original scullery). The house is nothing special - it's not listed or anything and is only 1930s - but I prefer to minimise changes to its structure. More practically, the floor of the old kitchen/modern dining room is original floorboards (and a bit of quarry tiles where the fireplace used to be) whereas the scullery end is concrete, so if we did knock through I can't think what to do about the flooring. I wouldn't want to remove the original wooden flooring to replace it all with something new.

But it would undoubtedly be lighter in the dining room end with that wall gone, and there'd be room for a shallow peninsula unit or a wider island. So I am torn!

One thing I didn't understand was why people were suggesting an oven and hob rather than a cooker? If you can split them into different places I can see that that's useful but I don't think I can in this kitchen so what's the benefit? Don't they take up the same amount of space?

I also wouldn't rush to knock down the wall, unless your dining room is massive. It's quite open as it is. I suggested the oven and hob as an electric hob is completely flat and when off can be used as a bit of extra worktop space!

How about knocking an opening 'window' above where the radiator is. You could have extra work top space here and have it as a breakfast bar with stools on the other side. A bit like this:

Ah, thanks for the explanation, YourD. I'm wedded to gas, so don't want an electric hob (no, not even an induction hob!) so was thinking to get a cooker with one of the those glass lids that comes down when not in use to make a bit of extra worktop like that, so thinking alike there.

Lovely picture, thanks! That's an idea I hadn't though of, thanks, will ponder.

Oh bother, I don't think that lovely window idea is going to work here - there's too much cutaway already, I think it would just look silly. I think the options for the wall are probably leave it as it is, take it down altogether or, possibly, have the right-hand cut through taken up to the ceiling but not widened, which would just make it feel a bit more open. Why the previous owners didn't either take the chimney breast out completely or leave it in, I will never understand...

We store our pans on the hob - well the 2 or 3 we use most frequently, we also have a hob top kettle which saves worktop space.

Do you have a radiator in the dining area? Could that be doubled up/vertical one/larger one and get rid of the kitchen one?

It's has a lovely homely feel :) Just one more thought. If you get a 'vintgae' style ff and put it just outside the kitchen where the dresser is- ie move that along- you would have room for narrow depth units in that corner, giving you much more worktop and accessible storage. Good luck with whatever you do

I would take the wall down to where your curtain starts, so you are opening up the gap but still can hide washing machine etc
I would get rid of the dresser and have base and wall units all the say down that wall
Get rid of the wall unit between the two windows and box the boiler in

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