Kitchen Design Feedback

[4yearsnosleep]

Hi All

We’ve just had some plans made up for our new extension. Please ignore the pillar as that’s going and in the far right corner, we’re putting in a walk in corner larder where all small appliances (except the kettle) will be. There’s built in bins to the left of the hob. I’m thinking of losing the prep sink now that the hob is so close to the main sink?

Love to hear your thoughts :)

Here’s the rest the of the pics. We’re thinking pale grey cabinets, dark navy islands and river white granite

Wow - big kitchen. You’ve said the pillars are going so my thoughts about the stools either side of it aren’t relevant. I would put the tall unit you have to the right of the ovens between the fridge freezer and ovens do you have some worktop easily accessible next to an oven.

I think there is way too much going on in the kitchen. It looks too busy between the baskets and fridge and big drawers and little drawers, and glass insets and presses with different levels. None of the lines match up and that would drive me mad.

I would integrate the fridge and try reduce the busyness imo.

P.S I would move the oven so there is a worktop directly beside them, for safety reasons! Maybe swap the oven block with the tall unit beside it.

Actually in that wall I'd have a tall integrated larder fridge, larder freezer, tall storage unit (so 3 tall identical units beside each other), then the ovens, then that corner worktop.

Agree with Facelike that is is a bit busy and bitty. I would lose the baskets altogether - the overall style and your colours are quite sleek chic, and baskets don't go with that. Also, I would look at having your special units (e.g. Wine store) at the end of a run rather than interrupt it. Agree too you need worktop adjacent to oven. Island looks enormous- maybe add some interest by having a change of height/colour for part of it?

Thinking about it, in my head I’ve already changed quite a lot! When I mapped this out on graph paper yesterday, I did make it more evenly spaced on the back wall with another tall unit in the back. L to right there’s a 300mm larder unit (no longer curved) and single oven housing, 300mm, other oven, then another unit separating the fridge & oven, then the corner walk in larder.

The island is right behind the ovens, so I can just turn around and put it down?

I agree with the baskets and haven’t been convinced by them. Will switch for cupboards.

The American fridge freezer is staying as a we already have it and B I like the ice and water machine so when the current 10year old one finally dies it’ll be replaced with similar.

I think I might lose the wine rack altogether as there’s a huge one in the walk in larder. I might put the wine fridge in the island?

I’ll remove the little drawers as I’m not a fan and there’s tons of storage.

Would it look better with drawers under the sink?

I’ve also removed the curved unit from the end by the bifolds, so that only the island is curved.

With the prep sink removed I think I can create a better layout on the island.

I’m hoping I can get the kitchen designer to make all the changes in my head so I can see them on paper. I’m planning on simple copper handles.

It was designed by a guy in Wickes, but I can save so much money with DIY kitchens and upgrade to solid wood cabinets that I think we’ll go there instead. (Works out at least £5k less!) It is a huge kitchen so I need to save where I can!

I wish this software was easy to access as then I would find it easier to sort it all!

Our new kitchen which arrives on Monday is dark blue and light grey with a mix of silestone and oak worktops. It's a similar size to yours and we too have a walk in larder. For the main part of the kitchen we're having base units along 2 walls and no wall units at all and along the 3rd shorter wall we're having a free standing pantry/larder. Could you potentially lose the cupboards with the glass panels and only have the base units? It would them mirror the run of units on the opposite wall.

I thought I read that copper wasn't fashionable anymore? Not sure how it wears either, compared with stainless steel. In general it looks fabulous but I agree with the others. No need for the baskets.

Yellowfairy, that sounds very similar to what we’re having! I do like the glass unit set up as it’s like having a built in dresser and it will hold nice glasses etc.

I’m not really fussed about copper going out of fashion. I’m designing it for us and what we love, we’ll be here at least 14 years now that we’re going to extend. If they don’t wear well, or I get fed up with them, it’s an easy swap out. Same with light fittings etc

Looks like a lot of walking will be done when meal making and dishing up...

Where's the view in your kitchen ? Outside through the brown windows in your first post ? I'd want to have the view central to bring in the kitchen (eating or cooking) so that you bring the view in, if you see what I mean ?

So for example we rejigged things so that when we cook on the hob we are looking out down the garden into fiends, and you have the same view from the dining table. The original lay out had the view over my right shoulder when cooking and while we could have fitted in more units that way, it flows better this way.

(And yes you have a lot of detailing for drawers etc - you can have one drawer open up to have several inside - nit sure what they call these).

Not really, the fridge, ovens and hob are all pretty close together? They’re pretty much in the same area my kitchen is now. The crockery and cutlery will be in the pan drawer next to the dishwasher. So really the less used stuff and seating will be on the left hand side of the kitchen.

I love my walk in larder and also keep all the small appliances in there: kettle, microwave, food mixer, blender etc. We had a confined space and I only wish it were bigger. Make sure it has a decent work surface. I’ve used a lot of greys in our house which I rather regret as it’s quite grey when the sky is grey outside most of the year. I also think it’s been so fashionable it’s bound to look dated along with shiny white and shiny granite work surfaces. Nice big space you have!

I think copper is classic and is actually being used more again. Chefs have always used it.

DidIreallysay that. The view would be through the window (they will not be brown!) and bifolds. It is however not much of a view. I see what you are saying. I'd always planned on having the sink by the window, so flipping the kitchen wouldn't really work. I wasn't sold on the offset hob, as I mostly like things symmetrical, but it works with the seating on the island I think.

Hold back the wine, I'm worried you maybe right regarding the grey, I might have a look at the other whites available in the farrow and ball colours as I think bright white (matt) might be a bit too stark a contrast with the dark navy island? Granite I've always loved, so it's not a fashion thing. We had gorgeous granite worktops in a house we rented in the states and I loved the natural patterns and crystals in it.

I'm a little daunted by how big the kitchen is, but looking forward to all the space as my current one has no work surface and is an awful layout. I love to cook and bake, so I'm very excited!

I’ve redrawn it but annoyingly it won’t let me upload it

I'd recommend a visit to Devol, we went for ideas and just fell in love with the kitchens. They have a Instagram page and website with lots of lovely photos.

I still think you need workspace alongside the oven - if you turn round from them, you have the sink and hob closest on the island: where do you quickly put down something heavy and hot, especially if the hob is in use?

The prep sink is going and with the way I’ve laid it out. The island is completely clear behind the ovens. I like the run of tall cupboards and don’t really want to break them up.

Love DeVols instagram page, it’s my fav