Kitchen questions, lots of them!

[Tobuyornot99]

I've been following the kitchen threads and have (thanks to Mumsnet wisdom) decided on a Norton from DIY kitchens.

Then problem is the design, I've a small kitchen with lots of doors, and having had 3 designers out it's all a bit style over substance so I'm back to the drawing board.

Can anyone answer any or all of these questions please?
1 - are under counter double ovens too small to be useful?
2 - is an induction hob on a peninsular with very little room at front and back an accident waiting to happen?
3 - are corner units with magic pull outs worth it or should I just forgo the corner as dead space?
4 - are pull out larders good or not? If not how do you ensure you get to the back of tall cupboards?
5 - would you sacrifice storage for looks?
6 - why is designing a kitchen so hard?!

Thanks in advance if you've got through the mammoth post.

If you want a double oven, I'd go for freestanding to slot into the space. This will also eliminate the potential issues with having a hob on a shallow island.

We have a magic corner unit and it's sturdy and useful. I have had one in a past kitchen too - no issues. I've never had a pull out larder - we're lucky enough to have a walk-in pantry in our house - so I can't comment on that.

Don't sacrifice storage, especially not in a small kitchen, for style. That doesn't mean you can't have a stylish space.

Oh and I'm short so I have a folding step in order to reach things from the top shelves of cupboards, etc.

I have a built under double oven, i specifically chose one with a large fan compartment and its a great size for my family of 4.
Dont sacrifice the storage, the pull out corner units are useful.
I have never had a pullout larder till i moved to my current house and i love it!
I wouldnt sacrifice storage but if it did completely ruin the look of the kitchen a compromise between the two would be needed.

1. Built under double ovens are small in the main cavity, look at some in a shop and decide. Also consider a slot in induction cooker

which will have bigger ovens.

1. No, we have hob with 30cm behind it. It's nice to have the space next to it. Just tell people not to sit on stools when you are cooking.
2. Yes magic corners are...magic
3. Pullout larder-go for separate inner drawers then a couple of shelves at the top not one huge mechanism

1. Practicality is everything but often a practical layout can look good too. But don't get hung up on symmetry.
2. Because most of us have a new kitchen infrequently and I fear many designers have no idea what a kitchen is used for. (except MNers of course)

Corner cupboards with magic pull outs are amaze xxx

Thank you all so much! I'm sure I'll be back with more questions as my plan progresses.

Interested about the pull out larder units; are they helpful; wondered how easy it is to store jars/tunes in them or whether they just topple over the sides constantly. How do you retain packets of crisps/snacks etc in the spaces?

I am not a fan of magic corners for many reasons. One being that they only give you about 50% of the potential shelf space. What about a tall corner cupboard as a pantry unit?

I have one and all my food items are in there with room to spare.

advice.diy-kitchens.com/customer-questions/walk-in-kitchen-corner-larder-units/

Like this one?

We have an under counter double oven and I particularly looked for one that had a decent sized main oven, lots have quite a small one so make sure you check that. We have corner cupboards where you open both doors - one to the left and one to the right. Means you can access and use all of the space. The twirly carasols leave a lot of dead space. I've seen rectangular baskets that pull along and then out which are better but there'll still be dead space with those. I have my cupboards up to the ceiling - I put infrequently used items up the top and and have a small folding 2 stool step for reaching up there.

2 step stool even

Rather than a pull out larder has anyone got a tandem larder pull out unit? I've just discovered these and they look quite nifty, means small items like spices are easy to access.

Built in wine racks - yay or nay? The tall ones that can be used to fill in gaps, I'm not a huge drinker so it might be empty a lot!

Built in bin next to a heat generating appliance (oven or dishwaher), will the bin stink or is insulation good these days?

Composite sink in a light colour, will I just spend my like hating it?

So many questions, thanks so much for any replies!

We're going for a tandem larder pull out unit. Not in yet. I wouldn't put the bin next to a dishwasher/oven I don't know how well they're insulated. If you need the filler of a wine rack then go for it, if you don't and don't drink much wine, then don't get one 😊

I was told that if you get a white composite sink you can use vanish crystals to get stains out:)

Our built in bin is next to the dishwasher and has hot water pipes running behind it. Not ideal but it doesn’t get too smelly - it’s a 20 litre bin and we fill it in 2 or 3 days.

Thanks 4 years, what width did you go for? Bet you can't wait to have it fitted.

Agnes thanks for that, they seem quite small compared to a free standing bin so hopefully not too much opportunity to pong.

Tobuy we used to have a 40 l pedal bin that we used to fill quite quickly - don't know why but we seem to produce less rubbish using a smaller bin (or maybe it gets better compacted).

We have a white composite sink. No issues at all. I use barkeepers friend or bleach. No stains at all

Our tandem larder unit is a 600mm wide one, but that's many because I'm slightly overly obsessed with symmetry so it matches the built in larder fridge and freezer units 🙈🤷🏽‍♀️

4years I was going to go for a 600 tandem larder/pull out but didn’t think I would quite have enough storage so have ended up with 2 400 standard pull outs but think I might always regret the spice storage set up with the tandem....