DIY kitchens- anyone want to look over my plan?

[FourOnTheHill]

Kitchen plan nearly finalised, would anyone like to take a look and comment on whether you think it’s ok?

Also... colours! It’ll be shaker style, Linwood or Norton and I want to go bespoke with the colour but we are still figuring out if we can afford that and what colour we’d choose if we did.

Worktops will be light quartz and floor will be limestone.

Anyone got a DIY kitchen they’re pleased with that they’d like to post photos of? Did you have pelmets and cornices? Are these necessary?

Oven next to worktop better as you would be taking out hot tray and need to put it down immediately.

Hmm, maybe you’re right, I was thinking I go to the fridge more frequently than to the oven so the landing area for the fridge was more important?

We have the Linwood in alabaster and I love it. We went for pelmets etc and it definitely finishes it off nicely.

We have a 70cm hob and can fit five pans on at once so don't worry about that. Ours has 80cm pan drawers under it. You could then make the cupboards either side of the pan drawers slightly wider, or turn them into pan drawers. We have the one with the internal drawer. The fitter had to move the hob back slightly to accommodate it but it's not noticeable.

Definitely have a landing space next to the oven. You'll probably be getting stuff out of the fridge to chop so you'll only be going to the kitchen table.

And I'd second, or is it third, the idea of having integrated bins. We have the 60cm one with 2 big, 2 little and an internal drawer. It's possibly my favourite unit as we used to have bags of recycling falling out all over the place and now everything is streamlined and super tidy.

Other side

Beautiful pics MissisBoote!

I’ll phone them this morning and sort out the pan drawers issue, but yes an 80cm set sounds good.

Will discuss swapping the fridge and oven units with dh... he wanted a freestanding fridge orgiginally which would be better on the end of that run so that would be another advantage.

MissisBoote so you have the pelmets and cornices do you? I am not sure I can see them?! Maybe I don’t actually know what they are

Ps how are you finding the wooden worktops? Did you get them from DIY or elsewhere? Are they oiled or varnished? I think wood looks best with light units but we are heavy duty kitchen users and not always all that tidy so we thought quartz would be tougher

Yes, we have the cornice and pelmets. I had them set so they were on the thinner end and went for the smaller pelmet(or is it cornice) - the bit that goes on the top of the cupboard - as it looks more modern imo.

The worktops are from worktop express - I wanted the thinner ones (I think they're 38mm - can't remember exactly) and diykitchens didn't do them.

We're heavy users - lots of daily cooking, baking, chopping etc but no problems with the worktops. We just make sure there's no standing water and wipe stuff up straight away - I'm sure everyone would do this with their new kitchen though :o It probably helps that we don't have a butler sink though so no drips from turning the taps on and off. The sink we have is from diykitchens and is huge so nearly as big as a butler sink but also has the benefit of the drainer.

I would have loved quartz but sadly beyond our tiny budget.

They're treated in numerous coats of osmo polyx oil so pretty bomb proof now.

The sink is fab. Does it go all the way to the back of the worksurface?

Re standing water I agree everyone would mop it up when it’s new, it’s when it’s not so new any more and we get —lazy— more relaxed that I’m worried we’ll ruin it. The osmo oil is supposed to be fab though I’ve heard.

We got our oak worktops from Worktops Express. They were great. Osmo is brilliant - the hard wax polyx oil sold for floors is the same as the one sold for worktops but cheaper and in a bigger tin. Go figure. I bought ours from a Johnstone's Decorator Centre.

Ah that’s a good tip. We are probably having wood on the left side if we stick with work surface there and don’t go for tall units all the way along

The sink doesn't quite go all the way back. I think yours does doesn't it?

Looking at your plan again - I'd be tempted to put floor to ceiling units where you've got the other run, then make wall and floor cupboards where you've currently got the larder unit, keeping the eye level oven unit on the end. I think it would make the main kitchen area feel more spacious.

Is displaying your pottery collection essential?

For me, I find that kitchens look more streamlined when there aren't glass cupboard doors - the more hidden everything is, the tidier it seems to be.

Haha no I don't have to have the wedgwood on display, anyway if I had more wall units where you suggested I could have some glass fronted ones there. I think dh is pretty adamant about having a pull out larder in the main part of the kitchen though. Maybe it could be narrower, we started with a 30cm one and then it grew, due to various logistical factors with the unit sizes. I'm trying to avoid narrow doors as I don't like them so much in the Linwood/ Norton styles. Too much frame not enough inside bit. We will consider this again thanks

Re the sink, I have been SCOURING the internet for one that will go all the way to the back. Didn't see one on DIY kitchens. Now complicated by the fact that we are probably going for 65cm deep worktop. I would at least like the tap to come out of the sink unit if poss as drying up every time anyone uses the tap is not likely to happen in our house. I have a lot of people coming and going and different family members using the kitchen while I'm at work. Although tbh I'm probably the most slovenly in the drying up round the sink department so I shouldn't blame it on them!

I agree with pp that the left side should all be tall units, including the larder.

I know IKEA used to do a double sink unit that I think used to go all the way back - might be worth a look.

I looked at Ikea but I think it was a really annoying width, will look again.

Will reconsider on the wall/ base units on the left. Originally I wanted it to look like this...

But Pinterest is dangerous isn’t it, it’s like when you were 16 and you went to the hairdresser clutching a picture of posh spice and came out all disappointed... sadly we won’t have beautiful French doors and cornicing like this! We will have French doors in that position but upvc

Ikea sinks page not working argh

I think that would look fabulous and so much more streamlined. And so much storage.
You could have a fabulous larder.

Anyone know what colour that green De vol pic is?

Yes fabulous larder sounds a plan! The other reason ours won’t look like that gorgeous pic is that we need to put the freestanding freezer along that run of units

Is it an existing freezer? If you're buying new then why not have an integrated one?

Going to France any time soon? Sink/Evier

You don't have to have 65cm deep worktops everywhere, just on the main prep area is where they are most useful. You could tweak it on the sink run to match whatever sink you end up with.

I would run your tall units ovens nearest the worktop, then larder (at least 60cm wide with inner drawers not a huge pull out) then freestanding or integrated fridge.

The hob looks nice centred but if you move it to the right a bit, you will have a nice big preparation space to the left of it. I think it might get crowded between hob and sink otherwise.
Where are you unstacking your dishwasher to ?
Don't have the main cutlery drawer under the prep area or it will be "excuse me" 100 times a day when you want a tea spoon. I have this thing there should be a tea making shrine zone in the kitchen unobstructed by anything else going on with mugs, tea, milk, kettle., spoons all to hand!

I know other PP differ but I think the left hand end is fine.

Dh is completely adamant about 2 things: we use the existing bins not integrated ones (this is because about 4 years ago we bought 20 years of bin liners from Amazon) and that we use our existing freestanding freezer.

He’ll agree with you about having a tea making shrine though!

I am completely adamant about the hob being in the middle I will have to go and live somewhere else if it’s lopsided although I do understand why you’re saying that.

The dishwasher will have worksurface over it so we’ll unstack to there and the sink drainer will be to its right I think 🤔

Oh and the sink! That’s what I was looking for though a holiday to France is out of our sink budget! Pils have just returned from there...

NotMeNoNo do you think having the fridge on the end of that run will make tea making more annoying? I’m thinking about where my cup will go while I’m getting the milk out if I’m making just one cup. If making lots it’s ok as I’d bring the milk over to near the kettle etc