Kitchen must haves/don't bother

[GinisLife]

I've been to Magnet today to have a look and was bamboozled by the amount of "stuff" you can buy as add ons. If you've had a kitchen fitted what are you really pleased you bought and what do you wish you hadn't bothered with ? I've picked my worktop and I want pan drawers, an induction hob, a steam oven. What else ?

Dishwasher.that is all ;)

Filtered water tap. Ours is Franke.

Dishwasher

Dishwasher, 2 if you have the space.

Don’t bother with pull out units as they tend to fail and can end up being more of a waste of space.

Integrated light up and down glass bases to wall cabinets meaning no need for clunky pelmets.

Drawers.
I wrote out a list of the things I most used and what I needed. Things like a narrow cupboard for it chopping boards just where I do must chopping. Convenient space to see spices etc.
Drawers for tea towels, cooking utensils, freezer bags etc.
Love my new kitchen!

Appliance cupboard. I have a tall cupboard 500mm wide, every shelf is for a different single appliance.... the best thing ever, clear work surfaces and easy to grab appliances.

Plug tower.

Crockery drawer, like a pan drawer but for plates etc.

Glass fronted display cabinets.
Ours only displays empty biscuit and cake tins.

Oooh placemarking as I am also planning a new kitchen. I like the thought of an appliance cupboard but do they have power sockets in them?

Dishwasher, pan drawers, double full height pantry cupboard.

Not kitchen specific, but sockets with USB ports!

@Proudpeacock mine doesn't as it is very close to the work top with the pop up plug. Because each appliance has its own shelf it is super easy to take out, use and return. I got the idea from Pinterest, lol

@helly29 my pop up plug has USB ports. Great idea!

Yes to
wide drawers under hob
Dishwasher
Lights under wall cabinets
1.5 sink
Pull out Ikea bins under sink
American fridge freezer
Lots of sockets round the worktops(with USB built in)

No to
Full height pull out larder units
Extractor hood
Gloss slab doors

We love our pull out oil rack (2 shelves), spice rack (3 shelves) and our American fridge freezer (last minute decision to get it but the huge fridge and ice on tap are amazing). I wouldn't bother with a pull out larder again, it's a bit of a waste of space. Having lived in various rental houses with different corner cupboard solutions, everything clever wastes loads of space. We have L shaped corner cupboards which are great for fitting in loads of stuff you don't use that often at the back and then stuff you do use in the 2 sides.

Tall corner cupboard larder, it is big enough for all non fridge/freezer food and loads of other things too.i love it

Get ceiling height cupboards so you don't have that awful gap at the top that gets covered in grease.

Two dishwashers... bane of my life when we've got the whole family here and you are waiting for it to finish.

No whirly corner units.... i spend my life trying to open mine as something has fallen off the fucker and jammed the doors!

No open shelving or glass doors.

Flat cupboard surfaces so they are easier to clean. We've got Shaker style and it's horrendous to try and clean.

I've already got a dishwasher that isn't very old so I'd keep that. I don't need 2 as there's only 2 of us.
My oven is also less than 12 months old as my old one packed up but I want a steam oven and need a new microwave.
I like the plug towers but the lady in Magnet said they can be hard to pull up - which it was
Yes to USB ports. They will happen
I also already have an American fridge which I'd like to keep - although it's 15 years old now so not sure how much life is left in it.
I do love the idea of the boiling water taps but they're very expensive........
I have a £15k budget but that has to include knocking a wall out into the utility room and will need a RSJ I think

Induction hob.
Full height cupboards so no gap at the top.
Obviously a dishwasher
1.5 sink
Drawers. Lots of pan drawers.
Under cupboard lifting. Good lighting in general.
Think really carefully about how you use your kitchen.

If I was doing my kitchen now I’d have a water softener put in.

Agree to the comment about cabinets going up to the ceiling. So much neater!

No to an extractor fan?
Why would you want a smokey steamy smelly kitchen?

All base cupboards to be drawers or pull outs - nothing gets lost at the back.
I only have one wall unit and it has a bifold door (upwards). The cupboard is above and to the right of my dishwasher. So easy to put the pots away and no risk of banging my head which I used to do regularly.

Pull out waste/recycling bin - great - just pull open and gather everything into it.

Pantry cupboard.

Ours is just standard big fuck off double doored thing. No pullouts etc. But it fits ALL the food easily.

I bloody love it.

And drawers below worktop height wherever possible will change your life.

Pull out rack things are useful in corner cupboards. You can't get as much stuff on them but without them the cupboard ends up in total chaos.

I hate drawers cutlery drawer obviously but everything else I much prefer cupboards!

I'm going to go through this thread and write down all the suggestions I like. Thank you all. I definitely want deeper drawers than I've got now the cutlery drawer and the man drawer keep getting stuck because items stick up and stop them opening.

recommended because we have them and love them:
full height larder cupboard
clever things for corner cupboards, eg carousel or half pull out thing - or if too expensive at least get a light put in the deepest part of the cupboard so you can see what's in the corner
at least 1.5 sinks, preferably double sink

recommended because we didn't and wish we had:
in-cupboard bin - or preferably bins with different recycling sections
towel rail (good to squeeze between two units)
storage for trays (underneath towel rail?)
self-cleaning oven

not recommended as we have but wish we hadn't
cupboards that don't go up to ceiling but too small a gap to clean tops properly

I know someone with a flash extractor which goes into the back of the worktop when not in use - looks good but doesn't work as well as a normal one