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 ?

@Bonkersblond

Interesting you say that about magnet. I just went to them for a design visit and was complete unimpressed.

It felt like they were just sticking units in - at first I wondered if it was just me as because I don't want to get into large expense of moving gas and water supplies really everything has to stay very similar but I suppose I was hoping for some inspiration as to how I could have something a bit different.

Having has the 360 plan now I have asked to make some changes. Will see how that comes back.

Have booked another design visit at wren- won't go with them but hoping I get another perspective.

Think about trying a local independent but am on relatively small budged so worried they target the more expensive end.

I read that article about if food disposal units are bad for the environment and by the end of the article it seemed to say that yes they were.

Maybe I missed something?

Also other than under the sink and possibly one tall cupboard, I’ll be having drawers in the base units. And kettle toaster etc in the sort of larder cupboard so I can just shut the door on it all
Here’s another version

I thought it said the greenest ways were:
1 no leftovers
2 composting
3 waste disposal unit
4 bin

So if you have leftovers that you can’t compost it’s better to use a WDU than stick it in the bin.

Toomanycats99 my advice to anyone is to go to independents, even just for their ideas, they may not give you a copy of design unless you go with them but nothing to stop you taking idesa away.

Waste disposal. No more niffy compost bins 👍

I put my compostable waste on to my compost heat every day, so no niffy compost bins here, and a thriving garden as a result.

I'm pretty sure we can put cooked scraps in our council compost bin.

Just for reference OP: I know they’ve been getting some bad press cause of supply issues, but DIY kitchens are still the absolutely best value kitchen (and the quality is the match of magnet/wren/howdens). My parents in law are doing an extension and went to magnet for a quote: £27k (including appliances). Went to wren: £15k (excluding appliances). DIY kitchens and AO.com, £11k including appliances (I know this because I did their kitchen plan & order).

This is ALL like for like. The only other kitchen that can match price/quality is howdens if you can get someone with a good discount. Even then it will be more expensive (they won’t price match DIY). However howdens do have the advantage of supplying units next day and having locations all over the UK. But honestly kitchen must have #1: avoid high street brands. Wren/Magnet/B&Q etc etc are all massive rip offs.

Infact: WRT quality: basically all kitchen units are melamine faced chipboard with a variety of different facias and doors. This means that the price difference in “quality” you get isn’t the quality of the carcass but the front finish. Which means brand to brand, they’re all basically the same.

Unless you go to a very expensive solid oak (for example) kitchen where everything is made of dovetailed solid wood boards, they’re all pretty much the same.

Our council doesn't provide compost bins. I have my own compost bin where I put peelings, veg trimmings and grass cuttings, then use the resulting compost on my garden.

I love my waste disposal. I live in a flat with communal bins (not compost facility) so the WD is a brilliant addition to my kitchen. If I had outside space I would do the compost thing but can't at the moment.

I can see why they are an attractive proposition in a flat.

Pull out bins - wasn't sure about them but absolutely love them now!
Pull outs wherever possible (larders and corner Le Mans) and pan drawers - I have a bad back pretty often and these have been an absolute life saver. No more crouching down and stretching into dark corners. Go for Kessebohmer and they should last.
It is totally up to personal taste though. Boiling water taps don't appeal to me in the slightest whereas many love them. It is very overwhelming. Keep visiting different showrooms and have a good old play with everything. It will soon begin to clarify what is important to you.

@hiddenmnetter that's really useful re DIY Kitchens. They were suggested on a local selling site when I asked for recommendations of independents to visit. I do have access to Howdens discount as I have a client who is a carpenter - maybe I ask him to do the whole job ! Never thought of that !
I wouldn't get ripped off at Magnet as my ndn works there and will help me with what I need and get me the best price.
I'm really glad I posted this thread though as loads of useful stuff. I have a 1.5 sink at the moment and I think a double is the way to go definitely. Thanks all.

I'm late to the party with this, but I have just done my kitchen, and I'm happy to tell you what I do and don't love about it (really, any excuse to talk about my kitchen is fabulous!)

Love:
Boiling water tap. We splashed the cash on a Quooker Flex. I adore it.
Huge single sink rather than 1.5 bowls. I realised I never used the half bowl for anything so ditched it. Ace decision for me, depends on how it is used for others.
Pull out larder cupboard - I only had space for a 300mm one, but it is still fab. I can see everything!
Deep drawers instead of cupboards - I love all my lovely deep drawers!
Soft close on everything
Two single ovens. We had to make some sacrifices for other cupboard space to get both of them in, but it is so lovely!

Don't love (honestly not much, but just a couple of things I would do differently):
150mm pullout cupboard next to the sink - thought it would be useful. It really isn't. I should have just had a wider sink cupboard instead.
Le Mans corner units. I mean, they're fine. They're better than what I had before (blind corners). But I hadn't realised that the trays get smaller on smaller units (which is obvious, really. I can be really stupid sometimes). Our corner units are 900mm ones, so the trays are quite small and with them being an irregular shape, I can't store the things I had planned to there (baking dishes etc) because they just don't fit.

The house we've just bought was renovated by a kitchen genius - I love everything about it. YY to double Belfast sink; an oven with a small side oven for heating plates/smaller meals; floor to ceiling cupboards to minimise dust; a wok ring; soft close doors. The only thing I'd add would be a tap you can swing around to get into the corner of the sink.

but the feature DH seems compelled to draw every visitor's attention to is the pull-out bin which is split between recycling and black-bin. You can lift out each section and take it straight outside. To be honest, it's brilliant.

Contrary to a few posters, I'd say drawers are good, but you definitely can have too many.

In my kitchen we have 14 drawers (inc. 2 big pan ones), and a definite lack of practical cupboard space due to awkward placement - only one deep cupboard that doesn't open in a corner. And our kitchen isn't small - 5mx3m.

Really do think about what you have and use frequently, and make the storage for that convenient and accessible.

@thecatsthecats it's a good point re too many drawers. We have just finalised plans for a new kitchen, and my brief stated deep pan drawers everywhere possible, no base unit cupboards.
Then I looked at what I stored in my existing, very annoying, deep base cupboards. There are a few things that will certainly be better in a cupboard rather than a drawer - in my case chopping boards and trays, and foil, cling film, freezer bags.
So we have put in a base cupboard for those.

@Bonkersblond

Has the design today from the independent I went to. They had come round for an hour and really talked through what I needed and wanted and for a good idea of the space.

Plans look good - for the basics I wanted between kitchen area and living space.

Just waiting for the cost once he has made last tweaks!

Way way better service than magnet!

We have Wren coming next weds
Have a HUGE kitchen so it’s gonna cost

Toomanycats99, how exciting, you might be able to get a good deal out of independent, I gave mine our high street quotes when the bartering started, although I’d wait for their quote first!

Oh gosh - I'm no good at bartering!!!!

Let's see what it comes in as. They will also need to send their builder round to do a proper quote for Installation next week - I need some tiles removed and plaster and sockets etc moving so there's a bit more than take out put in.

Re Magnet etc i think it depends on the designer. I was sceptical about using them but got them to come and gi e a quite. The designer from our local branch was brilliant. He really thought about making the space work for us.

My favourite things are:
my tall pull out larder. Before, everything got lost at the back of the shelves. Now I can see and use every bit of food.

The plinth heater. We have units all the way round so no space for a radiator. The kitchen is open to the dining area which does have a radiator but on chilly mornings it's great to put the plinth heater on fir extra warmth.
The pan drawers.
The ceiling extractor. Our hob is on a peninsular and I didn't want a hood over it. The kitchen designer suggested a ceiling extractir set flush into the ceiling. It works brilliantly. The only downside is that the (independent) kitchen fitter put the switch to it too far away for me to reach from the hon which is highly irritating!

6 years on our kitchen still works brilliantly for us.

We've recently got rid of our dishwasher and it's been very liberating! We're a family of 5 but it's no bother to wash up after meals. We used to wash up most pans and plastic stuff anyway.
Big drawers for plates and bowls and brilliant too.