Kitchen Islands and Bifold doors

[Passmethegin11]

Has there been a kitchen extension built in the past few years which doesn’t have both of the above. Most of the kitchens don’t have space for an island and it looks squashed in. Where has this obsession come from? Also painting everything grey!
I’m guessing kitchen islands and bifold doors will be the avocado bathroom suites of the future!

@Africa2go bloody hell you are very defensive of your bi folds! I glad you are so happy with them. You can perch on your kitchen island admiring them. Looking at your lovely views!

Why so snide Passmethegin11 ?

You chose to start a thread purely to deride the choices made by other people, using the phrase "the avocado bathroom suite of the future"

People have challenged that view based on personal experience and you have gone on to give frankly odd and as I said earlier, genuinely amusing reasons to justify your opinion.

And now you are being petulant and snide to another poster.

Snide, I was only responding to silly comments like Southerners can’t open bi folds! I would have hoped people would have responded differently but so be it

I think @Passmethegin11 secretly wants a kitchen island and bifold but is either fighting against the trend or doesn't have space etc. it's usually the reason why people would start a thread criticizing others choice

Go back to page 1 @Passmethegin11 and read Africa's perfectly well thought out and reasonably expressed first post. And then read your reply and see if you can identify where the "silly" responses started.

20K you say? Ah well, some skip raiders will have found a use for them where I wouldn't and it's only money The family we bought this house from were artists and I have to say, had taste like an onion. I have left no trace of them other than a signed picture they gifted us. It's my home now and it needs to reflect how my family live. Am sure that's exactly the same for everyone on this thread. We like what we like!

The irony being in ten years time the same conversation will be had about Grand Sliders! They're becoming more popular and seem to be the next trend, which is basically what OP doesn't like about bifolds. I don't get the grand slider thing. You can only open it half way. Either get bifold or a glass curtain, but grand sliders are basically expensive patio doors. It you want to be able to see out side that much, why would you not want to be able to fully open it up too?

I have seen a sliding door at someone’s house in Germany that slides into the ground. Now that is revolutionary! (And I am sure it’s decades old!) Never seen one anywhere else though.

I don’t have bifolds in my house as there wasn’t the space for it in our kitchen diner, but I love the idea of having a smooth transition to the outside when it’s open.
I also like kitchen islands for the reasons mentioned on the thread.

The one thing though I agree on with the OP are the identikit colours schemes. Everyone seems to have dark blue / grey kitchen units now. When I first saw one I thought it looked great, but now I keep seeing them everywhere and it’s a bit too generic. But each to their own.

OP how did you know? Yes, currently perched on my (uncomfortable) stool at my (grey) island looking through my (soon to be the new avocado bathroom suite) bifolds looking at my (tiny) garden and lovely view (of neighbours' replica kitchen through their bifolds).

If only I was sat at a table instead looking through french doors instead.....

I had a grey kitchen installed 30 years ago in my previous house but yeah, OP, grey is obviously just a passing trend.

In the interests of full disclosure, I have a peninsula and bifold doors - from the posts on this thread it seems that people have many different types of kitchens so your statement Has there been a kitchen extension built in the past few years which doesn’t have both of the above is clearly wrong.

I wouldn’t say I have an “incredible view” (as I don’t overlook the Grand Canyon) but I have a perfectly nice sunny garden to look at (and not living in an overpriced house in the South means that my back fence is a good distance from the back of the house).

Oh and for those who had genuine queries rather than just wanting to have an illogical rant, I have found that flies seem to be less of a problem than if you open a window - they seem to find their own way out more easily if the space is bigger.

Oh dear .... we've just clearly wasted the best part of £25k then!

New grey shaker kitchen with blue island, quartz worktops in our kitchen extension 😂😂😂 the fact that it looks stunning and we love it, must mean we have no taste, money to burn and are too predictable for words!

Oh, wait a minute .... we don't have bifolds - we have French doors!

Does that get me a get out of jail card free? .......

Last time I checked we still lived in a free world and we were free to choose how we decorated our own homes.

Wind your neck in OP - have the kitchen you want and I will have mine!

I love the look of bifold windows but we got french windows when we did our extension as (this probably sounds really, really, really daft) my dh can break anything. He’s quite skilful really.... 😕

We didn’t go for an island but have a peninsula-it worked better for our kitchen shape. Islands look fab though! I really wanted one.

Why are people getting offended? This whole thread is bonkers

Don't have a house yet but an island in a (big) kitchen is definitely a bonus for us when we go house viewing. We just think it would create a more sociable environment when I am cooking!

I think grey kitchens are a disaster. If you take one step back and look at them, really look at the, they look awful. Like putty and bland and dull. At first glance I think ‘beautiful’ but that’s the prolific advertising of them talking.

I’ve an island in our new kitchen (being built this week) and it’s a practical thing for me. I can’t wait to use it as workspace and feeding my 4 small kids space and chatting while I cook space. In the old days there would have been a large preparation table behind the fire so I think it’s a traditional enough thing to have. And the storage is incredible! No bifold doors but I’ve no objection to them at all especially if they are practical. I got handmade hardwood sash french doors and they are stunning, bi-fold wouldn’t have suited our old house which we’ve kept very traditional visually everywhere.

Ok, that’s islands, grey kitchens and bi-fold doors done! What can we bicker about now?

I really don't understand the hate for bifold doors. We have ours open everyday in the summer and it's fab. No problem with bugs at all.

Ours are in a south facing room and we have never had problem with it being too warm either.

I do know what you mean about all kitchens looking the same though. It'll be a coupe of years before we get a new kitchen and I quite like the idea of painting our existing one green just to be different!

Bifold doors are lovely. They are just patio doors that open right up.
I think it's when people turn their kitchen area into a light box. As in glass fronted right up to the window above. This looks great when you live with views and are not overlooking anyone. In a city when your surrounded by houses it's pointless and actually causes light to glare into the surrounding properties.

Ours open up onto a decking area we urban but outlook lots of trees so lovely also enables easy access to hit tub which I imagine op would find utterly horrifying

Hot

I work as an estate agent, 5 years ago people would be keen on looking at houses with bi folds now it seems to put off buyers, I have had several clients reject houses out of hand that have them. Definitely doesn’t add value and seems to polarise people. Which isn’t great as I have them myself. Don’t get a chance to open them up much as the weather in the NW doesn’t really lend itself to big doors being open much. Love my kitchen island though but have a table in the kitchen and a separate dining room so works for us as a family

Islands and bifolds aren’t really 'Renovated 2018'. That style has been around since at least 2008. So over 10 years already. I think people stick with it because it’s functional for the most part. The doors are a great way to get in loads of light though my own preference would be sliders.

If the circulation works and the sight lines are good then it just all blends in and you don’t really notice it. I’d want someone to say, oh lovely kitchen, rather than nice island.

So people reject a house that fits their criteria and location perfectly, but dismiss it out of hand as it has Bi folds? Sorry I don’t believe that at all, it may be a factor in their decision because the house is not meeting their criteria in other respects, but it won’t be the main reason they reject the house, does the conversation go something like this “we adore the house, the location is perfect, the price is perfect but I’m sorry we are going to dismiss it out of hand because it has bi fold doors in the kitchen”

My neighbour has bifold doors and they have totally changed the room - in a good way. Our houses are quite dark at the back and these bring in lots more light and look great.

We've got bifolds. In all honesty we don't open them much but it's great to have the option. Next door has a similar extension but with a low wall and widows with french doors where we have the bifolds. Ours is so much lighter. It's the room we spend the most time in it's so nice just to sit and look at the birds and squirrels in the garden.

The peninsula is fantastic, it's created more stairs he and worktop space than we could ever have had without it.

I'm happy to have a ubiquitous design. We'll be changing again or moving in the next five years anyway.