Your kitchen musts and don't bothers

[MrsCremuel]

There was very useful thread on this in 2012 but I fear the world of kitchens may have moved so I am hoping to start a 2020 version.

Planning a new kitchen and need to know your must haves and absolutely don't bothers please!

For info, it's a kitchen diner, the wall knocked through 1930s semi kind. The kitchen section is rather small and gloomy so anything that makes it feel spacious is very welcome!

I have a utility room so I'd advocate for that above all else. I'd lose a playroom or a boot room for a utility.

Second that Bernadette

Saucepan drawers and absolute must.

Avoid a in sink grinder thingy.... waste of water and energy. Put it in the compost bin instead.

I'd rather have a larder than a utility room!

And with the larder, no overhead cupboards, just shelves.

Think about where you are going to cook/use food processor/laptop/charge phones.

I wish I'd put in more plug sockets in certain areas of the kitchen as the use of the kitchen has evolved so much.

• As above, pots and pan drawers
• a really good extractor fan
• a dishwasher’s tap, with a spray nozzle. We have one in the utility and it’s incredible for washing awkwardly shaped things that can’t go in the actual dishwasher

Work out how many plug points you need, then double it.

When we eventually get ours done, I would like a slim vertical slot for trays to be stored, and a shallow wide drawer for chopping boards.

Always plan your sink, hob and bin to be within reach of each other to make meal prep and cooking easier/no walking.

We have a cordless Dyson charging on the wall, so when we get a new kitchen I'd like it boxed in/in a cupboard.

AnonUser2018 plinth drawers are the answer to storage for baking trays and chopping boards up to 60cm wide and deep.

I've had mine for 5 years and they still give a thrill when I take something out of them.

A pull out cupboard for bins divided into rubbish, recycling and food waste is a must.

We recently did ours.
I dont have anything stunning or unusual to add really.
Helpful:
Long larder unit, the interior fitting has the little shelves on the back of the door for spice jars etc, and the main shelves all swing out as you open the door. Very handy, for all packets and tins and jars, very rarely lose track of anything now. Check can the shelves accommodate or be adjusted for tall spaghetti jars or big cereal packets

Lots of drawers.

Bifold corner door for lower unit with ordinary shelves inside. Much more useful and a better use of space than the fancy expensive corner units I had before.

Space for a clothes rack or rail in utility if you have one, its bliss just to hang clothes up there and not have to be looking at them.

Units up to the ceiling if you can.

Not useful: wine fridge with glass door. Theres usually a bottle of Fanta in there glaring out rather than anything more sophisticated.

I did not think of the pandemic when I was planning my kitchen so neglected to plan for a freezer. I would make space for even an under counter one if instead of daft wine fridge if I was planning now.
Dont put anything heavily used right under the hob.
That's where my cutlery drawer is, right pain when I'm stirring at the hob and someone else is wanting to set the table.

Induction hob. I will never ever ever go back to gas - just typing this I'm having flashbacks to Saturday mornings scrubbing the gas hob of the old range cooker. It's just so easy and stress free now.

I love my boiling water tap - I hate clutter on the side so it was a no brainer to get rid of the kettle.

And the thing I'm most pleased with is my laundry cupboard. No room for a utility in my little London terrace and I was desperate for a dishwasher so I moved the washer/drier upstairs to the hallway cupboard, put some shelves above with crates for different types of dirty laundry (black/white/colours/delicates) and a pull out trolley for detergent.

I knocked a wall down last year to make a kitchen diner (3-bed semi).

-large pan draws (I have 2 but could do with 3).
-Double pantry cupboard.
-general bin and recycling bin in a large cupboard draw. I thought it wouldn't be big enough but definitely is and it's my favorite thing.
-make sure you get a structural engineer out to see if a support beam is needed. We needed one and the beam alone was £1000.
-I have my washer and dryer in a utility bit which it's great.
-dishwasher if you haven't already.

For making it look spacious:

As little wall cabinets as you can get away with.
Plain light colour units.
Large format floor tiles.
Subtle wall tiles that complement your units and a wall colour to tone in also.
Some nice cabinet lighting/other lights dotted about.
No glass fronted cabinets.

Sounds very boring but in a small dark kitchen - like mine- it gets cluttered looking very fast. On the other hand when everything is neatly behind doors, theres large expanses of floor/wall without your eye getting snagged by bitty details it's very easy and cheap to add a couple of gorgeous accessories to provide interest.

More deep pan drawers than you think you need - they are incredibly useful and I had no idea how useful until I got some.

Induction hob - debate rages about this on MN but I love mine to ragged pieces. It also gives you more flexibility if you're planning an island set-up as it's much safer than a gas hob.

We couldn't afford a utility room (we did the kitchen as part of an extension and had to scale back) and I would prioritise that if I was doing a big job in the future.

If you want your worktops to be clear of things like bread bins, toaster etc you have to plan where you're going to keep bread bins and toasters. Also if you're the kind of family who leaves bits of mail and stuff to go out to the garage on a handy worktop it's important to plan a dumping ground space, otherwise your lovely clean worktop area gets polluted with clutter...

DO NOT site your dishwasher next to built in rubbish and recycling bins. The bins will get warm and smell, long before they need emptying.

The best thing we have is lots of deep drawers instead of cupboards, you can see everything in there when you pull them out so far more practical.

This is amazing. Considering a side extension, a wrap around porch with toilet and utility space...just have to convince DH.

Defo a family with (multiple) dumping ground spaces, LOVE the tray storage idea and info on induction hobs. My dream is not to see the bin.

Very excited hlnow.

We did the same in our 1930s semi, do you have a wooden floor in your dining room? If so you can move the kitchen part into the dining room area and end up with a fairly large kitchen for not much more money as it’s very easy to run pipes and drains under wooden floorboards, just something to think about as we had the same issue as the kitchen part of ours was very tiny!

Must haves for me are dishwasher, large pan drawers and lots of worktop space for preparing food.

Light cupboards, light walls, light (and easily cleaned) floor, light window/door coverings and lots of cool toned lights in different places. Plus a light well if possible. Drawers, a larder, a full length cupboard for vacuum cleaner and mops and definitely not one of those shitty 'over the hob' cabinets that make you feel as though you're cooking in a cupboard and provide the ideal environment to maximise the collection of cooking stains, splashes and fat particles in a tiny area into the edges of cabinets that can't really handle the heat or the use of hot, soapy water to clean the sides.

And the largest sink you can afford, plus any make oven other than Howden's/Lamona. Any make.

Mine's got black flooring, black countertops and just one place for a light. It's crap and seems to have less usable space than my old kitchen, which was 180cm by 180cm at its widest point, 145-157cm in half of it.

Waste disposal unit, gas job, boiling water tap and a huge larder cupboard are my must haves.

An island and glossy doors are a no no for us.

A sink that fits the tin you roast/cremate things in without having to rotate it to scrub it. When our builder comes around he always smiles when he see the sink - it's a useful size.

We have an under counter fridge directly beneath our tea/ coffee/ soft drinks station. This is in addition to our main fridge freezer.

It may be small but it’s so nice to just grab milk, chilled water etc without having to move. It also houses all of our chilled wine and other mixer drinks. At Christmas it’s a picture of loveliness as it mostly contains wine and fizz!!

Oh and my double pair (each unit is 60cm wide with a pair of 30cm doors) of full height cupboards, they are only 35cm deep but hold so much.

We had an extension/new kitchen and I got carried away and got a quooker tap & I love it! I'm trying to justify it by working out the cost per use after 5 years. Ok, I can't justify it, I did try and get a cheaper one but none of them had the pull out nozzle, and I still love it 😊

We swapped a light wood kitchen with charcoal worktops for a white matt kitchen with very pale grey worktops in our very dark (lights on during the day) kitchen.
The difference is amazing. The lights are no longer on all the time.

Yes yes to deep drawers. Don't spend extra money on fancy dividers to stop stuff sliding about - just but a big roll of non slip drawer liner and nothing will budge.
I love my corner Le Man's pull out which holds all my saucepans and lids but I know many people will insist they are an expensive waste of money