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!

[quote MrsCremuel]@Elsiebear90 oh wow that looks brilliant so glad you posted as I had considered that but think it would be a lot of work in ours. We have a chimney breast (no fireplace) which we would need knocking out or putting an oven in and supporting remaining chimney breast upstairs. Also, although the rooms are knocked through there is still a bit of structural wall left so its almost more partitioned. If we were going to do it properly we would get in the structural engineers etc and switch it round...and get side and back extension.

There is a lot of potential but I don't know how far to go![/quote]
Getting it done properly & with the side & back extension sounds like the best move, as long as it's affordable & either you're going to live there for a few years or it adds enough value/doesn't exceed the street price.

Kitchens are expensive & you don't want to be doing it again in a few years when you decide to do an extension or live with the kitchen, but know it would have been better if you'd done it all at the same time.

Plus one lot of mess & disruption!!

[quote MrsCremuel]@Officebox I'd like the quartz that looks like marble but am expecting it to be out of our budget! Currently waiting with bated breath on a quote from Howdens which will be laminate.

We have a double oven at the moment which I find very useful!

I know there are lots of opinions on Howdens, I'd be interested who you all would recommend?[/quote]
DIY kitchens. Pre Covid their showrooms were brilliant. I assume they're open by appointment now, but not sure. So much to look at. They're a 3.5 hour drive from me and I went a couple of times.

@MJMG2015 Here is photo of my white kitchen with quartz worktops.
My kitchen designer recommended the quartz as cheaper than mainly other brands.
It's by Artscut and colourway is Waves

@WhereDoesThisToiletGo. It looks lovely!!

I'll look up the Artscut! Thanks.

Are the cabinets really Matt? If they are, where did you get them from?? I haven't found any I like yet.

Hi @MrsCremuel - I've got a Howdens kitchen with quartz worktops (they cost £2,800, local supplier). It's two years old now and still looks like new; I still love it! Please excuse the state of the floor, the pics were taken on the day it was fitted.

We had the space, but I decided against a utility. A larger eat-in kitchen works best for my family, although I do have a separate broom/mop/junk cupboard.

If you've got the space for both, I'd definitely recommend an eat-in seating area/table. We use the island for breakfast and the main round table for other meals. The dining table is only used when we have guests or for Christmas.

Same as previous posters - I love my boiling water tap (went for the Franke omni 4 in one). I also like pull-out bins. I batch cook & freeze a lot, so freezer space is important to me. I put a tall freezer in the cupboard to the left of the fridge.

When I found the washing machine and tumble dryer I wanted, I thought they were so nice that I wanted them on show! I call them my Miele twins Actually I couldn't be arsed to open an extra cupboard door to find them. They are very quiet anyway, but we tend to use the overnight timer. Can't hear a thing from upstairs.

My cats are rescues/indoor only. The boiler lives in last tall cupboard closest to the bi-folds. I asked my builder to cut out a panel from the bottom half of the cupboard door and I put the litter tray inside. It's just a little thing, but I like the fact the tray is not in full view (the cats found/used it immediately).

I hope it goes well, good luck!

Hi @Lily7050 - To keep fruits and vegetables fresh, I use these, plus the bag for bananas that goes in the fridge. Both work really well for me.

goldie love your entire kitchen, especially the lights overhead.

I'd like the quartz that looks like marble but am expecting it to be out of our budget!

Please do shop around, the big name brands like Silestone cost a fortune but there’s lots of less known brands which are cheaper and much the same in quality. Look out for the resin/stone proportions, more resin means more likely to mark I believe.

Second the DIY kitchens recommendation. I fitted out a utility and can’t fault them. MN has loads of threads about them, mostly very positive (though they went through a ropey patch delivery-wise last summer). You do need to do the designing yourself though. DIY kitchens do a bit of a “sense check” but I suggest you run through your design with your intended kitchen fitter before ordering so as not to miss out any filler bits and pieces you will need.

For me the must haves are;

Eye height (Self cleaning oven(s))
Induction hob
Pull out drawers / pan drawers
No overhead cupboards
Inbuilt recycling unit

And if budget allows, granite worktops. They are bullet proof. Baking trays come straight out the oven and can be plonked down on them without worrying about marks. You can make amazing pastry on granite too. Best work surface. Compared to friends that have marble or quartz work tops....and are constantly faffing about with Trivets/hotpads all the time to avoid marks. Bloody nightmare.

We have a walk in pantry....but only because it’s an old house and the space already existed. It is a luxury, but a really useful room if you have space. But a utility is more useful if you have to pick one or the other.

I agree with what others have said re; not bothering with a wine fridge. Plus I wouldn’t bother with an inbuilt coffee machine either.

[quote BIWI]@Lily7050

Everything apart from limes/lemons goes in the fridge[/quote]
I've always stored lemons in the fridge!

My favourite thing in my new kitchen is the breakfast cupboard. On opening the doors it has deep drawers in which I keep crumpets, bread, scones and cakes and then a counter with a coffee machine and toaster. Shelves above are used for coffee cups, cereal, honey etc. However I think it might cause me to gain a fair bit of weight!

A sink and a half

I have a walk in pantry and I absolutely love it. There is so much in there, but I still think I could organise it better. It holds all our food but for the fruit bowl, bread based things, tea/coffee etc and whatever is in the fridge and freezer; recycling crates x 4; 6 foot freezer; all the wine; shopping bags etc. I am a bit of a prepper and all the tins, uht milk, drinks etc are in there too. It’s like an aladdins cave.