New kitchen - what do you wish you'd included

[ranoutofquinoaandprosecco]

Just that really, having a new kitchen installed in August, have a meeting with the planner this Wednesday what do I definitely need!

We got a new kitchen from Wren in 2019. It's mainly great, but I wish the integrated oven and microwave were higher in the wall. The oven is at toddler height now, which freaks me out.

Thank you that's good advice ours is also coming from Wren!

Loads more pan drawers, I don't think they look as nice, but they are much more useful than deep cupboards where everything gets buried

Drawers are definitely better than cupboards!

If you haven’t ordered it from Wren yet, avoid like the plague. Their customer services are a nightmare. Howdens or Magnet are much easier to deal with.

If you ignore this and do it anyway - get the thinner cupboard door depth (18 rather than 21mm).

Don’t be seduced by handleless cupboards - they get greasy hand marks all over them.

More big pan drawers and a 2nd dishwasher.

We had a corner larder built- it’s amazing! Can get so much in there.

I wish I’d had a plinth drawer under the oven for the baking trays (we had to have a low oven but it doesn’t get hot at all on the outside and has a child lock if needed).

Drawers - the pan ones - if size permits get two sets - slim top drawer if you use dividers you can store cups - a pull out larder - and don’t use wren - poor quality - I would recommend howdens

I wish I'd had a warming drawer, didn't think I'd need it with two ovens but there are times it would come in very handy.

Unlike a previous poster I like my high gloss white handleless cupboards.

That we'd planned where to put our bin. Ours is free standing and there's no room for it anywhere. I wish we'd put it inside a cupboard.
Use Howdens. Their customer service amazing!

Bin in a cupboard 100%, so much tidier and if you have it under where you chop then you can sweep peel etc right into it. Ours is 45cm wide and has 2 bins. Would've loved bigger and 4 bins but relatively small kitchen didn't allow.

Give an independent a try rather than Wren. Shocking installation and aftercare and you’ll find that a good independent is better quality for very comparable price. Whatever ku the you choose agree with drawers over cupboards (although will be more expensive) and incorporate as many quality storage solutions as you can afford. Lemons units, pull outs, integrated bins. All make your kitchen more workable. Good Luck.

A chef. 🙄.

No really. An in cupboard bin. Much neater.

I would love a larder, with shallow shelves. I don't have anywhere that works for a myriad of spices, sauces and vinegars. I planned a small cupboard next to the hob and the vinegars in a pullout. The spices keep getting knocked out of the cupboard as you have to reach to the back, we chipped the hob with one bottle. The vinegars fall over in the pullout

Recycling and rubbish doesn't work. I wanted (and got) a freestanding Simplehuman bin, as our previous under sink bin was too small. Everyone left the rubbish by the sink and dumped coats and bags over the actual bin (wtf!). So now we have a bin under the sink again, which means there's now not enough room for recycling.

We had great service from Wren from start to finish.

Where will you hang your teatowel/handtowel/oven gloves
Bins? Where will they go?
Get loads of post it notes. Write down everything you have/want to have in your kitchen. So
Plastic freezer tubs
Baking trays
Baking ingredients
Cereal boxes
tinned veg
dried pasta/rice etc
tea coffee making stuff
glasses
cleaning stuff
mugs
plates/bowls
serving dishes
Emergency UHT milk
never used pasta maker
etc
etc

And then map them out. Where do you want stuff? Tea/coffee making probably in the same cupboard/next to each other. And near the kettle? Fridge?
Spices - near the hob.
Plates/saucepans in easy access to emptying the dishwasher.

What works well in your current/previous set up? What drove you potty (for me it was that dishwasher too close to the corner...I had to shut it before I could open 2 cupboards to put stuff away.

Plan out what you have and where it works best. It makes it much easier to then work out your plan.

Things included and don't regret.
Deep drawers.
Le mans pull out into corner.
Pull out integrated bins.
Decent zoned lighting.
Swishy tap

I also don't like my under oven drawer as crap and spillages from the oven fall in it.

I love my solid cherry work surfaces (although they currently need oiling) and my tall pullout (although it needs more shelves). Magic corner unit works well too.

Also Franke kitchen sink, when a weld failed after a good few years of use, they couriered us a new one without quibbling, awesome customer service!

Drawers with internal drawers to make the most of the space. Also love our cupboard bins, eye level ovens and hot water tap! We went with an independent kitchen designer who came to the house and came up with a design that works great for us.

Fabulous, thanks for all the pointers, I'll be off to do a kitchen audit tomorrow. I currently have a spice drawer that fits on top of another drawer which I love so I need that to be incorporated.

I'm also converting where my current fridge freezer is into a pantry area which I need to fit my ninja in as well.

Two full fan ovens, a separate integrated microwave and a warmer drawer. A decent size freezer. Lots of pan drawers. Max out the ceiling height available with wall units.

Larder cupboard that pulls out and an eye level oven. Built in microwave. No drawers below the main food preparation worktop as you'll get all sorts of crumbs in them.
Sink facing out of the kitchen window. Big fat pullout drawers for large cooking pots pans and dishes.
Dishwasher placed beside dish cupboards.

Don't put the microwave too high up. You can't see what's in the bowls, difficult to stir and awkward to lift out

Dimmable lighting, everywhere, is a must. Drawers, drawers, drawers.