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Original poster

Kitchen regrets

112 replies

ManicMonday007 · 04/04/2023 21:34

I'm just having an extension and need to plan my kitchen diner. Any tips or ideas. Anything you hate about a new kitchen and care to share for regretful decisions. We are hoping to have a decent size island for prep area. Any ideas gratefully received.

OP posts:
Yellowdays · 05/04/2023 00:28

The one thing I would change is to have a larger cupboard, properly designed.

Giggorata · 05/04/2023 00:36

Millions of electric sockets, pantry, two sinks, appliance cupboard.

Whattowearintheoffice · 05/04/2023 00:47

My only regret is going for an under counter freezer rather than a full sized freezer.

I love my two ovens and we went for drawers or full sized larder cupboards, with pull out drawers. I wouldn’t bother with normal cupboards.

ValBiro · 05/04/2023 00:54

I've said it on another thread before... Check the projection of your tap into the sink. Eg: make sure the water doesn't pour too close to the edge of the sink and make a massive mess when anything is running under the water!

So... The tap water needs to fall somewhere close to the centre of the sink, is what I mean.

We had to replace our 2 year old tap because of this oversight!

iwantabreakfastpantry · 05/04/2023 07:00

Gothambutnotahamster · 04/04/2023 23:18

After reading threads on here, we went for 2 dishwashers & thats been the best thing. We fill one and then only when that one is full, do we run it & start filling the 2nd dishwasher. We've an open plan kitchen diner & this means no dirty dishes lying around.

Agree re hidden drawers too - fab!

I still don’t understand the reasoning behind 2 dishwashers and have had people IRL explaining it to me, too. Clearly it is just me as many have said this.
Why would waiting until it is full before running it be any different if you had one dishwasher or two?

GnomeDePlume · 05/04/2023 07:02

Littlefish · 04/04/2023 23:29

I absolutely agree with having far more drawers and fewer cupboards. Drawers are so much easier to use.

Show quote history

We have lots and lots of pull out baskets in cupboards - so a kind of compromise. While you get less space you can use all of it. Especially good for the bottom of cupboards.

Gothambutnotahamster · 05/04/2023 07:11

@iwantabreakfastpantry it means you're not running them any more often than if you had one as you only run it when full (so no waste of water or electricity) but you've always got somewhere to put dirty dishes. If you live alone or there are only 2 of you, it's probably not necessary but in our household (2 adults & 3 teenage boys), someone is always eating & drinking, so if we only had 1 dishwasher, there would always be dirty dishes waiting to go into the dishwasher once it had finished running (or someone would always be washing dishes!).

manontroppo · 05/04/2023 07:19

I hate our dishwasher with a cutlery drawer, rather than a basket. It’s so limiting as it means the middle rack is smaller (even on the deepest setting it doesn’t take pint or wine glasses easily) and the cutlery rack isn’t deep enough to take utensils like a fish slice.

Toddlerteaplease · 05/04/2023 07:22

I didn't check where the sockets would be. Didn't realise the ones I used most were being removed, and not relocated. Until it was too late. We came to a compromise that just about works. But isn't ideal.

Cornishmumofone · 05/04/2023 07:26

Make sure you have a drawer that is deep enough to stack baking trays, muffin tins etc on their sides, so that you don't have to lift out a stack to get the one you need.

Ridingthegravytrain · 05/04/2023 07:27

Not just limited to the kitchen, but however many BTU for heat output they calculate you will need...double it!

iwantabreakfastpantry · 05/04/2023 07:31

Gothambutnotahamster · 05/04/2023 07:11

@iwantabreakfastpantry it means you're not running them any more often than if you had one as you only run it when full (so no waste of water or electricity) but you've always got somewhere to put dirty dishes. If you live alone or there are only 2 of you, it's probably not necessary but in our household (2 adults & 3 teenage boys), someone is always eating & drinking, so if we only had 1 dishwasher, there would always be dirty dishes waiting to go into the dishwasher once it had finished running (or someone would always be washing dishes!).

I see, I think - thanks for taking the time to explain.
Do you have the second dishwasher next to the first or is it somewhere else? For me, it would end up being somewhere else away from the sink and the first dishwasher so I can imagine people (DH) just leaving items by the sink instead of putting in the second IYSWIM. I can imagine if we entertained a lot then the second would be handy in an open plan kitchen

iwantabreakfastpantry · 05/04/2023 07:33

manontroppo · 05/04/2023 07:19

I hate our dishwasher with a cutlery drawer, rather than a basket. It’s so limiting as it means the middle rack is smaller (even on the deepest setting it doesn’t take pint or wine glasses easily) and the cutlery rack isn’t deep enough to take utensils like a fish slice.

Having stayed in a place with a cutlery drawer, it is a pain to individual place each piece on its side so it washes properly and then have to take each one out individually to put them away.

iwantabreakfastpantry · 05/04/2023 07:35

I also find hidden drawers annoying - the ones where you have a large drawer which you have to open to access a shallow interval drawer. Annoying if frequently accessed items, such as cutlery, are kept in there. May work better for things such as foil, cling film, spare tea towels etc

iwantabreakfastpantry · 05/04/2023 07:36

Cornishmumofone · 05/04/2023 07:26

Make sure you have a drawer that is deep enough to stack baking trays, muffin tins etc on their sides, so that you don't have to lift out a stack to get the one you need.

That’s a good shout

Ginmonkeyagain · 05/04/2023 07:39

Don't go for gloss units. The previous owner of our flat did and I hate them, they show every smear and spill.

I think I may be unusually in that I dislike kitchen islands - I don't see the point. (Not that we could have one in our teeny tiny galley kitchen anyway).

Inca22 · 05/04/2023 07:44

Definitely plugs in the island. The house I'm in has a huge kitchen and I love the island but it's a PITA there are no accessible sockets.

If I was redesigning, I'd also go for two ovens. Would make big family celebrations much easier to cater for (and our kitchen is big enough to cater for).

I love our huge drawers for pans and pan lids. So much easier to put them away and easier to find what you need.

iwantabreakfastpantry · 05/04/2023 07:54

Where would you put plug sockets on the island other than at either end? Presumably on the long side that is on the “kitchen side” will have drawers and cupboards. The other side of the island will be too far/PITA to reach for plugs or will have seating/drawers?

Any clever ideas for secret plus sockets? I am unsure about those pop up ones - will break the sleek worktop, anything with a mechanism may break and could be stuck in the in, out or half way position (eeek!)!

Popetthetreehugger · 05/04/2023 07:59

As many draws as pos , don’t get laminated work top . And remember a mop cupboard!

Ohyeahwaitaminute · 05/04/2023 08:14

Work out what’s going to be stored where. Don’t store the glasses on the far side of the island unit for example.

Site your plates, mugs, cutlery within ‘chucking’ distance of the opened dishwasher if you can. Makes it much quicker to empty.

Essexexile · 05/04/2023 08:18

I regret not having a few plug sockets adjacent to the breakfast bar and also only having under cupboard lighting put under one run of wall cupboards. There’s times I also regret having gloss units but actually, a quick spray and wipe is all it takes to get rid of smears and we don’t have young kids at home constantly making smears, so it’s not all bad.

OneCup · 05/04/2023 08:21

Dark worktops where you can see all the crumbs!

domesticslattern · 05/04/2023 08:30

Don't get a rough floor, as any mess eg dropped flour etc gets stuck in the grooves.
My old landlord put in a beautiful oak floor but quite rough texture, bloody nightmare to clean.

AltheaVestr1t · 05/04/2023 08:42

We have two thin pull out cupboards either side of the cooker. One has space for bottles of oil, etc - this one is brilliant. The other is for trays. This is a waste of space and I wish I had two of the other one!

Porridgeislife · 05/04/2023 09:01

We inherited a very expensive kitchen where I hate the following:

  • Integrated fridge/freezers are absolutely tiny compared to freestanding ones
  • Every preparation area has cupboards above it. I end up using the kitchen table
  • 90cm electric Miele hob. Utterly pointless to cook on, takes forever to heat up and takes up half the worktop
  • Pull out pantry is sited against a wall so you can only access one side
  • Gloss cupboards and acres of black granite worktop show every smear and crumb. Light granite is much easier to keep looking good
  • Not enough DPUs
  • Deep undermount sink is hard on your back, much preferred the Belfast sink in our last place
  • Shallow drawers and cupboards - make them as deep as possible

The only thing I like about it is the Quooker tap!