Kitchen must haves and mistakes

[Gilmoregirly]

We are about to start our kitchen renovation in a square area of 5m x 5m. part of this space is an extension to the existing kitchen. I am hoping to have an island of size 2.4m x 1.2m. Please may I know what your kitchen are must haves and any mistakes you have done.

I would be watching and making notes of how you like to work in a kitchen. We can add our comments but please check them out yourself. We went for a bigger sink rather than a 1.5 sink cos I wanted to wash oven trays etc but it’s still not really big enough. Also we have our hob on our peninsula as it faces out into our room, our guests and view rather than facing the wall all away from everyone.

Omg I am so glad you mentioned this as I set my heart on dekton until now. I will do during Christmas and new year to diy kitchens new showroom to checkout.

I took the measurements of our biggest oven tray and frying pan with me to make sure it would fit in the sink.

Wall sockets that have USB charging built in are mostly USB type A plugs, although some of the higher power PD ones have a type C socket on them as well.

USB type C is pretty much the standard for charging on android phones. You just buy a type A to type C charging cable. So there is zero problem charging phones from wall sockets.

Even Iphones normally come with a USB A to whatever iphone is cable.

The thing to be careful of is that not all wall chargers are equal in terms of charging capability. There is a better standard called PD which will charge quite a bit faster, and works on most modern phones. These sockets tend to be more expensive than the older ones.

So long as you have decent backbox depth it is pretty much trivial to swap over from one older wall socket to a higher power one. I just installed a new PD one next to the sofa and it charges really fast. But gets a bit warm in the process.

I don’t get all the hate about integrated appliances! I think it looks much neater especially if you have a small kitchen. Plus easier to keep clean without dust etc gathering on the top and down the sides.
We have a an integrated dishwasher and it’s fine. Also I don’t really like it when you have a run of units and then a big fridge sticking out.

Love my:
-800mm sink, split into 500mm and 200mm, which fits baking trays easily. We use the small sink to hide the sponges, drain plastics/cans before recycling

-integrated soap and washing up liquid dispenser in worktop behind sink. Keeps it neat and clutter free

-full size larder fridge and separate full size larder freezer. Both free standing. Integrated versions have smaller capacity. American style FFs have small freezer capacity

-boiling water tap (Qooker). I take absolutely zero pleasure in waiting for the kettle to boil, there is nothing mindful about it.

-island with quartz worktop for prepping and wooden worktop for dining (feels warmer when leaning on it)

-prep sink on the island (opposite end to eating end)

-walk-in pantry

-mixed fuel gas and induction hob

-loads of drawers, including several pan drawers ( not just for pans)

-pull out wire rack on either side of hob that holds the oils, spices and cooking utensils

-a small open unit (300mm width) on the working side of the island with shelf. Holds radio and chopping boards on the shelf and kitchen roll, hand cream underneath. So have easy quick access to these

-integrated dishwasher x2. Someone recommended it to me, I didn’t understand why but went with it - figured it was easy to include at the beginning and then remove than the other. No regrets.

-shelf for cookbooks

Walk through: making a cup of tea, loading/unloading the dishwasher, making breakfast, getting a drink from the fridge, putting something in the bin.
Sounds inane but it will drive you mad if teenagers have to walking through a busy kitchen area to get a drink or having to cross back and forth to get a mug, boil the kettle/using boiling tap, get milk etc

@iwantabreakfastpantry please tell me more about integrated soap and washing up liquid dispenser. Does anyone have any ideas how to hide a kitchen aid without having to lift it every time to use it.

Yes I call them hutches but they're countertop cabinets that sit directly on the counter. You open the door and have access to your appliances. You can pull them along the cabinet also. Just get plug sockets put inside the cabinet www.deancabinetry.com/what-are-kitchen-cabinet-tower-cabinets/#:~:text=Kitchen%20cabinet%20towers%20are%20cabinets,They%20are%20countertop%20cabinets.

The integrated dish soap thing is quite cool. We have one too. But actually I rarely use it, we have the soap dispenser washing up brushes that get used way more

You can also get a hidden shelf inside a base cupboard with an appliance lift so that your kitchenaid would always be on it and plugged in, and then you just raise up the little shelf (level with your worktop) when you want to use it. We thought about doing this but in the end decided we couldn't sacrifice most of a cupboard to it (our kitchen is quite small).

Personally, I can't stand hanging pots like this photo. MIL has one and its a PITA! I'm only 168cm (5ft6) yet I bang my head on the hanging pots when using the island. The lesser used pots have a sheen of grease over them, which in turn collects dust and hair. In summer, the flies circle around the pots and often sit on them. Grim IMO!😦

That looks like a Home Alone burglar deterrent!

The pots never look as good as the photos. Plus if the thing is against the wall then the pots bang against the wall and mark it.

I have a pot hook strip on the wall. It's useful storage space, but never looks great and the wall needs repainting every couple of years.

We got the Qooker ones to match our Qooker tap.

You need an appliance garage/wall unit that extends down to the kitchen worktop. You can place kitchen aid on a appliance slide out tray to use when you need it (Amazon has some with good reviews)

Wow I never knew such thing existed. Thank you ever so much. You have resolved my issue about the kitchenaid mixer.

A kitchen aid is a thing of beauty- do you have to hide it?

@BuzzieLittleBee totally agree but I hate cluttered look with many appliances on worktops like bread maker, coffee machine and rice cooker

Does anyone have Quartzite as worktop’s please? I am looking at Taj Mahal.

@Gilmoregirly yes I have quartzite. Taj Mahal was one of the ones I tested - got samples from the stone yard and covered in red wine, vinegar, lemon juice, curry paste etc. Some stained badly, but the Taj Mahal didn't - apparently it's a crystalline 'true quartzite' as opposed to some others which have more dolomite content.

We picked a different true quartzite, and no stains yet, despite not being overly careful

Make sure your base cupboards can be matched with numerous door colours so you can change the doors as you please in the future.

Spend big on stylish appliances and don’t integrate them.

@BuzzieLittleBee you can get cupboards with internal plugs and pull out function we have one for appliances toaster etc because I don’t like appliances on the counter either.

I love my integrated appliances, nothing I hate more than a lovely looking kitchen with white goods on show. We've just replaced our dishwasher after 15 years, straightforward to swap the door over. Everything else is still working.

Second as many drawers or drawers within cupboards as possible.

My kichen renovation completed 2 days ago

Im glad I opted for neutral colours and granite tops.

I chose independent kitchen fitter as excellent quality at same price as magnet.

You wont have a cooker or fridge for 2-3 weeks. I bought mini fridge and 2 ring hob and set up temp kitchen in another room.

Be really nice to the guys fitting your kitchen.

I wish I had more electricity points!! My error

@KarenJJJE your kitchen looks amazing. I love the colour scheme. Please may I know few details. Where are the cupboards from, what kind of granite is this please

Please may I know which quartzite you went for?

Ahh thank you. We went with small kitchen company in essex called kitchens by guy. They use Stori kitchens which are fabulous quality. The unit is Winslow in mussel. They supplied granite worktops calcutta gold. This is my kitchen this morning.

@Gilmoregirly we went for white Santorini - the slabs we have are ivory with both warm and cool veining. The Taj Mahal was beautiful but too beigey for our units.

It was our second choice but our favourite, although marketed as a quartzite, was definitely a dolomite. So more akin to a stronger marble. So glad we got tiny offcuts of the slabs and tested. Definitely do your homework, and there's loads of info on Houzz. As I understood it, Sea Pearl is crystalline also. There were so many gorgeous slabs of that but the slabs available weren't big enough for our island