Kitchen designs - best things in yours

[MeganM3]

In my old house we had a wine fridge. And I loved it. Also all the lower units were drawers, really helpful. In my mum’s house she has a normal dishwasher and then a slim/small dishwasher as well, so that there’s never plates on the side.

I’m about to have a new kitchen and although I’d love lots of fancy things I doubt we’d be able to afford all the higher end bits. But it’s interesting to know what people find really helpful or love in their kitchen. Something that elevates it a little. So if anyone has any tips, things that are really great?

Pan drawers nest to my dishwasher for all plates bowls, cutlery, makes emptying the dishwasher easier. French opening corner cupboard so you can see to the back, keep all pans etc. in there.

We had the room for a walk in pantry - wish we'd done it.

A spray nozzle on the qooker - we've a square sink and it's hard to clean it.

Took our biggest baking tray dimensions and made sure the sink would fit it.

Somewhere to keep oil and favourite spices near the hob.

Floor to ceiling wine fridge, slide n hide oven, warming drawer, Quooker tap, pan drawers glass splash backs (no grout to get mucky). All isolator switches in one cupboard, automated extractor over where I iron in the utility room.

Built in bin drawer - double size. Close to worktops and sink and the kitchen door.

Wide drawers to include cutlery and pan drawers close to cooker.

Sufficient length of uncluttered worktops between fridge/freezer and cooker with larder cupboards above.

Tall fridge freezer with drawers for veg and meat at different temps combined with a garage chest freezer

Designated tea making area with all supplies and PowerPoints. Same with toaster/airfryer/microwave etc.

Slim cupboard for oils and spices next to cooker.

Storage close to dishwasher.

Double sink with one section wide enough to accommodate cookware.

Worktop into window rather than window sill.

No island but kitchen table and chairs (dependent on size of room).

We have quite a small kitchen so had to make some compromises. But I did get a warming drawer, which I love (and wish I'd got the deeper one, though, for proving bread), a pull-out tap, and a separate deep utility sink.

@SwanFlight I have quartz and I don't find it stains. It's nice and cold for making pastry. For bread, my joiner saved me some massive offcuts of the wooden countertop from my downstairs bathroom, which I oiled and use as massive chopping boards. Anyway, what I really wanted to say was that I keep my stand mixer in a cupboard just underneath the counter where I can easily lift it out when I want it BUT if storage space had not been at a premium, our designer suggested we get a socket for it in there, keep it plugged in, and install a foldaway shelf like this one to put it on.

Lots of workspace by knocking kitchen and dining room together and making a peninsula.

Insinkerator, pan drawers galore, a bin drawer, double oven that I don't need to bend down to, tall larder cupboard. microwave in bottom of a wall unit, a pull out unit with 2 wire baskets for potatoes and veg. Decent cutlery tray after years of just a cluttered drawer. More storage than I need, even with putting the stuff that used to live on the work surface (toaster, breadmaker, slow cooker) away when not in use.

I like the floor tiles the best: Treverkever Sand. A lovely warm colour.

I love the kitchen and will be sad to leave it when we move. I think living in a poorly designed or annoying kitchen for years helps you to get it right when you re-do it.

Thing I wish I hadn't bothered with: one of those narrow pull out things with 2 rods to hang kitchen/tea towels on. The first one was delivered damaged, the replacement was ok but it's flimsy and annoying to use so we don't.

A lit cupboard with coffee machine, drawers for coffee pods, selection of teas. All the cups and mugs above. It so nice not to have loads of stuff on my counters.

I have a small galley kitchen, and the most sensible thing I did was to buy a new, all glass back door that opens outwards.

Then as others have said, masses of sockets, good lighting, bin cupboard, as many drawers rather than cupboards as possible, and I love our tall cupboard with pull-out drawers and two shelves that I use for food. A proper space for chopping boards is handy, as is a small pull-out next to the stove for herbs, as pieces, oils etc.

a deep cupboard at waist height for my airfryer and Kenwood mixer side by side. This means I can get them in and out easily, without moving lots of other stuff around,

Yeah, the thing that bothers me the most, is having deep cupboards. Even having a cupboard that supports two deep tins, means you are forever moving the front items to dig about behind. Two is just about doable, but any deeper it is just a pain. We have cups behind cups, glasses behind glasses, and I absolutely hate it. Some of our glassware never gets used at all, because it is stacked up, and requires a bit of a fiddle to get to it. I think this is why people like drawers. However, it can be difficult seeing what you have, and if you are unfamiliar with the kitchen it's a headache digging through drawers and cupboards for things. So in many ways I quite like open shelving, because at least you can see what is what. And what's the point of hiding decent crockery away? I find pan cupboards personally a headache. I'd rather they were hung up. My biggest bug bear actually is kitchens where everything is tidied away. They don't look lived in or used at all - and aren't homely. People start sweating if even the smallest item is left out on the side. This is one small step towards becoming one of those people that tut and shake their head if the dishwasher isn't stacked to their taste.

I love my full size fridge and freezer, previously we had under the counter. Also the quooker tap with spray. Don't skimp on the size of the bin cupboard. Other than that, less is more. We originally planned for an island but it would have been a tight fit. So we decided against it and instead had a break bar. I'm so pleased we did. It's lovely to have a spacious feeling kitchen that we can move about in without constant beeping at each other.

We are going full on and high specs in our new kitchen! It's tiny and we will use IKEA with nicer doors (probably Holte or similar), so we can splurge a bit more on the appliances. I would love to have a slide & hide Neff oven, but decided to compromise on the oven size (barely used here at home) and go for an eye-level combi oven only. We are also installing a drawer dishwasher from Fisher & Paykel (I'm obsessed!) and the cherry on top will be the hidden induction hob, which is quite handy as we have limited countertop space but allows us to invest in a statement countertop! Can't wait!

Don't skimp on the size of the bin cupboard.... We have one small carrier bag of waste per fortnight to put out as we compost food waste. I've seen some clever ideas for under counter compost containers. That's more useful to me. Who wants a huge festering smelly bin in the house?

Built in coffee machine. It was our indulgence when we did the kitchen and it’s fantastic.

All these ideas are amazing. I’m googling most of them and adding to wish list

Drawers. Lots of drawers, So much easier to find everything.
Under the hob I have a shallow drawer for utensils, pan drawers underneath, and a narrow pull out either side for oil/salt/ pepper etc.
Quooker. It has its own softener and makes life much easier.
Two dishwashers. DH didn't see the point before we had them and now sings their praises to everyone.
Big pull out pantry units.
Wine fridge. Mostly it has soft drinks in it but it keeps everything tidy.
Its a big kitchen, so I had room for 2 proper fan ovens, a combi microwave and a warming drawer underneath that which lines it all up.
Zoned lighting so it can either be super bright, or just have lights over the island, or across to the utility room. Theres also LED strips under the cupboards and on the plinth

mine is something that I don't think no one else thinks off. I paid extra for my counter height a little bit higher than standard height. I am only 5ft 5 inches high but counters always seem low to me and I am bending down all the time. especially at the sink. so I asked for it to be higher and then with the granit counter on top it's now just above waist level. I no longer have ti bend down anymore. the difference in using the sink is unreal. I also did the same as above ovens are at eye level. everything from waist down is all drawers. have a two huge pantry style presses in top then one for all my cups glasses etc and other is for all food. also boiling tap and pump for hand soap and wash up liquid. no more clutter around sink

I don’t have a separate utility space but have integral appliances behind cupboards which are extra tall and the storage is fabulous. I have one cupboard for things like brooms and a stick vacuum and I have a power socket in that cupboard so I can keep the vac on charge and it’s hidden away. I maximise working surface by keeping the toaster in a cupboard on a tray.

also second the quooker taps, bora hob with integral vent, good lighting (dimmable main room, island lights and plinth lighting) and the hidden bins.

have fun choosing and enjoy your new kitchen!

High quality Miele ovens and hob. Ditto for dishwasher. Appreciate 2 sinks - one for veg prep and one for washing up. Boiling tap on larger Belfast washing up sink. It hides most dirty plates!

Agree with lots of drawers. Agree with hidden bins. Drawer for phone charging. We have wine fridge in utility but have 2 fridges in kitchen. Bliss when entertaining. More than one oven!

Love my 'pot filler' style articulated tap from Hornbeam Ivy. It's not actually a pot filler, but has that look which I love. Was super expensive (£900) when we bought it for a previous house. Loved it so much we swapped it out before marketing that place for sale and soon it will be fitted along with the giant Belfast sink that can accommodate the largest oven dishes.

Quooker taps didn't appeal as we don't drink hot drinks so felt it would be under used.

Also loved our pull-out bins at our last house so will be replicating those here. Ditto lots of drawers and integrated dishwasher. Our lovely reconditioned Lacanche range has useful drawers under too, which was about the only thing we liked about our old Bertazzoni as they were great for storing baking sheets etc!

We recently bought a huge French doors fridge freezer with freezer drawers and that's been a game changer compared to our old Smeg F/F which we'd had forever.

And just remembered the extra deep worktop which will run into the rear window overlooking the garden, giving additional work surface and a smooth transition to the window area.

Double door larder cupboard, it's about 85cm wide and 45cm deep, full height, with fold back doors, spice racks, the works.
Peninsula work area with a big 90x90cm working space I can spread out on
yy to big pull out bins
Really good bright LED task lighting over the work areas (not badly placed mini ceiling spots) plus dimmable/Hue light over dining side.

We have a 3.4m x1200 deep island and yes, working space that’s deep is a huge bonus!