Any suggestions on my kitchen

[AberNeinAberDoch]

Hello lovely mumsnetters,

I just finished designs for our new kitchen and would appreciate your input please. We're extending hence ripping out old one.

So from the left; the first set of double doors open up into a (hidden) utility, second set of doors are an inbuilt fridge, third set of doors open into a (hidden) walk-in pantry. Next is a follows a corner cupboard with I'm planning to make into a breakfast station. Next is microwave and oven, electric hob in the middle and on the left sink centred under a window overlooking the garden. Pull out bins and dishwasher also on the left. Cabinet colour will be ivory/ white and handles brass. Worktop and splashback also white (ceramic/quartz )

Island in the middle will be white oak with a white (ceramic/quartz)worktop with drawers on one side and seating on the other.

Flooring will be white oak as well.

Any suggestions for improvement welcome.

Thank you.

I’d want more countertop space next to the oven - maybe move the hob over to the right and have one wall cupboard next to the oven unit and just two next to the window. I’d also have the tall units and wall units going right up to the ceiling otherwise you’re left with a gap that just gathers grime.
If the island is being used for food prep have you thought about having electric plugs somewhere on it? Are there the right number of seats available?
Something I like in my kitchen is having a pull out bin under the counter that I do food prep at so you can just drop things straight into it.

I think the wall of tall doors is a bit overbearing but I think that will be less so if they are floor to ceiling.

Visually I think it might be better if the tall cupboards didn't come round the corner, and if they were maybe broken up by the oven unit but it sounds like that wouldn't be possible?

You work triangle is also quite big but that wouldn't bother me

Get AI to mock you up a more realistic looking version of your design. Much easier to visualise then.

Breakfast cupboard looks like it will be crowded and hard to access. Especially if someone is also using the microwave.

for the hidden pantry and utility, does that mean the bit that looks like a double cupboard is actually a little corridor to another room? I know that is fashionable but especially for the pantry, it means you have to go a long way to find the stuff you need for cooking and so it seems like it will be annoying.

We had pretty much the same layout in our previous kitchen and it worked really well. Our tall units were broken up a bit but everything was quite convenient. I loved not having the hob or sink on the island and we used it to prep food. I second previous poster’s suggestion to add electrical outlets on the island. Your design looks good in my opinion.

Looks like a lovely kitchen. I suggest you think where is the most likely place you will be food prepping. Put the pull out bin there. Otherwise your walking back and forth with food scraps.

Second think about how the dishwasher opens. How will you be loading it. Will it get in the way. What if you need to replace the salt, will the island get in the way/ make it uncomfortable.

Where are your power outlets going to go? When you need to use big appliances where will they go, will there be a power outlet nearby. Coffee machine, kettle, toaster. Are they going to be out or stored away? Anything that creates steam shouldn't be in or under your cabinets, keep that in mind when creating your breakfast station.

Those shelves look like greace collectors. What are you planning on putting on them?

And personally if that is where the hob goes I would have a narrow pullout cabinet for condiments like oils on the left followed by two draws centre under the hob instead of four drawers.

Definitely have socket(s) on your island - I don't like the pop up ones so we had them on one end of the island at our last house.

The ovens look a bit squished/shoehorned in where they are and with insufficient adjacent 'landing' space on the worktop, but otoh I like your central position of the hob and much prefer it (or the sink) not being on the island.

We had lots of open shelving in a kitchen we designed in 2012 - despite being nowhere near the cooking area they were constantly greasy, so I'd not be keen to do that again.

Agree regarding the location of pull-out bins in relation to prep space. We're working with a much smaller kitchen at our new house and in order to fit in pull-out bins have had to rethink where prep happens, but you shouldn't have that issue!

We have fairly wide, shallow drawers flanking each side of our hob (the top drawers in two sets of pan drawers) - one has cutlery and a few utensils, the other has spice jars, each labelled on top with the contents for ease of use.

I have two comments, not sure your aim and totally respect the design may suit you, so they may sound harsh but these are my perspective on the photos :

1. this is for show and not cooking in, only assume you are ready meal queen.

2. looks like a bedroom design not a kitchen.

Do you intend to use it as a library?

Having an integrated fridge freezer really limits your options and they tend not to last as long as freestanding ones.

If you’re cooking for a crowd (big dinner party, Christmas or Easter, say) you are likely to have the induction hob full with saucepans. Where will you put down hot dishes from the oven? Tip: do not cross over to the island, that’s really dangerous. Someone could crash into you or vice versa.

you need more worktop space immediately to the side of the ovens.

To me it is way too colour blocked on the tall cupboard side. Can you add some colour in somewhere? I would also have the cupboards go to the top - our builder put wall above essentially so it looks like the cupboards are built into wall

maybe something a bit more interesting above the hob?

agree that you probably need sockets and bin on island as that’s where you will prep.

the breakfast cupboard is going to be a bit of a pain - corner units always are though. Maybe to break it up you could have the top open and have coffee machine/mugs/ketle on the counter and some nice open shelves in a warm wood and then carry the wood over to another part of the kitchen (like you have on the island)

all cupboards up to the ceiling so no gap.

ditch the overhead extractor and get an inbuilt hob one. Open shelving running along the wall.

ditch the wall cupboards to right of hob.

turn the island so the seating is looking out the window.

I love my hidden utility with double doors but would hate the faff for a pantry tbh

The hob needs to move right so you can put things down when you get them out of the oven.
Personally I find your design too clinical and would not want to be opening and shutting those big doors all day! But that's a personal preference.

I can’t see a sink?

It's by the window

The people sitting at the island will see the back of who is cooking and they cannot see out of the window. I might turn it 90 degrees so the seating faces the window. Depends on space. I have a separate seating area at the end of my island. It’s a circular high level wood table. The rest of the work surfaces are granite so it is a contrast. Really like the combination. I also have my hob on the island and I cook whilst chatting to guests. Hob a safe distance of course. It makes the kitchen a more congenial space.

Also make sure you have a large double sink.

I like this quite a lot, actually. I just think there should be more countertop / workspace, for a room this size.

I agree with other posters about the big tall cupboards looking smart, but feeling less practical when they're being open and closed all day long. When you're cooking, the fridge will be open and shut a lot (if it's like my house!) and I can see that meaning it all gets a bit crowded.

It might not be your thing at all, so ignore if you're not a fan....I would cut the island and instead have a peninsula (coming out at a right-angle from the wine rack bit). It would be longer than the island so give more workspace, plus gives more space in the middle of the kitchen for people to pass each other, and more space in front of the tall cupboards.

My island is double width so there’s loads of storage. By having seating, the storage is reduced. That’s why seating is better at the end of the island with own dedicated area. This could probably be done by turning island around by 90 degrees.

It’s really no effort to move items from oven to an island. It’s where I dish up. No safety issues.

“It’s really no effort to move items from oven to an island. It’s where I dish up. No safety issues.”

I’m not saying it’s difficult to carry food from the oven to the island. The issue is safety.
When you take dishes out of an oven, you’re often handling pans full of boiling liquid, trays of roast potatoes sitting in hot oil, or heavy roasting dishes. Those are awkward, extremely hot, and sometimes unstable.

In the OP’s drawing, the route from the oven to the island crosses what could easily be a busy walkway. That means someone carrying a pan of boiling stew could be moving through the same space where other people are walking past.
All it takes is someone stepping into that path, brushing an elbow, or a child running through, and you’ve got a serious burn or spill.

@Daisydoesnt I wasn’t born yesterday. I do know what comes out of an oven might be hot.

You will find that many ovens are in banks of tall cupboards these days with no adjacent work top. Mine has some worktop next to the oven but I just turn and put dishes on the island. Its no issue at all - you tell them to keep away when you are moving hot food around. Most people have to carry boiling water to a sink to strain pasta. Most sinks are not next to hobs. It’s perfectly normal to have minimal distances but move hot food from a wall oven to an island or hob to a sink. You make it clear to dc that they stay out of thst space. Children can learn what’s ok and what isn’t.

It’s very very white!

I really dislike the corner/angled cupboard. If you put the walk in pantry in the corner it should be possible to avoid having the angle.

Hidden utility- do you mean a cupboard with washing machine etc hidden inside, or does it literally lead to another (hidden) room? If another room, I’d ditch the cupboard and just have a door.

I’m not a fan of kitchen islands. I much prefer a seating area with a banquette, and you have the space for that in your large kitchen. I know I’m in the minority on this 😁

I also agree with the PP about needing more counter space next to the oven.

From the photos, it’s a bit hard to tell exactly what layout you are planning to have. Personally, I find a double-bowl sink more practical.

Every kitchen I’ve designed (three ) I’ve insisted on counter space next to the fridge and the oven. Oven for reasons above. Fridge because of unloading shopping and during cooking process. It’s a huge pain not having anywhere to put fridge stuff down, which you won’t as your main counter space is the island which will be used so not empty. Fridge always at the end of a run of counter space.

I would move your hob closer to the sink for more counter space next to oven and for carrying boiling water from hob to sink carefully.

Only other comments are to put something on the side panel of the floor cabinet at the end of the run sink is in: shelf or waterfall counter. Unless you’re going to put the bins there?

And block in the shelves above the hob with doors. Those shelves will be greasy in no time.