Kitchen Regrets?

hotpotato

Hi,
I'm just wondering if anyone has any regrets after getting their new kitchen. I'm just starting out and want to avoid the pitfalls. Any burning advice that you wish you knew then much appreciated!

Missyelliot2

I wish I got a sink big enough to be able to soak the oven tray overnight.

(sad that this is a wish of mine ...........)

Missyelliot2

Also....(Don't want to hijack the thread), but sockets on/near the island are vital. You need them for carving (Sundays), charging (every day) and boiling! Loads of sockets in the island!

hotpotato

Thanks Missyelliot2-I jut dunno whether to get the ones that pop up in the middle or just get sockets put on the sides of the island. Mu hubbie is convinced they are a gimic-I think they look cool and would enable you to use the middle of the island and not perch things at the edge.

HeidiHeidi

Loads of sockets everywhere!

I bitterly regret not getting some sort of carousel or easy access shelving in my corner cupboards - far too much hassle/expense now to look at shoehorning it in, and it's a shocking waste of very big space in there. Stuff went into those cupboards when they were finished, and hasn't been seen since :eek:

7ofBrian

I got a whirlpool island extractor hood and I keep smacking my head off it Wish I per the sink in the island instead

goat2

i agree with the sink,
just look at the things you use everyday and most often in your kitchen, like, fridge, cooker, sink, dishwasher, i would love to have put in big drawers for pots, roast tins, and frypans,
i would also love to have one of those presses that come out with the shelves attached and seeing all my ingredients at a glance, instead i have a normal press, and when i am trying to find peas or beans or some other item, i find i have to take out all the front stuff on shelf to see if they are behind, a nuisance, as you have to put all back,

aonb

I hate our Black Granite counter tops (they cost a bomb - Indian Peacock somethingorother - flecks of green/blue, dragonfly like!) - after wiping them down with a wet cloth, you HAVE to buff them up or they dry smeared and dull and greasy looking. A brown/beige/cream colour is much better!

Missyelliot2

hotpotato wrote: »

Thanks Missyelliot2-I jut dunno whether to get the ones that pop up in the middle or just get sockets put on the sides of the island. Mu hubbie is convinced they are a gimic-I think they look cool and would enable you to use the middle of the island and not perch things at the edge.

I think either would be great. There are mobiles being charged, toasties being made, roasts being carved with our sockets.

Before that, we had an extension lead from the hall!!!!!!

Calibos

We have sockets on both sides of the island. I wanted the pop up things. SWMBO thought they were a gimmic like your hubby. She now admits I was right and we should have got the pop up sockets. Gonna retrofit them when I get the chance. Have to get a special hole saw drill bit to drill our Quartz countertop.

Agree on the countertop colour. One can certainly notice a haze after cleaning our beige quartz countertop without polishing but one has to look close whereas I imagine its plain as day on a gloss black countertop from quite a distance away.

Wyldwood

Don't get any dark worktop. The guy who supplied our new kitchen recommended a black laminate worktop to me & suggested a matt finish wouldn't show dirt or scratches. It's a disaster, it shows every crumb & smears when it's wiped. I spend my day cleaning it. It also absorbs a lot of the light. Go for a pale colour.

Also consider a pull-out larder unit if you're including a tall press. Makes finding stuff at the back of the high shelves so much easier. In fact I'm sorry I didn't get pull out wire drawers inside all the lower presses instead of fixed shelves. Might do a retrofit yet. Also, I second the suggestion for the magic corner pullout unit as suggested above. The only drawback is it can be hard to clean under the shelves if anything spills.

prospect

Showing crumbs etc is probably a good thing, means you have to keep the food prep areas clean.


Anyway, get a (not sure of the proper term) half sink too. Handy when the sink is full of clean water for washing and inevitably you get handed a half cup of tea to pour somewhere!

We have a return (like a peninsula) in our kitchen, divides it from the dining area. There is also overhead units. Biggest regret ever, really darkens the room without adding much (any) value. After 8 years, they are coming down this summer.

hotpotato

Thanks everyone. Some really good thoughts there. I wonder can I take a cloth and cleaning product in to the showroom to see if there is a smear afterwards. Might bring in a slice of toast too to inspect the crumbs!

One of the kitchen places that we are looking at is touting the fact that their drawers can hold 60kg (I think) rather than the 30kg standard drawer. My hibbie keeps saying he likes how sturdy the drawers feel. I dunno if its worth the extra spend though.

Could I just ask thouse of you who have islands, how many stools to you reckon and what types or does it matter?

Also....anyone have a juicer? Any clever ideas for keeping these?