What tips would you have for designing a kitchen?

FrankGrimes

Renovating our house and adding a new kitchen at the moment. Kitchen designer was excellent and we're very happy with the layout etc. Designer was so expert it went quickly and thankfully we have plenty of time to plan tweaks, so wanted to pause and ask for any tips on little embellishments to add or things to consider.

Friends and family all seem to offer opinions on Dos and Don'ts based on their experience so I thought itd be a good idea for a thread as it may be useful to others.

Examples of things it's good to hear opinions on: quooker boiling water taps: a gimmick to one friend but one colleague thinks they are fantastic. Ice cube maker in fridge door: worthwhile? Popup plugs in island - are the new ones good? Popup extractor in island worth it or not? Handleless doors, how do they hold up over time?

jlm29

Get as many drawers on the lower cabinets as possible. Those big low down presses are a disaster, it's much easier to see what you have if you have pull outs. I also have a sink drawer, and it's great, no wasted space.

budhabob

pop up plugs in an island will result in a lot of lost space in the island unit i.e. storage - have a look in Ikea to see what I mean.

As above, drawers, minimise shelves to improve accessibility.

A major point for me is a high oven, waste height. No bending down to pick up a heavy roast, and you can see baking progress without stooping.

Handleless doors are run on a spring, which is something that can wear out. While it looks great you still have to pull the unit out further so I don't think its practical in a kitchen.

sbsquarepants

I've never actually seen it in the flesh - but there's an add on the telly at the moment with these metal racks that pull out of the press and come down on a pivot, meaning you can easily access high shelves from the floor.
Next kitchen in my house is definitely having those!

yannakis

My 5c:
5/6 ring hob (preferably gas) with very wide drawers under it
double oven if you host big feasts
anything but shiny tiles on the floor
tiles on the wall between counter-top and press (presses?)
lights inside the drawers
lights under the press

shel64

For me, wipe down shiny gloss cupboards, no ridges,grooves etc for spills,grime etc to get into, last kitchen broke my heart, eye level oven so no bending with pans ,clear perspex on part of one wall with hooks on strips of solid wood to hold my pans,pots,etc, you can still see the paint underneath and it just wipes over if marked, 5 ring gas hob and electric oven,strong taps, some are wobbly after a while and 2 actually came off, deep sink but not too deep that it gives you a bad back, Ikea has a fab double white porcelain one, I had this for 12 years no problem and will get another in my new home,I also had the kitchen a little higher than normal made life easier (I'm 5 foot 7) and my island in the centre of my old kitchen worked really well, my electrician Husband put 2 double sockets on either end for my small appliances, best idea as I use so many gadgets,as you may gather I'm in between houses sold but not completed on my new home,,,,, and finally Larder cupboards,I found them so useful to store my small appliances, cereals,tall items,plus food of course I had 2 double and I want 3 double next time,as tall as I can have them, storing those items that are used rarely like Christmas dishes etc, but I do have 4 children and 3 of them are teenagers......

Mint Sauce

LED lighting underneath the wall mounted units, Tile behind extractor unit before mounting, nearer finish, also means if you replace the extractor in the future, you won't have to find an exact match, or retile.

Spanish Eyes

USB ports in the sockets. Saves you having to look for a usb plug. Put this usb socket inside a press. No wires around the countertops.

Glass splashbacks not tiles. So easy to keep clean. Good quality cushioned vynil flooring. A bloody godsend compared to tiles on the floor. One wipe and it's grand. Looks like wooden flooring.

Drawers instead of presses under countertop.

Built in step ladder behind the kickboard. Great for reaching the top presses.

http://www.poggenpohl.com/en/products/accessories/other/other-category/step-ladder-in-plinth/

Houzz is great for more ideas.

best of luck.

tuisginideach

If I had big enough kitchen and plenty of money:
2 dishwashers - instead of having to unload dishwasher, put crockery in press, reload dishwasher, I'd just use the 2nd dishwasher as the press and rotate the use.
In reality:
(a) dishwasher and crockery etc press to be near each other so that I'm not walking back and forth across kitchen as I unload dishwasher
(b) rocker on/off switches on all sockets so that I don't have to unplug my mincer/blender etc before putting my fingers into it!
(c) larder press
(d) extractor which is high up - ours is at head height so have hit my head a number of times
(e) Places for large cereal boxes etc - maybe in the larder press

Graham

Don't skimp on the parts you touch:

worktops
handles
taps
sink

It's these elements that will make your kitchen feel 'special'.

Soft-close hinges everywhere.

Wirework and drawers are expensive, just something to be aware of. You can maximise the drawer to budget ratio by getting wider cabinets/drawers e.g. a 500mm (wide) unit with 3 drawers is only slightly cheaper than a 1000mm unit with 3 drawers. Wide drawers look great in a modern design too.

Think about your lighting before the kitchen goes in, don't leave it as an afterthought.

BoardsMember

Lots of good tips here:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057042289

and here:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057656500

looksee

I use a pull out larder cupboard beside the counter/kettle for all the mugs, tea, coffee, and bread. The other side of the larder press is the fridge so you have a drink and sandwich making area all tidily in one place.

I got two very large marble effect tiles which stand on the wooden worktop and collect all the drips and mess from the tea making. You can get marble cutting boards but they are expensive, the tiles cost me €6 each from a tile shop.

A tall, thin (back to front) press for storing foodstuffs is great, nothing gets lost at the back. Make sure the bottom shelf is tall enough for cereal packets and tall bottles.

The big drawers are great, huge improvement on presses. My shallow cutlery drawers came with a large, very space wasting cutlery moulding - way too much space between the cutlery recesses - so I got 49c ones from Tesco to replace them. Huge improvement.

Anything with complicated gizmos for folding things out, push release drawers etc has potential for breaking, is it worth it? There is usually a reason why top of the range is more expensive, find the mid balance between economical and sturdy.

Gloss finishes are a liability unless you love polishing.

Candlemania

Think where you want the electrical sockets (for your kitchen equipment) and the under-cabinet lighting to be located - after the wall-mount cabinets are fitted and the backsplash is laid it's too late for wiring.

Built-in microwave is great - no dust mixed with grease to be wiped off constantly. The combi one (with a grill) is very handy. It doesn't have the rotating glass plate, which means you can fit two bowls or small plates in it at one time.

If you have an empty wall on the opposite side (your dining area within the kitchen), you can plan some more presses, drawers, larders, worktops and wall-mount presses there! You'll gain lots of room to put your kitchen equipment away into. No more coffee machines, smoothie makers, kitchen robots, chip fryers, etc. cluttering your worktops and gathering dust! You can take them out only when you need them.

Good luck with creating your dream kitchen!

FrankGrimes

Been away and forgot to come back to this thread but glad I did as there's lots of quality nuggets there to be noodled on, thanks to all and am sure it'll be a useful thread for lot of folks ina similar boat.

Currently planning to have sink in the island and hob against the wall. Downside of that is clutter on the island and back to the room when cooking. Other half is interested in an antique mirror or glass tiles on the wall (need to be able to withstand heat) to give some visibility into the room when cooking, have others had experience with similar?

Will now know to plan ahead for the socket locations for the appliances.

hytrogen

Take a holiday on a boat or in a camper van to really appreciate tight spaces before you go to plan / install.
Let the man be in charge of the budget, electrical fittings, lighting design and sizing up stuff, the woman takes the layout and final finishes like tiles and countertop, colours, etc.
Bring in a kitchen fitter, don't bother going to a retailer as their measurements and your measurements will never match.
Put your wall mounted presses right up to the ceiling, don't leave that stupid 3inch wasted gap between the facia and the ceiling, no matter what the fitter says.
Put your light fittings and plugs behind the hangdown under your wall mounted Cabinets above the counter, plugs in the walls is such a waste and never goes with any splash back no matter what the plug style. USB plugs too are worth the extra few Bob.
Dishwasher under the sink drainboard and fit the dish cabinets above / adjacent.
And lads whatever you do put that odd black brick tile over the hob splashback to wind her up, it's worth the Lols after to inspire the great cupa tea chats...

Malari

hytrogen wrote: »

Take a holiday on a boat or in a camper van to really appreciate tight spaces before you go to plan / install.
Let the man be in charge of the budget, electrical fittings, lighting design and sizing up stuff, the woman takes the layout and final finishes like tiles and countertop, colours, etc.

LOL!

We like the minimalist look so we have a tambour unit, or an appliance garage as they call it in the US :pac: Sockets at the back, so everything that might normally be cluttering up the counter - toaster, kettle, juicer, coffee machine, etc - can be left plugged in and just pulled out when you want to use it.

Larder cupboards are a must for me. We really don't need all that work surface. Larder gives plenty of storage for food, gadgets and plates, etc. I hate clutter!

freedominacup

Candlemania wrote: »

If you have an empty wall on the opposite side (your dining area within the kitchen), you can plan some more presses, drawers, larders, worktops and wall-mount presses there! You'll gain lots of room to put your kitchen equipment away into.

Whatever amount of press space you think you need or your designer has specified reduce it by at least 50% and you'll still have a huge amount of wasted space. Two dishwashers would be high on my list. You "need" a larder, fridge, oven and hob. Get the two dishwashers and you have no need for cutlery drawers or presses for plates ,saucepans etc. Mimimise the space wasted with the rest of the clutter and see how much more room you have in one of the largest rooms in your house for actually living in rather than a conversation piece that will literally be so last year in a few months.

BoardsMember

FrankGrimes wrote: »

Been away and forgot to come back to this thread but glad I did as there's lots of quality nuggets there to be noodled on, thanks to all and am sure it'll be a useful thread for lot of folks ina similar boat.

Currently planning to have sink in the island and hob against the wall. Downside of that is clutter on the island and back to the room when cooking. Other half is interested in an antique mirror or glass tiles on the wall (need to be able to withstand heat) to give some visibility into the room when cooking, have others had experience with similar?

Will now know to plan ahead for the socket locations for the appliances.

Our preference is probably for a smaller sink in the island, above the bins, with the dishwasher above the draining board, and have a separate sink "behind" the island on the wall, where we can dump washing up stuff.

I dont get the 2 dishwashers, are people really that busy/lazy that they can't empty a dishwasher?

freedominacup

BoardsMember wrote: »

I dont get the 2 dishwashers, are people really that busy/lazy that they can't empty a dishwasher?

To what end? To be able to say you have an empty dishwasher which in my house is only ever true for a matter of minutes or to justify the expense of unnecessary kitchen units?

Candlemania

freedominacup wrote: »

(...) Get the two dishwashers and you have no need for cutlery drawers or presses for plates ,saucepans etc. Mimimise the space wasted with the rest of the clutter and see how much more room you have in one of the largest rooms in your house for actually living in rather than a conversation piece that will literally be so last year in a few months.

Great idea, I would take it even further! Why have wardrobes, chest of drawers, etc.? Just get two tumble dryers!

Furniture gives our interior a structure and helps keep things organised. Sometimes it even LOOKS nicer than electrical appliances...

But I always say - every person has different needs and sense of aesthetics and that's ok.

BoardsMember

freedominacup wrote: »

To what end? To be able to say you have an empty dishwasher which in my house is only ever true for a matter of minutes or to justify the expense of unnecessary kitchen units?

Everybody to their own!

BoardsMember

Candlemania wrote: »

Great idea, I would take it even further! Why have wardrobes, chest of drawers, etc.? Just get two tumble dryers!

Furniture gives our interior a structure and helps keep things organised. Sometimes it even LOOKS nicer than electrical appliances...

But I always say - every person has different needs and sense of esthetics and that's ok.

I was going to use that bolded analogy but decided against it. As you say, we all see things differently. I'd never have two dishwashers in my kitchen, but that's just me. I put the dishwasher on when it is full, and when it is finished the wash cycle, I empty it and put everything in its place. I couldn't "live" out of a dishwasher for all sorts of reasons.

phelixoflaherty

.

B-D-P--

Are people still going with gloss look or is matt back in style nowaday?
Spoke with a kitchen man yesterday he said although he has no problem doing gloss, he recommends matt as its more popular these days.

Candlemania

B-D-P-- wrote: »

Are people still going with gloss look or is matt back in style nowaday?
Spoke with a kitchen man yesterday he said although he has no problem doing gloss, he recommends matt as its more popular these days.

I'd say nowadays it doesn't matter any more. Everything is popular and trends change so fast.

I would just choose what I would like to look at for the next couple of years, not what your man recommends...

Was in finland ages ago, and then seen the same thing in an ikea kitchen in their store, so figured i'd ask people's opinions.


In both kitchens, they had a sink, and above the sink (staggered to one side) they had a wall unit. the bottom of the wall unit was effectively a drip tray. The idea being that to dry your plates etc. you just throw them into a press above the sink and they dry themselves. out of sight and mind.

Dunno what the name of it is, so cant google it, but wondered if m/any here had tried it and what ye thought? seems like a great idea to me, to remove the visual of plates/cups/etc on a draining board drying off.

Candlemania

Deleted User wrote: »

Was in finland ages ago, and then seen the same thing in an ikea kitchen in their store, so figured i'd ask people's opinions.


In both kitchens, they had a sink, and above the sink (staggered to one side) they had a wall unit. the bottom of the wall unit was effectively a drip tray. The idea being that to dry your plates etc. you just throw them into a press above the sink and they dry themselves. out of sight and mind.

Dunno what the name of it is, so cant google it, but wondered if m/any here had tried it and what ye thought? seems like a great idea to me, to remove the visual of plates/cups/etc on a draining board drying off.

Hi KKV,

Try googling "dish drainer in a cupboard" or "hanging drying rack for dishes".

You can still see them in many European countries, from Spain to Poland. It was a very common kitchen solution (and still is), until the dishwashers started appearing in our homes.

In Ireland it goes without saying that the sink is where the window is. In the continental Europe, especially in urban areas, where people live in apartment blocks, you don't have such a privilege to enjoy the view while washing the dishes (and btw, space under windows should always be reserved for radiators for their efficiency and air circulation), hence those hanging drying racks for dishes. They're also a huge space saver for small kitchens.

So, to sum up: if your sink doesn't have a window above it and if you don't have a dishwasher - I think such a unit would come in handy. You can also go for the open version of it - it's wooden and more "decorative", but less practical.

Cheers for the decent reply, candlemania.

My kitchen is being re-arranged to take the sink away from the window. There's also only 2 of us in the house so a dishwasher is a bit overkill and not being considered, so these seem like a great idea.

Have always had a draining board dish dryer type thing (you know the stainless steel racks you get that sit on the draining board of the sink) but this seems like a better option to hide the plates/etc. when they're out drying. Definitely gonna have one I reckon. Just wanted to see was there an obvious reason not to have one.

shel64

The plate rack is a good idea, I had one in my last home, and will put one in the next (when the sale goes through) if it ever happens lol, I had a dishwasher but never 2,, but I do have 2 washing machines one with a large drum, having 4 kids in the house,,,,,

GrumpyMe

Deleted User wrote: »

Cheers for the decent reply, candlemania.

My kitchen is being re-arranged to take the sink away from the window. There's also only 2 of us in the house so a dishwasher is a bit overkill and not being considered, so these seem like a great idea.

Have always had a draining board dish dryer type thing (you know the stainless steel racks you get that sit on the draining board of the sink) but this seems like a better option to hide the plates/etc. when they're out drying. Definitely gonna have one I reckon. Just wanted to see was there an obvious reason not to have one.

Tall folk should have higher work surfaces, especially sinks. At 1.8m tall I find it very hard on my back to do more than a couple of items washing up. Food prep on counter top - not so bad. 10-15cm can make a huge difference.

Candlemania

GrumpyMe wrote: »

Tall folk should have higher work surfaces, especially sinks. At 1.8m tall I find it very hard on my back to do more than a couple of items washing up. Food prep on counter top - not so bad. 10-15cm can make a huge difference.

I can understand that it's not ergonomic for you to bend at the sink, but try to sell a house where all the work surfaces are too high for an average-height person!

I would rather try and use some 'adaptors', such as a plastic basin for washing up, which you can put on a counter top next to the sink.

meeeeh

How big is the kitchen? There are couple of things I love about ours. One is wine fridge and the other is insinkerator. Neither are essential but especially insinkerator is great for dealing with small food waste and you only notice how you start to rely on it when you are without one for a while. I think American style fridges with ice dispenser are a bit of a waste of space. I would get dishwasher even if you don't need one much now. But then it depends how you live. I cook a lot so kitchen is more adapted to everything being on hand than going for a sleek look.

I'd get couple of quotes and see with what designs they come up. One place came in very high with completely unworkable layout. But the other two both had good suggestions and we combined solutions from both.

Candlemania

meeeeh wrote: »

There are couple of things I love about ours. One is wine fridge (...) I think American style fridges with ice dispenser are a bit of a waste of space.

Well, since you have space for a wine fridge... why would an American style fridge be a waste of space then?

I find the American style fridge with ice dispenser to be a good purchase. I was a bit against the ice dispenser at first, but my other half really wanted it. Now, during those 3 weeks of heat wave that we had this July I was using it every day!

I also like that I can finally have all the food organised neatly on shelves both in the fridge and the freezer, as with the narrow fridge-freezer everything used to be crammed.

meeeeh

Candlemania wrote: »

Well, since you have space for a wine fridge... why would an American style fridge be a waste of space then?

I find the American style fridge with ice dispenser to be a good purchase. I was a bit against the ice dispenser at first, but my other half really wanted it. Now, during those 3 weeks of heat wave that we had this July I was using it every day!

I also like that I can finally have all the food organised neatly on shelves both in the fridge and the freezer, as with the narrow fridge-freezer everything used to be crammed.

I think there is very little extra room in an American style fridge considering how much space they take. We had space for one but decided against it when we saw internal lay out. It's a personal preference. (I like Liebherr side by side fridges though).

ouxbbkqtswdfaw

If I was building again I would have the kitchen at the front of the house. After all, it's the room we all aim for when we enter the house. Why traipse through a hall? Also you can see who's coming and see all the activity outside, and are not surprised by people calling etc.

shel64

Yes I would definitely have the kitchen to the front.I had always had my kitchen in the front when I lived in the uk,, I liked being able to see who was at the door from my kitchen as it was there I mostly was,then having the living room at the back of the house was more private for settling down and watching tv listening to music etc, in the evening or weekends looking out onto the back garden, the houses were
built that way

BoardsMember

If the front of house is near the street, and the street is reasonably busy, then I would prefer the additional privacy of the kitchen at the back. I'd I was settling down I don't mind closing blinds or having curtains or whatever, I'd never do that in the kitchen.

Marcusm

Candlemania wrote: »

I can understand that it's not ergonomic for you to bend at the sink, but try to sell a house where all the work surfaces are too high for an average-height person!
.

They don't end up too high for an average person. I'm 1.98 and we added about 15cm to floor units. Other half is much shorter and finds it easier than standard units for peeling, washing etc and you get extra drawer space!

Candlemania

Marcusm wrote: »

They don't end up too high for an average person. I'm 1.98 and we added about 15cm to floor units. Other half is much shorter and finds it easier than standard units for peeling, washing etc and you get extra drawer space!

Depends what height your other half is. Also, let's not forget about children. At 90cm worktop height a 7-year old can open the tap easily and be able to use the kitchen independently (bar the hob!). The higher the worktop the less accessible the kitchen is for shorter people.

They haven't invented this discipline called Ergonomics a century ago for no reason.

I think the best solution would be to differentiate the levels of worktops within the kitchen, so everyone could have their comfortable height.

mjp

Starting to plan a kitchen for newbuild and was told by a kitchen planner to put my island on castors unless I was putting a sink or cooker into it which required connections to be fitted in ground. He says that if having dinner party or events in house which requires space that you can roll away island to another room or into corner of kitchen and use it as table/ counter. Made a lot of sense and something simple which never thought of.

yannakis

mjp wrote: »

Starting to plan a kitchen for newbuild and was told by a kitchen planner to put my island on castors unless I was putting a sink or cooker into it which required connections to be fitted in ground. He says that if having dinner party or events in house which requires space that you can roll away island to another room or into corner of kitchen and use it as table/ counter. Made a lot of sense and something simple which never thought of.

Interesting indeed. On the other hand, though, you'll never be able to lean on it

Another point that we bumped on with our design and might be useful for your newbuild: make sure to align your kitchen electrical/plumbing requirements with the house or vice versa.

BoardsMember

yannakis wrote: »

Interesting indeed. On the other hand, though, you'll never be able to lean on it

Another point that we bumped on with our design and might be useful for your newbuild: make sure to align your kitchen electrical/plumbing requirements with the house or vice versa.

Bold bit is probably tongue in cheek, but just in case: castors lock!

I would think the advantage of having electrical points, and hob and/or sink in an island far outweigh the compromise of not having is movable. Having a "function" on the island, or electrics, will ensure you make good use of it.

meeeeh

I would think it very much depends how big the kitchen is and how often you would need more space. It's great to have electricity and water connected but if the main aim is to have more working and dinning space then movable island makes perfect sense.

tanka006

We just went through a kitcken refurb a couple of years ago

The definite things i can recommend:

quooker boiling water taps - most definately, its not just tea/coffee - its saucepans - veg, spuds, poached eggs etc etc - expensive but fantastic.
Ice cube maker in fridge door - yes
Soft close drawers - could easily forget
Soft close hinges of all doors - could easily forget too!

Good Luck

Tanka

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greasepalm

When i got my kitchen designed it was a strange one having 4 doors from garage through kitchen to passage way to outside backdoor.

Hallway through kitchen to extension

So one sees how lack of space in the kitchen with no windows becomes and to make every bit of space needed. Cabinets and large and small pull out drawers in glossy white .

I dont have the issue with smacking your head on open units as they open up.

Think about how many outlets are needed for heavy draw ones like kettles and Air Fryers

Using a hob and a cooker hood i went for a wider one to allow airfryer to vent up beside the hob.

No room for a table and chairs but got a breakfast bar built in with 2 large sliding deep drawers going into the centre and making use of wasted space in an old chimney breast where old oil boiler once sat. one press to the right i can put my cereals on 2 shelves. To the left i have some small storage for cooking books and containers for feezing food.

I had 6 inches of space left on top of worktop to bottom of chimney breast which i used for a satbox , storage device hdd , lan switch gang switch and twin hdmi cables all hidden away and can have meds in a tub beside it as handy to get at.

Luckily had rooom for dishwasher in plans beside the sink and under the hop shallow utensil drawer and 2 deep for pots and pans and a halogen oven.

Only other wall for use i had a 2/3 fridge freezer , 2 deep pull out drawers , oven , press with open up door for stand in microwave , press above more storage. Remaining space was a countertop with coffee machines , coffee pods and another halogen oven. Press above contains delph with a lift up door.

Press under that worktop kitchen utensis in shallow pullout drawer , 2 deep pullout drawers for storage for deeper objects. Under the oven i also went for 2 deep drawers for baking items and pyrex dishes and the other for the massive size of cereals .