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New kitchen ideas. Anything you would change/ advise?

misc2013

We.re building extension with new kitchen/diner/living space. Thinking now of a one wall kitchen - approx 5 m in width, wall to celiing in part and then an island, prob about 2.5/ 1/5m with storage. Was originally thinking L shaped but then it would eat into space for island as we'd like a couple of stools on one side. Hob and sink currently going to be at the wall after much thought about putting either into the island and deciding against both so as to keep the island free for a second table space and food prep.

Any thoughts?

Has anyone recently got a new kitchen and had any regrets about the layout? I know one person who had high stools on one side of the island and the sockets on the opposite side so a nuisance for those sitting on the opposite side. That kinda thing.

One wall will restrict counter space, I know but the island would be a decent size for food prep etc.

Considering a waterproof laminate throughout the room. Have one recommendation so far. Others welcome.

Also, like the idea of a section of blackboard paint for the kids/ family notice board yadda, yadda, but then thinking that could be messy in the nice new extension.

Thanks.

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tickingclock

If I was building again I wouldn't have my hob facing a wall. I spend a lot of time at the hob and the food prep area beside it with my back to everything else.
So I've to turn for Mammy look at this, that and the other and I feel I miss out.
It's the biggest thing I'd change

looksee

Make sure there is a place to plug in kettle and toaster where the steam/heat is not going up under overhead presses.

Have as many deep drawers as possible rather than undercounter presses that hide things at the back and you have to get on your knees to look into.

DO NOT be codded into buying one of those 'reconstituted stone' type sinks. They are manky and impossible to keep clean.

Be a bit cautious about getting all fitted appliances - they tend to sacrifice capacity in order to fit into cabinets. Especially dishwasher and fridge.

Don't have wooden countertops (I think they have probably gone out of fashion by now). Very pretty but not suited to a family that will leave down wet/staining things, splash water around etc. Even if you are careful they need a lot of maintenance.

Apart from the sink which I am stuck with till I feel I can replace it, all the other points are previous experience!

misc2013

looksee wrote: »

Make sure there is a place to plug in kettle and toaster where the steam/heat is not going up under overhead presses.

Have as many deep drawers as possible rather than undercounter presses that hide things at the back and you have to get on your knees to look into.

Be a bit cautious about getting all fitted appliances - they tend to sacrifice capacity in order to fit into cabinets. Especially dishwasher and fridge.
!

Deep drawers do sound like the future! Do you mean the fitted appliances are smaller in size?

bb12

i've my hob on my island which is about the same size as the one you want. it means people sit around the island chatting while i'm cooking and i also can participate with conversations throughout the room.
use up all your wall space for wall cabinets. mine are just shy of the ceiling. i have to get a stool to take items out of the top shelves but you can never have enough storage...oh and just when you think you have enough double sockets, add more in.

on the island i put double sockets at each side. you can also get pop up sockets for the island itself.

when designing the kitchen i was able to create a recess to put the oven and its cabinet into it. it ate into some of my hotpress area but added so much more room to the kitchen.

the deep drawers are fantastic. not only for pots and pans but for storing ingredients etc. so much easier to find.

also make sure sink, dishwasher, fridge, hob and oven are easy to walk to between them. i never have to walk more than a step or 2 to access them. think about how you will be working in the area. no point threading across the whole room each time you have to get something out of a fridge or oven

looksee

misc2013 wrote: »

Deep drawers do sound like the future! Do you mean the fitted appliances are smaller in size?

Deep drawers are amazing - I have all my crockery in one, and its a lot of plates and bowls, and no problem with weight at all. Also I had a shallow drawer for cutlery but the deep (not full depth but fairly deep) is great for all the ladles and spatulas and other bulky cooking cutlery that gets caught in a shallower drawer.

The fitted appliances are not necessarily smaller, but I did find that a dishwasher I had fitted previously was very mean for size. The one I have now just slots into the under counter run and is fine.

Graham

looksee wrote: »

Deep drawers are amazing - I have all my crockery in one, and its a lot of plates and bowls, and no problem with weight at all

Deep and wide drawers are the way to go.

Drawers are a particularly expensive part of a kitchen so keep in mind:

Two drawer cabinets are cheaper than 3 drawer cabinets (and look great). Although keep 1 shallow drawer somewhere for cutlery.
Wide drawers are only marginally higher priced than narrow drawers so opt for 900, 1000 or 1200 wide if you can. Careful with the 1200s as they may be an off standard depending on your door style (off-standard = higher price).
Cork peg boards are great for crockery drawers.

ozmo

I would try to have a workflow process in mind - our first kitchen had a better layout with mugs and spoons near the kettle - especially with two people in kitchen you cannot make a cup of tea without bumping into someone doing anything else.
- also, yeah, the integrated fridge is much smaller than the non integrated one. But at least we didnt go for the "condensation free" model that makes even less space available.

What we did right
- was very hard to convince our electrician to get the under counter lights to operate from one single switch on the wall! Don't settle for having to flip multiple of switches in awkard places or you wont use them.
- get lots of sockets - double sockets everywhere - always useful to have options.
- We got floor area only right beside kitched tiled and rest of kitchen floor wood - its nice not to have a cold floor and no damage to floor yet.
- make sure to get externally vented cooker hood, dont settle if possible for those charcoal filter things that dont use an external vent.

misc2013

bb12 wrote: »

i've my hob on my island which is about the same size as the one you want. it means people sit around the island chatting while i'm cooking and i also can participate with conversations throughout the room.

I'm quite torn on this decision. I love the social aspect and not having my back to the kids, guests. My concern is keeping the space clear and clean. I kinda want the island for extra counter space and like the idea that 2 of us can work alongside each other with more comfort than the straight counter. Also, I like the idea of a second "table space" as the sole table in our kitchen is always busy.

Can I ask what kind of extraction fan you have?

jrosen

We bought new so didn’t actually design ours.

I would opt for 2 single ovens

Be mindful of ring size on hobs, our front 2 are small which means when cooking for the family I’m always needing to use the back rings. Doesn’t seem a big deal but I’m short so I’m stretching all the time.

Be mindful of prep space either side of the hob/sink

Deep drawers are the best

Love my pantry cupboard, but would have preferred some drawers inside

Wish we had hidden tea coffee options

Ceiling to floor is best

Sockets on both side of the island

Space for bins under sink

We have 2 single fridge freezers rather than a large one American style and it’s great

LenWoods

jrosen wrote: »

We bought new so didn’t actually design ours.

I would opt for 2 single ovens

Be mindful of ring size on hobs, our front 2 are small which means when cooking for the family I’m always needing to use the back rings. Doesn’t seem a big deal but I’m short so I’m stretching all the time.

Depending on design; Could your hob be taken out and put back in having rotated it to see the larger rings at the front?
Some designs may not allow for this depending where the controls are situated, ones with control on the side would be fine

mirrorwall14

Had a built in oven with hob above moving into our current house. The oven was tiny and no separate grill. When it blew last year I got the countertop cut and put a full size cooker into the same space. It was a total waste of space and I would never go with built in whenever we get to do it again in full. And big dinners are so much easier with so much space, dishes in the top oven, roasts in the main oven etc

wildwillow

Make sure the worktops are at the correct height. Raising or lowering a couple of cms will save your back over the years.

fits

I have a charcoal extractor and it’s fine. Our house is well ventilated though as recently built

My wishes for our kitchen would be a boiling water tap and a dedicated tea coffee prep area you can close off.
We have seating for two on our island but four would have been better. We also have a large window in kitchen area and we should have put in a bench/ window seat.

Things that work well include the two single ovens and lots of deep drawers.

LenWoods

jrosen wrote: »

We bought new so didn’t actually design ours.

I would opt for 2 single ovens

Be mindful of ring size on hobs, our front 2 are small which means when cooking for the family I’m always needing to use the back rings. Doesn’t seem a big deal but I’m short so I’m stretching all the time.

Could your job be taken out and put back in having rotated it to see the larger rings at the front?
Some designs may not allow for this depending where the controls are situated, ones with control on the side would be fine

Rustyman101

pantry style cupboard, double doors, floor to ceiling, lights switched on doors and a couple of C shaped shelves, all food in one place ! really worked well for us.

Markcheese

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

Had a built in oven with hob above moving into our current house. The oven was tiny and no separate grill. When it blew last year I got the countertop cut and put a full size cooker into the same space. It was a total waste of space and I would never go with built in whenever we get to do it again in full. And big dinners are so much easier with so much space, dishes in the top oven, roasts in the main oven etc

Interesting ., ( My oven blew last night) ,and I never really though of doing that .. I've always had seperate hob and oven , ( I would love my oven to be at eye level just don't have the space )

pwurple

Reconsider that waterproof laminate. I got sold that pup 4 years ago for our porch / entry area. It’s started to lift in some places, not happy with the longevity there. Should have gone for either tiles or real wood.

I’ve got large format tiles , light colour , in the kitchen, love them against the coloured units.

fits

We have engineered wood floor in our kitchen and no issues with it at all. It’s in 2.5 years now.

MightyMunster

Echoing some of the points already made. Have hob and sink on the island which is much better than having your back to everyone while in the kitchen. And means you can talk to people seated at the island while cooking, prepping or keep an eye on kids (or football ðŸ˜Š )

Also 2 single ovens at eye level (pyrolytic a must have, also pays for itself in savings on oven cleaner etc...).

For extractor fan, have one in the ceiling that's vented to outside, had to build a little box for it (around 7cm) as ceiling void was too small to fit the motor.

Most undercounter storage is drawers, check out inset cutlery drawers within a deeper drawer. Also larder pull outs are great.
As mentioned previously wider drawers works out cheaper as less hinges, runners etc...

bb12

misc2013 wrote: »

I'm quite torn on this decision. I love the social aspect and not having my back to the kids, guests. My concern is keeping the space clear and clean. I kinda want the island for extra counter space and like the idea that 2 of us can work alongside each other with more comfort than the straight counter. Also, I like the idea of a second "table space" as the sole table in our kitchen is always busy.

Can I ask what kind of extraction fan you have?

my extractor fan is a gutmann. it's a german make and is a bit of a showpiece in itself so it doesn't distract from look of the kitchen.

my hob is induction so the surface of the island is pretty much all level and i often end up working on top of it also.

however, no matter what, the island will always tend to become the default space for putting stuff on so you have to constantly make the conscious decision not to keep cluttering it.

i wouldnt put the sink on the island though. you don't spend as much time using it and your island will constantly be splashed with water if you put the sink there.

oh and others have said, eye level ovens if you have the space.

fits

Yeah our island has no sink or hob on it and it’s grand. Sink and hob are side on to open plan area so I don’t feel I have my back on the family.

BoardsMember

MightyMunster wrote: »

Echoing some of the points already made. Have hob and sink on the island which is much better than having your back to everyone while in the kitchen. And means you can talk to people seated at the island while cooking, prepping or keep an eye on kids (or football ðŸ˜Š )

Also 2 single ovens at eye level (pyrolytic a must have, also pays for itself in savings on oven cleaner etc...).

For extractor fan, have one in the ceiling that's vented to outside, had to build a little box for it (around 7cm) as ceiling void was too small to fit the motor.

Most undercounter storage is drawers, check out inset cutlery drawers within a deeper drawer. Also larder pull outs are great.
As mentioned previously wider drawers works out cheaper as less hinges, runners etc...

How big is your island? We had been planning for either sink or hob, not both. Do you also have counter top space to cut and chop and mix etc on island as well as hob and sink and draining?

Meal prep usually takes longer than actual time stirring stuff etc. When I am cooking I might have 2 or 3 big bowls, a couple of chopping boards etc, so island with worktop space is essential. Hence was thinking about sink in island, bin below, maybe dishwasher in island too, beside sink.

Do extractor fans at ceiling height work well for island hobs? Does it matter how high the ceiling?

jrosen

LenWoods wrote: »

Depending on design; Could your hob be taken out and put back in having rotated it to see the larger rings at the front?
Some designs may not allow for this depending where the controls are situated, ones with control on the side would be fine

Omg never even thought of that lol

Graham

Personally I'd be wary of having a hob in a typical 900 deep island, you've potentially got someone sat on a stool 300mm behind the hob.

It's just not something I'd consider unless the island was min 1200d or split over 2 levels. Downside to split level islands or depths greater than 900mm is price goes up dramatically for the worktops.

Spanish Eyes

Some good ideas here.

Need to replace kitchen but am not motivated at the moment!

looksee

I don't think I would like either sink or hob in an island as both are messy/cluttery and it would discourage anyone from sitting at the island if they were up against a hob or a sink, which takes away the whole point of the island. Also issues with extractor fan above an island, certainly those suspended things with an extractor in them are both oppressive looking, and a danger to the head of anyone more than averagely tall. (like me).

For various reasons my kitchen is in a separate square room, and while it works fine I was encouraged to open the wall between that room and the adjoining living/dining room. However we have cats and I really like to be able to close the door on the kitchen secure in the knowledge that the little darlings will not be walking on and sitting on the counters. The cupboard space is, as a result, not as flexible as I might have wished but on balance I like to be able to close the door.

Don't just jump to the conclusion that because open plan kitchens and islands and fitted appliances - and even fitted kitchens - and so on are fashionable or popular at the moment they are automatically the right solution for you, think about what will suit your lifestyle.

MightyMunster

BoardsMember wrote: »

How big is your island? We had been planning for either sink or hob, not both. Do you also have counter top space to cut and chop and mix etc on island as well as hob and sink and draining?

Meal prep usually takes longer than actual time stirring stuff etc. When I am cooking I might have 2 or 3 big bowls, a couple of chopping boards etc, so island with worktop space is essential. Hence was thinking about sink in island, bin below, maybe dishwasher in island too, beside sink.

Do extractor fans at ceiling height work well for island hobs? Does it matter how high the ceiling?

Think the Island is 4m by 1m. Have hob at one end and sink at the other. 4 stools, 2 on side and 2 on end. There is plenty of prep space, the depth is handy for this compared to a standard 60cm worktop.

Need a special extractor for ceiling, ours is a falmec nuvola 90. Works fine on standard ceiling height. If you have vaulted ceiling you'll need something different,maybe downdraft.

jos28

I put our hob on the island and love it because I can chat to people while cooking.
I'm another loving the deep drawers, they are brilliant.
Sockets, sockets and more sockets
My favourite thing is a 'press' I had made for the kettle,coffee machine and toaster. I store everything you need to make tea/coffee there and I put the shutter down in the evening

misc2013

jos28 wrote: »

I put our hob on the island and love it because I can chat to people while cooking.
I'm another loving the deep drawers, they are brilliant.
Sockets, sockets and more sockets
My favourite thing is a 'press' I had made for the kettle,coffee machine and toaster. I store everything you need to make tea/coffee there and I put the shutter down in the evening

What a great idea for the tea and coffee stuff!

misc2013

jos28 wrote: »

I put our hob on the island and love it because I can chat to people while cooking.
I'm another loving the deep drawers, they are brilliant.
Sockets, sockets and more sockets
My favourite thing is a 'press' I had made for the kettle,coffee machine and toaster. I store everything you need to make tea/coffee there and I put the shutter down in the evening

Extractor fan?