Planning a family kitchen?

Slinky

I would avoid a stainless steel oven/hob unless they've improved in the last 8 years or so. Our one in our previous house scratched really easily and was a nightmare to keep clean.

My idea of kitchen sink hell is a Belfast sink - too low, too cold, waste too much water and I can't imagine they're very forgiving if you drop things in them.

suki1964

hardpressed wrote: »

Sorry, another question. Do you mean you put a teatowel under the frying pan or saucepan, I wondered if you could do that to stop the hob getting scratched.

Either a tea towel or a sheet of grease proof paper, no mess, no scratches :j

suki1964

princeofpounds wrote: »

My one experience with an induction hob was a nightmare. Any water and food spills left marks that were hard to get off, and rub it with anything even remotely abrasive (including the edge of the pan when putting it down) and you had a lovely big scratch running through it. The surface material was just rubbish, although it cooked fine.

Are you sure you had induction? Thing is they don't get hot so food really shouldnt be sticking to it

Gloomendoom

Slinky wrote: »

My idea of kitchen sink hell is a Belfast sink - too low, too cold, waste too much water and I can't imagine they're very forgiving if you drop things in them.

Most of those problems go away if you just put a plastic bowl in them.

lady1964

We had out kitchen ripped out 3 years ago and I had a wish list - I didn't get everything on it but I got most of them.

We had the wall taken down between the kitchen and dining room and an island fitted, we got a couple of cool bar chairs for it and the island containes cupboards big enough for our pans, chopping boards etc.

We also have a large American fridge/freezer with an ice/cold water dispenser and a range cooker with 2 ovens, grill and 5 ring hob. We got pull out racks/curved shelves fitted into one cupboard and the large back window taken out and lovely french doors fitted, along with an oak floor. Our dishwasher is integrated and we had lots more sockets fitted too.

The one thing I did want was the pull out larder storage but we couldn't fit that in as well. We're lucky that we have a large seperate utiity room for our washer and dryer and lots of storage.

I absolutely love my kitchen, the island makes it very sociable and the whole room feels really light & airy.

My only real downside is that the whole downstairs is open; there is only a half wall dividing the kitchen from the living room area but to have put the rest of the wall back or put up sliding doors would have restriced the space and taken away some of the light/airy feel, so we left it.

It wasn't cheap to have the whole thing done but worth every penny. I wished we'd done it when my kids were little but we didn't have the money and I wanted to wait until we could do it properly rather than a 'half job' that would have left me dissatisfied.

goingsenile

I did my kitchen a couple of years ago and when the chap came I said I was open to ideas but I didn't want an island!!!.
However he drew up some plans- one with an island ( with black granite on either end!) and I was persuaded- and he was so right it works brilliant. Particularly because I now have the work triangle they talk about- sink-cooker-work space. It saves so much time. Simple things like emptying the dishwasher- my dishwasher used to be on one side of kitchen cupboards where I kept glasses, mugs, plates etc were on the other and I spent hours walking between the two.
My other big recommendation as others have said is drawer rather than cupboards for your floor units- it makes such a difference and I can see and use all my things rather than just the things at the front. I have no door front floor cabinets and I don't miss them at all
Enjoy the planning
AJ

Moomum

You have basically described my kitchen :-) well apart from the induction hob, couldn't get along with one so have a 6 burner gas hob now!

sweaty_betty wrote: »

We're about to start an extension and I'm doing this very thing!

My wish-list is:
- wall cupboards up to the ceiling to maximise storage
- an eye-height oven to save lots of bending (I have a dodgy back)
- as big a fridge-freezer as I can fit into the kitchen
- a decent, powerful extractor fan over the hob
- a separate utility space to separate food from laundry
- a tea/coffee station - the thing we do most in the kitchen is to make hot drinks, so having everything needed for this (kettle, fridge for milk nearby, cups, teabags etc) in the same place would be really convenient
- a breakfast bar with stools (especially if no table)
- a one and a half bowl sink (I love the look of belfast sinks, but I think I'm too tall for them - they give me back ache!)
- I like the idea of having an "island" if the room is big enough
- oven with cool-to-touch door
- induction hob
- large pull-out cupboards
- strong drawers that take a lot of weight so you can use them instead of losing stuff down the back of cupboards!
- a walk-in pantry for food storage (in my dreams...)
- dishwasher
- easy clean floor (!)

Good luck!

Spirit_2

It is the feel of the room that means most to me.

Our kitchen has a large table in it and at one end a sitting room with two sofa's and a TV. We have an Aga type stove with a hanging rack for pans above it which is brilliant.

The downsides are that it is dated (pine) the belfast sink is scratched and looks stained quickly, work space is tight but the table has glass work top savers we place on it to help , cupboard space is limited - but we have a lovely antique floor to ceiling bookcase which I use as a sort of dresser and I have a pantry in the utlity area at the back of our garage.

I consider revamping the whole lot but its sociable, family and dog friendly and very comfortable. I am at my happiest when preparing food for others whilst they chat with me from the sofa's - then they all come in to eat. We have a separete dining table and another sitting room but the kitchen is at the heart of home.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

A cosy corner with a squishy sofa - means you get kids hanging around, talking to you whilst you cook, somewhere to have a cuppa when it's been raining for days, the washing machine is running and there's football on in the living room, somewhere to sit and do the ironing without traipsing clothes all over the house.....and don't forget space for a dog basket.



Other than that, a full length cupboard for the mop, broom, ironing board, etc, a million plus sockets and a double sink. And a great view of the garden.

Mrs.W_2

We've only been renovating our kitchen for the last three years. So far we have the cabinets, most of the cabinet doors, fifty percent of the kick boards, and about a third of the work surfaces.

We've bought all the goods we need to finish the room. But OH wants to 'think on it' before we call in the plasterers. He'd love a particular range oven that we cannot currently afford. The measurements of that oven vs one we can afford (and would be perfectly acceptable!) are all that's stopping us. I'm trying not to grind my teeth!

My OH spends his working life installing kitchens, plumbing, gas, electrics, and boilers. For the last two years he's been renovating a castle in the Highlands. We live at the other end of the country.

This month my OH is planning and starting on the lay out of the castle owner's cinema room. I'm looking at my kitchen and sighing.

Chakani, I wish you a great deal more luck than I've had so far!