Kitchen & Bathroom renovation wish lists

empressemma

I second the 'shower wall'
We've just put it in our bathroom, and oh the bliss of no grout to clean!

I had granite in my old house, and despite the relative faff of keeping it polished (doesn't look as good when it's smudgy) I wish I still had it.
Have a good search on google for suppliers, we used one called mister marble (no idea if they're still around) which came in at less than half the price of a local kitchen place.

Arlandria606

I'm very, very specific about what I want in my kitchen, but most of it is my personal taste. The one thing I would recommend that I haven't seen mentioned yet is an Insinkerator (in-sink waste disposal). We don't make compost and don't like to keep food waste in the house, so this lets us get rid of it - even big meat bones - immediately and hygienically.

Bath-wise, a stand-alone shower big enough for two and a good sized whirlpool tub are my big wants. That, and plenty of storage! The slightly unusual thing about our plans for our main bathroom is that we're going to put the washer-dryer in there. It's a big room and we have 2 bathrooms upstairs so there's space for it, and it just seems so daft to undress upstairs, carry it down, wash it, dry it, and carry it back up again to put it away. I appreciate it's not practical for everyone though (you need a suitable washer-dryer, plenty of distance between it and bath/shower/sink, and a very solid floor!).

In both rooms - all rooms, in fact - soft-close drawers! For some reason my husband is incapable of closing a drawer fully and it frustrates me no end.

I don't personally worry about grout or a big kitchen sink, but that's because I have a steam cleaner that makes things like oven trays and showers easy work, and I actually love using it. There's something fun about pointing a steam gun at dirt and watching it disappear! But I appreciate I'm probably in a teeny-tiny minority there...!

lostinrates

Arlandria606 wrote: »

I'm very, very specific about what I want in my kitchen, but most of it is my personal taste. The one thing I would recommend that I haven't seen mentioned yet is an Insinkerator (in-sink waste disposal). We don't make compost and don't like to keep food waste in the house, so this lets us get rid of it - even big meat bones - immediately and hygienically.

Bath-wise, a stand-alone shower big enough for two and a good sized whirlpool tub are my big wants. That, and plenty of storage! The slightly unusual thing about our plans for our main bathroom is that we're going to put the washer-dryer in there. It's a big room and we have 2 bathrooms upstairs so there's space for it, and it just seems so daft to undress upstairs, carry it down, wash it, dry it, and carry it back up again to put it away. I appreciate it's not practical for everyone though (you need a suitable washer-dryer, plenty of distance between it and bath/shower/sink, and a very solid floor!).

In both rooms - all rooms, in fact - soft-close drawers! For some reason my husband is incapable of closing a drawer fully and it frustrates me no end.

I don't personally worry about grout or a big kitchen sink, but that's because I have a steam cleaner that makes things like oven trays and showers easy work, and I actually love using it. There's something fun about pointing a steam gun at dirt and watching it disappear! But I appreciate I'm probably in a teeny-tiny minority there...!

If we lived somewhere with no outdoor space or city bound I think an upstairs laundry room is extremely sensible. However, most of the year I can dry outside which is considerably cheaper, more environmentally friendly and just leaves better result for clothes to our tastes:). We have a large veranda which extends our drying days into wet weather, though these very windy wet days the tumble drier runs


The whirlpool bath is, I think another love or loathe thing. I personally feel a bit repulsed by them. Not the use of them.....lovely, but the first time I cleaned the one we had in London loads of black stuff came out of the 'reservoir' but at the sides. After that I had the unnerving feeling (not factual just a feeling) that there was dank grub in the bathroom I couldn't get to to clean.

itsanne

We've redone kitchen, bathroom, ensuite and downstairs loo over the last three years -phew! Everyone has different ideas about what they like, especially depending on space and money available, but one or two things you might want to consider:

Kitchen
Drawers are much easier than cupboards for pots and pans. Pan drawers are also good for gadgets like food processors.
Cupboards with a drawer at the top give plenty of other drawer capacity.
You can't have too many sockets!
There are a number of ways to allow access to things in corner cupboards. Try them out in showrooms to see what you like. I liked the carousel approach but decided against it because it loses quite a lot of space.
Tiles or upstand?
Definitely a big enough clear area for preparation.
Think about lighting to avoid shadows on food preparation areas.
If you manage a utility room too, a sink in it is very useful.

Bathroom
Depending on your heated towel rail, you might not need any other heating. If you have underfloor heating and a tiled floor any repairs could be both expensive and messy!
If you can fit one in, definitely a separate shower. Wetwall type panels in the shower make a huge difference. The nicest ones, and biggest selection, we found are here http://www.rearo.co.uk/
Back to the wall or wall hung sanitary ware makes cleaning easier.
As much storage as you can fit in! - with soft close fitments.
You can get bathroom cabinets which include shaver / toothbrush sockets as well as a light and heated mirror. I love the one which you just wave at to turn it on or off - really useful in the ensuite as it means OH is not disturbed if I put the light on at night.
Separate controls for the extractor fan and light, so that someone putting the light on at night does not waken everyone else.
A light floor makes the bathroom look bigger.

BritAbroad

I'm a bit obsessed by interior design and as I'm planning both a kitchen and a bathroom refurb I spend a lot of time looking at ideas, especially on this website:

https://www.houzz.com

This is what I'm currently thinking about:

Kitchen
Deep drawers in place of lower cupboards.
Huge single sink with insinkerator - I currently have a double sink, one sink of which has an insinkerator - you can't get a pan into the sink which is a pain.
Flip down cubby in front of sink for hiding squeegee, cloth etc.
Wall of built-in roll out cabinets
LIGHTING - good task lighting, island lighting and lighting in drawers and under shelves
Quartz countertops - my kitchen currently has granite and it's awful - horrible to clean.
Appliance bay for small appliances.
Prep sink
Built in microwave instead of the microwave over the hob which is so common here.
Proper extractor hood.
I have a double oven and hardwood floor, so I'd keep those.


Bathroom
Freestanding large bath with floor filler (must have hand-held bit for cleaning/hairwashing).
Roller shower enclosure with exposed roller hardware.
Shower panel with body jets and separate hand-held bit.
Long vanity unit with 2 vessel sinks, possibly wall hung with under lighting.
Wall-mounted taps.
Backlit mirrors above each sink.
Suspended pendant lights - 2 per mirror.
Very large tile.
Underfloor heating.
Smooth sided toilet.
Heated towel rail.
Built in sockets in vanity drawers (you're allowed sockets in bathrooms where I live).

Arlandria606

lostinrates wrote: »

If we lived somewhere with no outdoor space or city bound I think an upstairs laundry room is extremely sensible. However, most of the year I can dry outside which is considerably cheaper, more environmentally friendly and just leaves better result for clothes to our tastes:). We have a large veranda which extends our drying days into wet weather, though these very windy wet days the tumble drier runs


The whirlpool bath is, I think another love or loathe thing. I personally feel a bit repulsed by them. Not the use of them.....lovely, but the first time I cleaned the one we had in London loads of black stuff came out of the 'reservoir' but at the sides. After that I had the unnerving feeling (not factual just a feeling) that there was dank grub in the bathroom I couldn't get to to clean.

I'd rather dry outside, too, and we certainly have the space to do it. The issue for me is that if the washing machine is downstairs, I have to carry things down every single time, and then my undies are inevitably drying in the kitchen (which is a pain when Ocado come round). If it's upstairs but I want to dry outside, I can choose to carry it down, or dry off in the bathroom where it isn't on display. Given that the weather is good enough to dry outside for much less than half the year, the overall effort (for me) is less with the washing machine upstairs.

lostinrates

Arlandria606 wrote: »

I'd rather dry outside, too, and we certainly have the space to do it. The issue for me is that if the washing machine is downstairs, I have to carry things down every single time, and then my undies are inevitably drying in the kitchen (which is a pain when Ocado come round). If it's upstairs but I want to dry outside, I can choose to carry it down, or dry off in the bathroom where it isn't on display. Given that the weather is good enough to dry outside for much less than half the year, the overall effort (for me) is less with the washing machine upstairs.

that's why we have a utility room and the veranda. .

Each solution is great...for different circumstances. Fwiw I get far more than half a year outside drying time. I've only owned a tumble drier for a couple of years!



There are other things that I'd do differently in some circumstances too.

E.g. Freestanding baths are great in big rooms, but squeezed in make dust traps and look small IMO. Thus we chose a 'Normal' bath for our narrow bathroom, but we did get an extra deep one. We also made sure waste was on the inside edge, so you don't see it from the room. I prefer on sink etc , and better taps on that sink. ( though can se why others might prefer otherwise!)


I'm in a really fortunate position that when we are finished each bedroom will have its own bath or shower room, so not much issue with sharing things. If we weren't doubtless I'd choose differently .

BritAbroad

Wish we could dry outside, but we're not allowed to by the homeowner's association. It's a bit stupid given that the climate here is hot in summer and very, very dry.

I've seen a few houses with upstairs laundry rooms - at first I fought it was a bit odd but now I think it's really sensible. I've seen a few houses with laundry chutes from upstairs directly into a ground floor laundry room too.

We're lucky enough to have a big bathroom which is why we're thinking about a freestanding bath - we can leave plenty of space around it for easy cleaning. The one thing I would love but can't have is wall-mounted taps for the sinks - unfortunately the plumbing just wouldn't work.

lostinrates

BritAbroad wrote: »

Wish we could dry outside, but we're not allowed to by the homeowner's association. It's a bit stupid given that the climate here is hot in summer and very, very dry.

I've seen a few houses with upstairs laundry rooms - at first I fought it was a bit odd but now I think it's really sensible. I've seen a few houses with laundry chutes from upstairs directly into a ground floor laundry room too.

We're lucky enough to have a big bathroom which is why we're thinking about a freestanding bath - we can leave plenty of space around it for easy cleaning. The one thing I would love but can't have is wall-mounted taps for the sinks - unfortunately the plumbing just wouldn't work.

I have wall mounted taps. . When the bathroom is finally plumbed in (long story) I look forward to easy tap cleaning!

And my shower taps have been a piece de resistance. I didn't like the backs so we've had to fit them without which should have been so simple but has been incredibly complicated. The result however, is fabulous. Its made taps from Victoria plum look very, very, high end

Arlandria606

lostinrates wrote: »

that's why we have a utility room and the veranda. .

Each solution is great...for different circumstances. Fwiw I get far more than half a year outside drying time. I've only owned a tumble drier for a couple of years!



There are other things that I'd do differently in some circumstances too.

E.g. Freestanding baths are great in big rooms, but squeezed in make dust traps and look small IMO. Thus we chose a 'Normal' bath for our narrow bathroom, but we did get an extra deep one. We also made sure waste was on the inside edge, so you don't see it from the room. I prefer on sink etc , and better taps on that sink. ( though can se why others might prefer otherwise!)


I'm in a really fortunate position that when we are finished each bedroom will have its own bath or shower room, so not much issue with sharing things. If we weren't doubtless I'd choose differently .

Absolutely - couldn't agree more about the baths! Something tells me we don't live anywhere near each other. Definitely no verandas in my area!