How can we get great ideas for a new kitchen/extension?

rosie383

We are waiting for PP to come through for an extension including a new kitchen diner. When we watch programmes such as 100k House we get a bit inspired and don't want to end up with a bog standard boring kitchen but we don't have the imagination to come up with the big ideas.
I can look at pictures on pinterest but have no idea where to start. I want an island, but is it practical to have the hob and sink on it? Should we go for a plywood floor or poured concrete? I know that we need to make the decisions ourselves but don't know where to start.
We have the plans drawn up for the structural side of things, but we really need to crack on and start actually deciding which size of units we need and where they will be placed. If we go for an Ikea kitchen we can just take a day off and hire a van and pick up the units ourselves. If we go to another company such as Howden's or diykitchens do we need to wait weeks for delivery?
If anyone has done this recently I'd really appreciate your input please.

phill99

Try https://www.houzz.com

mishkanorman

In my experience, dont look too far ahead - what makes sense now may not work with the space you create. If you have the structure set, maybe go to a few kitchen designers with the blank canvas and a list of your wants and see what they come up with ? We went to Wickes for our kitchen, i ordered every brochure i could from everywhere prior to that and had a list of likes/dislikes so i knew roughly what i expected.

We hit a very similar point to you, no real preference on things as we are fairly easy going which has made pinning down choices tough. I spent days and weeks mucking about with online kitchen planners and even sprayed out the final layout in the garden to get a feel of the way the space would look in real life. Its not built yet so i may have got it massively wrong however I know I at least considered all the options.

SuzieSue

I don't know about Howdens, but with DIY Kitchens (who I have bought from in the past), they have a earliest delivery date on their Home page.

This is what it says at the moment:

Order your fully rigid kitchen today & get it delivered at the earliest
on week commencing:
11/04/2016
Please note:
You can order your new kitchen as far in advance as you like by selecting your preferred date on the calendar in the checkout.

bellaboo86

As well as kitchen showrooms, I would look at Pintrest. At the minute, I'm saving for a new bathroom and iIlook on places such as rightmove to see what other people with similar houses have done with theirs. My bathroom is very small and any pictures you see of beautiful bathrooms wouldn't work for me due to lack of space.

PasturesNew

I'm going with a poured concrete floor. I want something SOLID for the washing machine to sit on so it doesn't scare me/shake everything when it goes into full spin. I'm planning a utility extension BECAUSE of my current kitchen/flooring/washing machine fears

Remember re cabinets - if you just sort out the carcasses first, you can always choose colours/doors later and have them fitted if you're unsure what you'll actually like. They're not rocket science to fit if you choose standard sized cabinets.

I am very specific about islands with "things" in them..... I don't like them. Firstly you have to run the utilities into the middle of the room - and then I feel (personal issues here) that what you've done is taken a huge/empty space that could be used for 1001 things and turned it into an ugly item with things "in the way" of using it to eat at, share cake/coffee with a friend over, etc.

Just plan the big stuff ... like which cabinets, drawers or cupboards, layout ... first. The detail can come much later.

If the worst came to the worst, a kitchen with cabinets/worktops and NO doors/handles at all can be used without any compromise on functionality. A kitchen where you've been persuaded to spend £1000/door with hand-crafted handles ...... could just be the worst mistake you ever made, simply because you felt obliged to make a decision too early.

I've got a Pinterest board and a Houzz board ... both I find pretty useless/empty as they're full of mostly foreign stuff, expensive stuff, or simply not at all what I had in mind. The offerings there are quite disappointing for ideas.

gwynlas

List what you know you want. Check out magazines for ideas. Consider future proofing ie waist height oven/grill. What cooking you do gas or electric hob? Position regarding remainder of house, flow. services windows etc. Would possibly put hob on island but sink and dishwasher would require drainage so easier on outside wall.
Many suppliers will offer measuring and design service talking through your ideas. Personally I have used Wren twice though they have had mixed reviews on this forum. Howdens are not transparent with pricing it depends on the discount your builder recieves and if he passes it on.
Kitchens change with fashion so don't choose unusual finishes unless you are sure you will be happy with it in 5-10 years.

Doozergirl

I use Pinterest all the time in my business.

It's absolutely perfect for bringing together looks, then individual items. It's so much cheaper and has infinitely more info than magazines, it allows people to show me what they like, for me to interpret and then for us to collaborate.

I can also show individual features quickly to my trades to illustrate what I'm looking for. You can do the same.

I follow favourite suppliers and manufacturers and will search through their things. I found a stunning sink unit yesterday.

If you like the £100k house, I'd just warn you that labour is the most expensive thing on a project. A lot of the time, I'm pretty sure the results are not cheaper than doing things conventionally. I think you can get a more unique look by spending a bit more.

Hoploz

Whatever you do, don't spend a fortune on units. The DIY stores have great ranges as do the local builders merchants etc. I own two properties which (coincidentally) have Neptune 'hand-built' kitchens and I absolutely HATE them. The units are funny sizes and so many cupboards I can't fit a plate into as they're too narrow due to the doors not being the full width of the carcass etc. I'm sure they were very expensive to buy but I'm so sorry the previous owners did as I'm now trapped feeling I can't skip a really expensive kitchen!!!

I love those programmes too, but yes the labour charges are always huge. One recently said they had clad a whole top floor of a big house in larch for £7000.... Well yes perhaps it cost that to buy but how many days labour was it?!

I would not go for plywood floor in a kitchen due to possiibility of leaks ruining it. Polished concrete is interesting but it must be very hard to walk on all day (I found that with my old tiled floor) and if a child fell over on it I dread to think of the damage it could do to a little head.

Get all the DIY store catalogues and keep watching those programmes - they are far more inspiring than magazines which tend to have the same look over and over.

CKdesigner

Hi

I have to recommend that you go and see 2 or 3 local independent kitchen specialists, there you should find good displays showing the latest products and design concepts, proper experienced kitchen designers who have helped lots of customers doing similar projects to yourself. And often you can get better quality products, design and service than the national companies that have been mentioned in the previous posts.

They should also save you a great deal of time and stress as a proper kitchen designer will be able to guide you to the right choices.

Houzz is an excellent directory site to find designers, where you should find plenty of positive reviews from previous customers.

CK