New kitchen: must haves or what to avoid?

cbrown372

I think going to Canada for kitchen advise is a step too far

Best not try to advertise on a UK website.

maman

Delighted with this.


http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Chrome-4-Tier-Spice-Rack-500mm/p/322140


I'm sure it would fit behind most kitchen cupboard doors.

Kitchenbloke_Leeds

Keller, Rational and Schuller are my favourites… I am biased I must say toward Rational & Keller and must declare a professional interest in both.
I and we have been designing, supplying and installing both continental and English kitchens for in excess of 20 years and although some posters will argue, find that build quality and therefore client satisfaction, is far greater, as is, consequently, referral and recommendation when we supply Keller and Rational. Yes its mercenary but it tells us our clients are happy..

Choice, in style colour and standard cabinet size tends to be huge with the Continentals. It allows us to design better kitchens in a practical visual and ergonomic sense. So often with an off the shelf kitchen cabinets have to be canibalised to work with the plethora of appliance options that are now available.
It’s often difficult to put your finger on why two items that look similar are actually very different, it could be described as finesse…. The German Manufacturers often have it. Why is a Mercedes so different from a Citroen, or a VW from a Skoda.. we all know they are the same company but the VW has something (other than the emissions issue) that the Skoda doesn’t …Finesse.

Get a good designer involved and trust them with an idea how much you’d be comfortable spending. They’ll do everything they can to stay within your comfort zone whilst striving to give you the best possible kitchen that they can.
It’s not an easy job, ticking all of somebody’s boxes. A good designer wants exactly what you want, an affordable finished project, that works on all levels and ticks all of your boxes. When we have a tap at £50 and a Boiling water tap at £1000 to work with you’ll imagine how difficult it can be hitting an unknown financial target. Yes, the designer wants the sale, of course there are very few of us that are fortunate enough to be able to charge a design fee, they need to eat, but they want your business more so. Recommendation, referral and repeat business is what a good designer thrives upon and lives on. They want to gain your trust and confidence because if they do everything right you’ll send your friends and colleagues whenever you have the opportunity. It becomes a natural organic relationship.
Conversely a code monkey, sales agent will want your money first and foremost.
Feed the designer as much as you can about your wants and needs, don't be afraid to tell them what you think you want. Those thoughts may change as the designer guides and advises.
Most of all have fun in the process, it ought to be an enjoyable experience........

Spencerx

With all the replies to this post I think us women, who actually use kitchens, should go in to kitchen design. I go for practicality first and look second. It must be men who design all this kitchen stuff - useless cupboards, ovens, floors with recess grouting that gets dirty etc. when I mention these things to planners they think I'm mad. eg I asked a workman not to recess the cement grouting in between my patio slabs as it only collects dirt which in turn allows weeds to grow which then damages the cement. It's similar in the kitchen, the grouting needs scrubbing because all mops and steamers just glide over the top. Sorry for moaning but I need a new kitchen too and am finding it difficult to find what I want.

bouncydog1

Thanks Kitchenbloke - very helpful. Spencerx I use online planners to work out my deign as using the same details not one planner has come up with something that will work in our room. We have now decided to move a door so the design will work, but it means we get everything on the wish list included in a workable way. Our wish list is joint as it is DH that uses the kitchen in our house - I just want something functional, good quality and in a style that I can live with for the next 20 years!

Existing kitchen has gone to the tip whilst building work is carried out, then we'll have a blank canvas to start with.

rosie383

Evie and bossymoo, sounds like you are almost there!
Thankfully our kitchen is going in the new extension so the walls are perfectly straight and should make it an easier job.
I was out there this morning before the builders came, with my plan, tape measure and crayon (why can I never find a bit of chalk when I need one?) and have hit on one slight problem. The gap at the side of the new window is only 36.5cm and I had been hoping to put a corner cupboard there. Can't find anywhere on IKEA website or in the book which gives me the dimensions of the side of the corner cupboard.
If I can't have the corner one, is it going to look weird if I put a straight one and it is 0.5cm proud of the window cavity? I really don't want to lose a whole cupboard.

rosie383

Just a note to those of you who are budgeting for a new kitchen.
Don't forget to add in costs for extra food/convenience/snacks/takeaways etc. We have been kitchenless for two weeks now and will be for at least another two. I'm grateful to have a toaster, microwave and kettle, but when you are used to cooking from scratch, everything else just seems so expensive!

Also budget for extra petrol for the many trips you will make to B&Q, B&M, Screwfix, Toolstation, etc., etc., etc.

Budget extra for nice sockets and switches if you can afford it. Your builder will just use plain white plastic, but if you can afford them, the coloured ones make such a difference to the finished look. Not a necessity, but we have saved a lot here and there, grabbing bargains as we find them (ex display Ikea d/w, hob and oven for £300 instead of £900+) so we are going for as good as we can afford.

Look on Shpock , ebay and Gumtree for bargains. Also places like B&Q do special offers all the time. I got the sink I wanted for less than half price because I just happened to spot a display of them one day when I was in there looking for something else.
We got perfect handles from the car boot sale. £20 for 22 of them. Would have cost £160 or thereabouts from Ikea.

So keep an eye out folks. Grab things as you find them but don't pay over the odds. That way, if you change your mind, you can resell them on ebay or wherever for what you paid for them in the first place.

bossymoo

rosie383 wrote: »

Evie and bossymoo, sounds like you are almost there!
Thankfully our kitchen is going in the new extension so the walls are perfectly straight and should make it an easier job.
I was out there this morning before the builders came, with my plan, tape measure and crayon (why can I never find a bit of chalk when I need one?) and have hit on one slight problem. The gap at the side of the new window is only 36.5cm and I had been hoping to put a corner cupboard there. Can't find anywhere on IKEA website or in the book which gives me the dimensions of the side of the corner cupboard.
If I can't have the corner one, is it going to look weird if I put a straight one and it is 0.5cm proud of the window cavity? I really don't want to lose a whole cupboard.

I have a regular cupboard up to my window wall - I'd say my gap is about 10cm - it looks just fine - in fact I never thought about it until reading this

The cupboard door opens towards the window and it was bopping the frame so the fitter did something with the hinges to stop it opening so wide...

rosie383

Quick question for those of you with a quartz or granite worktop...
Due to finally install the kitchen next week hopefully. Then the worktop people will come out to fit the worktop. I have asked for a full bull nose edge as I always think they are very tactile when I see them.
Just wondering now whether that is going to look old fashioned or not. Should I just go for a straight pencil cut edge which would be cheaper but would it look cheap or modern? Having a dark grey gloss kitchen with a modern look.

suki1964

rosie383 wrote: »

Quick question for those of you with a quartz or granite worktop...
Due to finally install the kitchen next week hopefully. Then the worktop people will come out to fit the worktop. I have asked for a full bull nose edge as I always think they are very tactile when I see them.
Just wondering now whether that is going to look old fashioned or not. Should I just go for a straight pencil cut edge which would be cheaper but would it look cheap or modern? Having a dark grey gloss kitchen with a modern look.

I've double bevel

It's a lovely modern finish I think.