New kitchen ideas and thoughts...

[bluesuperted]

Hi family roomers...

I know this is a bit off-topic but know the knowledge levels here are high! Want to pick the brains of families who've been there and done that with their kitchens. Our old layout annoyed me a lot (we inherited the layout) and we designed a tiny kitchen years back but needs are very different when a 20-something free and easy couple!

We are renovating our new house (1930s) and we want to make a liveable-in but not massive kitchen diner across the back of the property (no room to extend). I'm getting frankly quite baffled in terms of what is and isn't important for a family kitchen and wondered if people could give any ideas on what they love/hate/find invaluable about their family kitchen spaces... So far I think we have the layout sorted but any thoughts on the following would be great:

- what style/look of kitchen works best for your family? I thought hi gloss/white/no handles would be nice and practical but now worrying a bit stark... Would shaker be nicer?

- what company/brands do you rate? Our budget is not teeny tiny but also not massive but we want something that will last and not age in the next 5-10 years. We had been looking at slightly higher end but am now thinking should we also consider Howdens, Ikea, Homebase etc...

- any thoughts on storage and fitted shelving ideas that would fit along one wall?

- what worktops do people have and like?

- any thoughts on best flooring? We were thinking solid engineered wood to match plan for rest of downstairs.

- any tricks re making medium sized space good for cooking, playing, storage and eating, I don't like breakfast bars!!

- fridges! What do people value and find useful/useless?

Random request for a Thursday afternoon but would love some ideas to give me a bit of clarity of thought (hard with baby brain).

Cheers all :)

[njc97]

Random list, but things we've got in our kitchen (fitted 12 months ago) that work well:

We've got rubber flooring which is warm, soft (so good for playing on) and colourful which means it goes well with the plain shiny white cupboards.

We had underfloor heating put in, which is brilliant as it means the floor is toasty (good for foot in the morning and babies playing) and no radiators, which saves a little space.

We got the kitchen from magnet via our builder, although could have got similar price by getting it ourselves (but it's difficult to compare as you paid more but got cheap appliances etc). Quality is ok but I wouldnt rave about it. From going around lots of shops, we liked Wren as well (and were similar price)

We've got open shelves along the wall (which we like the look of) using same material as work surface, and then some height cupboards: these give loads of storage for food and associated crap. Downside is that they need oiling etc to keep them looking nice (we're not good at this at all).

We got oak work surfaces made to order. Havent got company to hand, but this meant we could get deep worksurfaces. These are BRILLIANT as it means you can store things at the back (cookbooks, jars etc) and still have enough space to work on.

We put in LED light strips along the shelves. These do a really good job of providing work light on the surface, as well as lighting up the stuff that's on the shelves.

Can't think of any magic ideas about space, but just want to say that if you get kitchen/dining/play space together it really changes things. means you can cook or eat while kids play nearby and you can keep an eye on them.

[monniemae]

We got matt handleless which we thought was less stark than gloss; we couldn't find them anywhere at the time so bought Schuller units (brill german brand) but cheaply from a distributor in scotland. Very well made. Ruled out Ikea because the units aren;t standard so you can't in the future change as easily plus the fitting is more complicated, and as it all comes flatpacked you end up paying much more for the fitter. Also liked the look of Wren but didn't visit a showroom. We got drawers which are more expensive but they are AMAZING for storage, especially food storage, much better than cupboards. Another great option which we didn't go for was a floor-to-ceiling pull out pantry. Such a good use of space and you can get them even in q narrow widths.

We got concrete worktops but I'd probably choose something else if we did it again (we love, but quite porous and wood would have been cheaper / easier).

We have a few vintage lamps in different areas (incl. clamps) as this was cheaper than including additional light options much as LED shelves would be great!

Get more sockets than you think you need. Don't bother with an island if you don't have much space. personally I think breakfast bars make a space feel smaller... Get storage built up high, we have high open shelves but get units ceiling height if possible. See if there's anywhere else to store stuff - basement, hall cupboard etc - we have bulky items like loo roll, washing powder and multipacks of tinned tomatoes etc in a hall cupboard outside our kitchen. Also if you have an awkward or unused bit of space you might be able to fit a dresser or shelves there - we have a small vintage dresser in which we've managed to hide loads of bits we don't use everyday.

Fridge wise - we got a massive fridge and we love it. Not built in. Can store so much food!

Oh and the mumsnet property/diy section is a great source of info, as is housetohome for inspiration.

[Pickle]

We had a refurb of our kitchen space done 3 years ago, involving putting in bifold doors and ompletely changing the way we use the space.

Things I love about our kitchen are:

- underfloor heating, which runs the length of our ground floor from front door right through the kitchen

- mixture of tiled (kitchen area and hallway) and wooden floor (small sitting area at the end of the kitchen) flooring. Looks nice, very practical, able to be mopped which is important with 3 kids, one a bottom shuffler

- colour. Personally I don't like white kitchens - we have a mixture of apple green cupboards, pale quartz work surface, turquoise glass splash backs and wooden cupboard surrounds to match the floor. Sounds weird, looks nice.

- seating - we managed to find a little sofa which fits in the space, together with a small dining table. It's ideal for us, as we spend a lot of time in the kitchen area and it's nice to have a comfy seat.

Our cupboards are matt finish sprayed wood, avoid high gloss with kids, you'll never get rid of the little fingerprints!

Our fridge is an American style one (two doors, so a full height fridge and freezer), can never have too much fridge space. We have a large pull out larder cupboard/pantry which is brilliant.

We had the kitchen made for us by a carpenter as part of the refurb. Probably works out a bit more expensive, but it meant it was built completely to our specs, and could be changed as he worked (for example, a tall skinny cupboard to keep the ironing board and broom in was added quite late in the process).

[BellendenBear]

We had lots of work done on our house last year and had quite a tight budget by the time we chose the kitchen. The things I like best are:

pan drawers - so much better than cupboards, we have 9 but wish we had got more.

cork flooring - cheap, warm, sustainable.

ikea carcasses with made to measure doors bought on-line (cheaper than ikea doors) which we painted and bought handles for. Means we could chose a bright colour for the doors and can change the colour if we want.

[bluesuperted]

Thanks so much everyone for the ideas so far, they are great, just the kind of real-world family insights I wanted to know about.

LOVE Schuller kitchens but think they are a bit too pricey for us, do you have the name of the Scottish distributor monniemae? Also love the idea of drawers and they seem popular here, makes such a difference when you think about it!

BellendenBear - where did you get your cork flooring from? That really appeals as it sounds durable and also attractive but cheap as well - and would you say less likely to need underfloor heating?

Starting to get a priorities list: drawers, functional/warm floors, biiiig fridge, larder type storage and good worktops (don't think I like the look of granite enough so think it will be something like wood or maybe quartz but really depends on units), also thinking about induction hobs from safety/eco/cleaning point of view. What are people's thoughts re oven/hob choices? Anyone got an induction one?

And sinks? There is so much to think about with a kitchen refurb, it's reminding me of planning a wedding!

[pebbles]

If you have a larger seating area I really recommend a built in bench with storage inside (perfect location for all things arty) - and with a bench you can fit lots of little bottoms along it.

We don't have underfloor heating but if we were ever to do our kitchen it would be up there with an absolute must

Agree don't go with gloss with small kids cos of finger prints

We don't have a pull out larder (we bought the house with the kitchen and there are so many things i'd like to change) and agree it's a must

We have a huge American style fridge double width and love it

My mum has just done up her kitchen and she went with hoydens and they've been fab and her kitchen looks brilliant so i would definitely check them out - they have a place you can view all their kitchens in West Norwood

Yes if you can go with drawers rather than cupboards as you can store so much more

Lots of plug sockets

How exciting, good luck xxx

[Norfolkvillas]

I think high gloss is a bit 'everywhere' (including my inherited kitchen) so my vote would be for matt for a more timeless feel.

If I was designing my dream kitchen, I would save on standard cabinetry, and splurge on amazing feature worktops / splashbacks.

Lighting is all important and you can do many groovy things with kitchen lighting. One of the cheapest, yet most transformative things I think you can do with any space.

We're lucky enough to have a big kitchen space with a central island, and it has provided the perfect, all-weather indoor circuit for toddler chasing / cosy coupe driving / balance-biking / baby sit-in wheely walker wheeling around. I guess if your kids are older it's a moot point, but with very little ones, and having just emerged from a dire and dark winter, I have often thanked my lucky stars for a largeish, even-floored, natural circuit.

Good luck - sounds exciting!

[Belle]

if you have any space at all, get an American style fridge. We don't think we can squeeze one in to ours, but had one once (pre kids, rental property - not ours sadly!) and LOVED it, and have had them in holiday properties since kids and found them brilliant. I'm not at home at the moment but can check out our kitchen fittings on return - they're all v good and the surface is quite unusual. Mix of wood and white gloss which seems to work well.

[Belle]

Just read t hrough the other replies - totally agree re deep drawers, have had them in 2 houses now and love them, also wish I had more. I've had in several places (not by choice - never done anywhere up as such) annoying cupboards which go round a corner/too far back and so the back just doesn't get used or ends up as a repository for stuff you think you've lost.

One other thought I'd suggest (poss obvious) - some of the things I'd have done even a year ago to cater f or the kids, I now see aren't necessary - i.e. it's worth planning slightly longer term than just the crawling/toddling stage if that makes sense, as it really doesn't last long! Also our mutual non foruming/non FBing pal will have loads of insight/Pinterest ideas for this!

[Dodo1]

Get a big dishwasher and make sure that your appliances are easy to remove for repairs.

[david_carnell]

If you want that timeless look, Plain English are unmatched for build quality....and price. ?60k?! Ouch.

But they have a less well known subsidiary company called British Standard who still build units to your exact specs but you need to do some of the work, like measuring, and also painting in your chosen colour on site.

Quality is very high though.

Disclaimer - I don't have one. I want one. A friend works for them.

[alieh]

I'm doing the same - great thread!

There is this thread on Mumsnet that looks super useful too....http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/property/a1554664-The-MN-lessons-learnt-kitchen-thread

From my last kitchen I would say full-height pull out pantry (they have them at Ikea in many widths) even if you can only fit a narrow one are an absolute must. I've also previously done Ikea carcasses and custom doors - you can't beat the internal fittings in Ikea kitchens for the price!

I'm torn about tile/concrete floor this time. Love the idea of underfloor heating but we have tile floors in our current rental and I spend all my time trying to get the kids off the tile floors and over to the wood while they're carrying or drinking anything. So many things have broken in the few months we've been there! We don't seem to have much luck confining them to plastic dinnerware only. So thinking I will stick with wood floors and no underfloor heating, which I what we've always had previously.

[EDmummy]

We're going through this at the moment. I wish Howdens did matt I the style we want but I don't think they're easily beaten on price/quality for the type of kitchen we want. As far as worktop is concerned we're looking at Coriander as I've heard good things. We're also going with draws and I would personally avoid shaker style unless you have the time to clean the inset ledge from all the muck that gets caught on them (like my current kitchen!). Whatever flooring you're thinking of I'd make sure it's highly moisture resistant in case of dishwasher/washing machine leaks.

[EDmummy]

ElmGrove Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Do you mean Corian, not Coriander? Or did you

> mean Cilantro?

Yes, meant Corian - predictive txt strikes.

[Pickle]

Hmmmm, I'm not sure about Corian. We were all set to get it for our kitchen, then went to stay with family who had recently had it put in their new kitchen. It may have just been a bad choice of colour, but it looked really plastic-like, and really ruined the look of an otherwise lovely kitchen.

[melbourne groover]

We used Staron which is Samsungs version of corian, 5 years on I am really happy with it still. We had white work tops and white high gloss from Howdens. Both holding up really well, I was slightly apprehensive re a white kitchen/kids combo but has done really well. Easy to see any marks and just wipe up ( am def no domestic goddess...)

[arworld]

If you consider a granite work top. Placed called FEET sells work tops at very reasonable price. They have a showroom in South Bermonsey.

[bluesuperted]

Thanks so much for all these great ideas - Belle was thinking same about not being too focused on the here-and-now of toddlerhood etc and instead thinking a little longer term. Feel my list is becoming clearer but finding all the posts and ideas (tragically?) fascinating so keep them coming! Thanks again all and for the PMs, so helpful.

[LondonMix]

Great thread! Does anyone have a view on induction hobs vs range cookers? Also how do any of you with children find island seating with kids?

[snowboarder]

We had a central island/seating area in our last kitchen - totally great - older boy liked sitting up high on the bar stools and the (then!) baby loved his clip on phil and teds highchair. I could prepare food and chat to them at the same time - really good.

As a caution - we had a black rubber tile floor in that kitchen (designed pre children) - nightmare - always looked dusty/dirty (due to colour rather than type of floor I think). Warm and soft though.

[bluesuperted]

Induction/range... You can get an induction range as well! We were planning built in oven but now tempted by induction and if we end up a bit more traditional I also like the idea of range/ induction although seems v clashing!

[bluesuperted]

Also Alieh I am about 4% of the way through the mumsnet thread, it's stupendous and epic!! I am adding to my list all the time...

[mrs f]

If you are putting in a new concrete base you could consider having polished concrete floor, we have it and although it's pretty hard it looks great and is very easy to clean.

Also rate draws everywhere (inside cupboards if you don't want acual draw fronts on show)

I'm always a fan of not having wall cupboards above a worktop too, makes for a much bigger space, we have open shelves with cups, glasses, and frequently used foods etc... so you can display your nicest things on them..

a deeper worktop is nice too, we got ours online - oak from a wooden flooring and worktop supplier, it was fairly cheap but good quality.

We have always used Ikea kitchens (on our 3rd in different houses) but only for the cupboards, brought appliances and sinks and worktops etc all elsewhere, we looked at which for best appliances and sourced them online.

We live in our kitchen, and I spent a long time planning the layout, work out how you use your kitchen, where you like to chop in relation to the stove / oven, where will the washing up go, how will you unpack the dishwasher, where will the food live in relation to the chopping space??... you have to look at it all in relation to your space obviously, we have a large rectangle kitchen so have put an island in to be able to have a working 'triangle' or whatever the designers bang on about! Personally I like it as we sit there as well as it being functional storage & chopping but it needs to fit your space...

[j-mo]

Hi

Some reflections on the brand new kitchen we inherited:

> deep drawers good but don't forget normal drawers too for cutlery/foil etc. we don't have any and had to buy something else to do the job

> full height pull out larder is excellent

> don't get built on fridge/freezer if you can help it. Freezer will be far too small for family use

> avoid pale coloured flooring. I have white tiles and they are a nightmare. Show every bit of dirt which is not good with children

> don't get a range cooker with one large oven. Takes forever to heat up.

> if you can fit some seating, def do that. We have a little sofa in ours and we often spend all day in there at the weekend.

> try and factor in some non-kitchen item storage for little people stuff, eg craft items

> I've seen some brill kids art displays done with ikea wire curtain rails and clothes pegs!! Looks v cool and nice to have a updatable way of showing off their work

Good luck. Would love to do ours over but can't really justify it when less than 2 years old!!!!

Ps we have cream gloss units with no handles from magnet. No real issues with finger marks.