Designing A Kitchen

[naomi24]

If you were designing a new kitchen, what style units, colours, tiles, etc., would you choose? I’m looking for ideas please.

[Gavmacp]

Friends parents had a kitchen that was over 20 years old. It still looked good the only thing that dated it was the tiles they chose.

[Buenchico]

What do you use the kitchen for?

If it's only for cooking, and you do a lot of it, then I'd go for plenty of stainless steel, in the style of restaurant kitchens.

However if it's also a place to eat and maybe to socialise as well, I'd be thinking of light oak fittings with marble tops (if the budget ran to it!) and warm-coloured tiles.

[mazie]

I would definitely have an AGA if I had a new kitchen...... A few ideas below.

Also depends on the age of the house and the size of the kitchen.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/home-ideas/kitchen/aga.html

How's the decluttering going?

[mazie]

I spend most of my day in the kitchen

[dunnitall]

I like plain white high gloss finish because it's easier to keep clean. No black granite tops for me I would love to have all the work surfaces in the plastic moulded stuff, can't think of the name of it, it would include the sink and drainer moulded into it as in one continuous surface...all for hygiene and keeping clean. As for tiles I can't abide the lavatory styling ones in brick fashion reminds me of the old public conveniences so it would have to be traditional style of tiling in probably a marble effect but subtle colour. All I can think of off the top of my head. I'm sure you will receive some better replies than mine Naomi, good luck.

[Retrochic]

Get flat glossy doors -much easier to clean than more ornate designs as the grease and grime gets stuck in them. I like blue lemon and white for a kitchen -sunny and clean,and really love my solid wooden worktops though I know some people hate them. Chinese Slate tiles are lovely but a bit unforgiving if you drop anything and a bit cold underfoot unless you have an aga or similar in the kitchen.

[Daffy6543]

I agree with dunnitall and Retrochic, smooth, glossy cupboards. I wouldn't get an aga.

[Barmaid]

I agree with dunnitall and Retrochic too. I currently have "shaker style" cupboard fronts which have a recessed panel. They are a ***** to keep clean. Too many dust traps. My friend has just had hi gloss smooth fittings installed. Lovely, clean and only takes a wipe.

[ummmm]

I currently have the same as BM...nightmare!!

[The Builder]

A couple of things I've found, Naomi..... people are going away from conventional base units with doors. The trend is for most, if not all, drawers. They can be of varying heights, including deep pan drawers for larger stuff.

Normal base units invariably get filled with all kinds of things that are never used, usually stuck right at the back. Drawers bring everything right out to you.

I've fitted a lot of wire basket type drawers that run on regular sliding fittings. Ideal for spices and cooking bits and pieces. You can look right down on them and see just what you want.

Also, unless they are very good (ie expensive), don't go for those dopey carousel things in the corners. Half a ton of baked beans and they usually collapse.

[dunnitall]

I'm liking your kitchen DB sounds good to me.

[Old_Geezer]

My last choice was for solid (mid) oak. I like wood, much better than plastic. Traditional not gaudy, nor cheap, nor flashy. I took a while to decide on a wall colour (could not be enthusiastic about putting up tiles) and chose a pastel green. Seems to work well. I treated myself to a splashback, or whatever it is called, in the same quartz that the worktops were made from. Had a fancy edge to the worktops. More difficult to clean but looks good. Units were a mix of with and without drawers.

But that was just me. Designing what goes where is equally important. I had a minor hiccup there when I was told by the worktop fitter that the sink drainer could not go in the corner as I wanted. They were joining worktops as it goes around, and that wasn't allowed :-( So the drainer is now the other side limiting the space for the kettle & toaster. Ho hum, one lives & learns.

[Old_Geezer]

Apart from the boil tap db, sounds a lot like mine. :-)

[Barmaid]

And if you cook seriously, go for as much worktop as you can get. I had our utility room knocked down to put in more worktop. Damn shame i am moving out now cos the kitchen (apart from the hideous units) is now a brilliant space.

[woofgang]

Shiny surfaces are harder to keep looking good than matt because every wipe and fingermark shows. IMO this included stainless steel but i agree, very hardwearing and hygienic. I agree absolutely about smooth, non panelled or rebated doors. We used a designer when we had ours done and he was excellent, suggested things we wouldn't have thought of and really drilled down to what we actually wanted as opposed to what we thought we wanted. He said so far as colours go, find something you absolutely love and use that as a keynote to reference everything else back to. make sure you check colours in natural light with the actual item, not a photo or catalogue. many shops will have samples that you can borrow on payment of a deposit.
Stupid story, we wanted grey floor tiles. hadn't got the worktop and cupboard samples with us (we had to share with other people using the same shop) so we borrowed the tile sample from the tile shop and nipped back to the kitchen shop to put it against the other stuff there. Nice lady who wasn't our designer but his business partner said "well those are nice tiles but are you sure you want
purple?" Sure enough, what had looked grey in the floor tile shop was undoubtedly purple in daylight. If I hadn't seen it myself, i would never have believed it.

[RATTER15]

All pine and free standing units, not sure about tiles, I would need to see the space first.

[woofgang]

ps those in cupboard carousels waste cupboard space like nobody's business. My dry goods larder cupboard has got very heavy duty wire shelves that pull out all the way and are excellent.

[Retrochic]

I have lots more drawers than cupboards but beware - putting canned stuff in them or anything with a label is disastrous as all you can see when you look down in the top of the can! We took out a small utility room that had the dryer in and made it into a walk-in pantry -brilliant! I've seen a pantry made into an alcove in the kitchen they are very useful as everything is their in front of you