Designing our kitchen - tips? Best parts of yours, plus worst?

Would love to hear anything and everything about what you LOVE/HATE about your current kitchen ... could be the type of oven you've got (ie. it constantly blows bulbs vs it is FABULOUS in every way, the colour of your cabinetry (ie, stains easily vs. is mark resistant), through to the layout (our previous kitchen had about 3 metres from one bench to the pantry and then the same to the other bench top, it was ridiculous in terms of layout) ...

Would love to hear tips before we get planning.

Have just bought a Westinghouse oven (eek, waiting for the comments about the brand?) and hoping that will work better than our Classique oven from previous house.

Thanks peoples.

functionality predicates movement required people dependant consideration to climate and preparation of consumable foods

Our house is old enough to have one of those china cabinets above head height, that divides the galley kitchen from the dining-room. I don't like that. I don't like that I have no pantry. I love my Bosch gas top with wok burner/freestanding, with electric oven stove and range hood. It's wonderful. I like the colour which I chose myself. The original kitchen and dining room had gaudy floral green and brown floral 70's wallpaper which we quickly go rid of. Cupboard doors were green and brown. It now has wipe-able wallpaper with a mauve fleck in it which you don't notice under night light, pale pinkish painted surfaces on walls and tiles that tone with that, and a smoky mauvish colour on the cupboard doors. Need to do the lino though. It's still gold, which doesn't quite go. Would love a modern pantry and slide out cupboards, but that may not happen. Part of me likes the fact that our doors and cabinetry is actually wood. I'd so hate to put in a modern kitchen and find that they use dammed MDF instead.

Hi, if you are planning a new kitchen go into M10 and they have a free planner there with a graph, and all the shapes and sizes of cupboards and drawers which you decide what shape of cupboards and drawers,benches etc you want, where the stove is etc. and then cut them out and put it on the graph and see if it all fits. Their units also have adjustable legs on the units which is helpful if the floor is uneven to get everything level, and the kickboard can be removed if you have to re adjust at anytime. Cheers.

I am building at the moment, this is the 3rd kitchen I've done so here are my hot points

* 900mm wide freestanding gas oven (if I wanted to pull it out and put a rayburn in I could

* rubbish bins in drawers

* Pot drawers essential

* two pantries, one for plates, one for food

* underbench microwave

* strip lighting under wall hung cuproards

* lights at the back of range hood, cheaper ones have lights at the front, but its lights at the back that work best

* glass splash backs are really $$$ im using Seratone with a stainless cover that doubles as a heat guard for the stove, seratone is around $170 a sheet, so if you change your colour lay out its not spendy to change it.

*make sure your kitchen colour matches the wall paper/paint AND flooring you choose

* tiles on the floor are over rated, cold in winter and unforgiving for dropping anything

*strong strip magnets behind gib for knives

*lighting, get lights that you can direct to particular work surfaces, the more the better.

*get a thick benchtop more $$ but so much nicer makes the whole kitchen look cheap with a standard thin bench top, ours is 50mm

* if I could afford it I would get marble, or man made stone, but I have settled for vulcan stone laminate, I'v had this same colour 3x now it goes with resene tea, spanish white and parchment. I got Streetlight to go with my spanish white, rock salt with the Tea and have gentle beige with my Parchment.

* don't skimp on the hardware, ask for extra long screws to hold the handles in place, and get the handles you want rather than ones provided in a kit.

*I have 3 kids and still cannot see the benefit in soft close drawers??? other than spending more money LOL

* Appliances, stay away from Pamco. there are some great deals on TM if you are willing to trawl through till you find them.

* I prefer a 1 1/2 sink and I like them to match up so the large sink needs to run wide ways along the bench so the two bowls are the same width just the 1/2 is shorter in length if that makes sense. I don't like the 1/2 bowl to be centred on the drain tray next to the big bowl.

* if money is no object get a pull out kitchen tap

* Make sure the hinges your designer uses have a lifetime guarantee

* put your dishwasher close to your sink so you dont get drips when rincing, and your plate pantry opposite your dishy if you can.

Phew, sorry long post but I've done it a few times and learnt new things each time LOL

-big sink...for ease of cleaning big roasting dishes, oven racks and fridge shelves etc
-induction cooktop
-soft close draws for everything big and small i.e cups and plates, pots, roasting dishes etc
-tap with pull out shower spray

Wished I had got these...every day annoyance at myself!
I got a few very large soft closed drawers and love them.
Have fun!

I love induction...faster than gas!! Have one at home and one at the bach ...fab

Also...something I have seen at a friends and would do next time
Put in a shelf bar divider for those large serving platters ....she loves hers! if you use them of course!

soft closing cupboards, i love mine...no more slamming, i hate that noise I have teens that like to slam, but not in my house, IMHO worth every penny

a mat Formica as we had a glossy one and it was a nightmare to keep nice and scratch/dust free.

a good triangular flow from oven to fridge to sink Jamie Oliver tip

I have a bench top cupboard that hides my kettle, toaster, tea, coffee etc in, i love it.

If i had enough room i would have had a walk in pantry too, i always wanted a scullery...next time

take time planning, its a huge part of any home and you only get one chance, good luck

We bought a new Westinghouse oven last Xmas, its the old Simpson model. What happened was that Simpson (or a third company - can't remember) bought out Westinghouse for the brand name (ie known for its quality) used the Simpson models and then killed any semblance of quality in the product. We had a new Simpson oven (polaris) about a decade ago in our old place and then when we shifted to our new house bought a new oven to replace the dinosaur that was there. Our new oven is called a Westinghouse Polaris (and is exactly the same apart from its build quality...or should I say lack of), and is crap when compared to the more solidly built Simpson Polaris of a decade ago (which I would happily love to have back, compared to this new one we bought). Wouldn't touch the brand Westinghouse now as a result, they are no longer quality, the Aussies killed it. (We do own a 10 year old Westinghouse fridge - love it, which is why we bought a "Westinghouse" oven.....majorly disappointed!)

Just did a whole house renovation recently (a 3 bed 1920-30s bungalow - previously all original, so it was a big job). Only area we under-estimated on cost was the kitchen - that came in at twice what we'd provided for and I'm absolutely delighted that we dedided to 'go for broke'.

Had a very limited space to work with - used Kitchen Studio (P Nth) and cannot emphasize enough how much value a good kitchen designer was in terms of the process, particularly if you are working with a limited space. We had three or four attempts at the design before making a final decision - each one reproduced in great 3-D type illustrations so you get an excellent idea of exactly how it looks and functions from a space planning point of view.

Got all those specialist-type drawers and cabinets - extra cost but well worth it in terms of functionality. Also got a man made stone benchtop (Infinity)... love it!!! Not cold at all - very forgiving (unlike marble) - looks great. Also had the MDF cabinetry wrapped - again more expensive but much more durable. And I also recommend a cabinetry with a bevel as it gives a more custom look. Inset deep sink is also a gem for washing big pots etc. - again love it and don't miss having a second sink.

And make sure you place the rubbish drawer, sink/dishwasher and main benchtop preparation area all together - so easy to work with.

We got a Westinghouse oven (side opening door - again great for ease of access) and an induction cooktop. I do agree that induction definitely has its advantages - I'd probably rather have gas (mainly for stirfrys) but due to the limited space, I often use the cooktop as an additional flat surface to rest things on.

Here's a pic of our finished product:

Have fun!!!

Attached files [IMG]http://app.lifestyleblock.co.nz/images/converted_files/407876=9793-harrison 010.jpg[/img]

Everyone has great ideas

My tip is to play around with the bench height to find out what suits you best.
Our bench is higher than usual and everyone comments on it and loves it.
We are only average height, and had a bunch of kids, but had no issues with people not being comfortable.
(well except MIL who is a bit of a drama queen[])

The kitchen and it's related areas are the heart of the house. Everything else is incidental.
For a new kitchen, money being no object, I would stipulate the following:
Three rooms, kitchen and scullery with doors to the outside from both as well as connecting door, and seperate store containing the freezers, extra fridges, and bulk flour etc.
Hose out concrete floor in scullery for ease of cleaning and to contain the inevitable spillages of water when cleaning the big pots and milking buckets.
Two sinks, one normal size and one big commercial potwash sink, in seperate seamless stainless steel benches.
Boiling water available at all times in scullery like the smoko room at work, very important.
No formica or other laminates in the scullery.
No mdf or other false wood products anywhere.
All solid timber cabinetry with normal hinges rather than the silly modern adjustable kind that never hold the correct position.
Plenty of cupboards. They are like sheds. It is not possible to have too many.
Big solid timber bench tops that can handle being scrubbed in the kitchen. Minimum three coats of heavy duty flooring grade varnish on these.
Allowance of space on the bench for the cheese press and to bolt down the butter churn.
Allowance for 900mm wide gas or electric range and coal range with wetback also.
Allowance for dining table to seat twelve (solid timber). This allows room for the family to eat without having to clear the inevitable works in progress in a busy household.
I'm sure I've missed some important things from this list. Others will undoubtedly think of them.

We have a cork tile floor which I love - but needs to be coated several times to last. We also have a square timber bench in the centre of the square kitchen. It has cupboards that open front (facing the sink) and back and is brilliant for putting stuff ready to go onto the table on and I keep all the oils/vinegar etc in the cupboard so is handy when cooking.
I have the microwave in a corner of the bench as Like Jen I think high ones are a real danger.
The divider between kitchen and open plan dining/lounge is another bench with cupboards under and a backboard topped by a narrow timber shelf. At a height where I can see and hear what's happening in the other room. For me this is a great idea as now I know what's going on and don't feel shut away!

Forgot to add that the kitchen and dining room should be contiguous.