NoNamePerson
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Post by NoNamePerson on Jul 10, 2016 13:39:33 GMT -5
I hate the kitchen therefore I use it as little as possible. Now big professional restaurant kitchens do a wonderful job of cooking for me.
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alabamagal
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Post by alabamagal on Jul 10, 2016 14:05:33 GMT -5
At my previous house we redid it several years ago with tile floor with dark grout. It was easy to care for but rough on dishes tha were dropped. It would even shatter an ice cube if you dropped it.
Current house has wood floors in kitchen. At first I was very nervous about any water droplets that I got it, but have calmed down about that. My dogs are terrible with water splashing from their dog bowl. So now I like it after living here one and a half years. We had to put a rug in front of the fridge ice dispenser since small pieces of ice escape. Don't seem to have the dish shattering problem but with no kids in the house less dishes get dropped.
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Spellbound454
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Post by Spellbound454 on Jul 10, 2016 15:46:08 GMT -5
Re-designed mine about 3 years ago. I got some quotes and was shocked at how expensive it was going to be .....so I ordered the cabinets from the manufacturer online (having viewed them) and paid a joiner to fit them. Saved thousands. Its nice....Shaker style light oak cabinets, Some with glass in, or built in wine racks. Black laminate tops. The walls are a carefully chosen dark red I've got an oval sink and drainer, with a swan tap. Honey coloured tiles....and the curtains I made from gold fabric with large poppies on....Containers are silver. This year I'm replacing the lino floor with slates. I dreamed of a new kitchen for ages and didn't think it was going to happen....thank goodness for the internet.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2016 16:17:47 GMT -5
This kitchen is old , would love a new one but it has some good things going for it also so I will be living with it for awhile still. Cabinets are boring , built in, white and need painting bad right now. I like the white, I hate having to paint them. I like that they go all the way to the ceiling and there is plenty of storage up high for things I don't use often. I don't like the wasted blind corner space. I like that it has some glass doors for holding pretty things . I hate that they are a little lower than standard height. Not noticeable really until you are doing dishes and then your back hurts. Plenty of counter space but it is a fake gray/white marble like vinyl? I don't know what it is- 70's style. There might be a little to much countertop as one stretch of counter is a collection of everything. It drives me crazy but I can't seem to keep on top of the clutter here. Whatever it is it isn't pretty but not ugly enough to really stand out in ugliness either- it blends well. It also stands up to lye water and raw soap batter. I don't have to protect a precious counter top which I love. No issues at all with the wood floor. Warm, easy to clean-love it. Our light fixtures are schoolhouse repros from Schoolhouse Elec. and I love them. Just a ceiling fixture and one over the sink. Appliances are white and replaced as needed with whatever. Stove is electric and I kind of miss gas but it's fine.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2016 18:00:05 GMT -5
How about a cooktop in the corner... Anyone have one of those?
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milee
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Post by milee on Jul 11, 2016 19:11:25 GMT -5
How about a cooktop in the corner... Anyone have one of those? Post a picture. Sounds like a bad idea and space waste, but let's see it.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Jul 11, 2016 19:11:35 GMT -5
What do you love about yours? Hate about yours? I love almost everything about it. We "facelifted" our kitchen in Sept of 2015. Kept the floor plan and the cabinet boxes but got new doors and drawers, new hardware, new countertop, re-habbed insides (cabinets with sliders inside), new sink and faucet, upgraded moldings, new paint, better lighting, new light fixtures, and a couple of new appliances. Ditched the microwave and the electric trash compactor - both were old and tired. Everything just works better now - I'm not silently swearing at old, tired appliances, sagging doors, stuck drawers and cracked countertop tiles every time I cook.Prefered appliance brands? Kitchenaid (it's American made)
Gas or Electric Stove? If gas whole unit or cooktop and wall oven? Gas. I would have preferred to separate the cooktop and oven but my existing layout wouldn't allow it. And I didn't want to double my costs by changing the layout.
Ice maker? No ice maker? Icemaker in the freezer section of the frig (no separate ice maker, no built in coffee maker, no warmer trays, no wine frig - I went old school, and even went back to an ordinary low-tech trash can and a Breville smart oven where the micro used to be).
Countertops? ... Granite, Soapstone, Quartz, Solid Surface... Oh my... This was my one indulgence. I put in Costa Esmerelda Seafoam Green granite (google it). Its a soft gray-green and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It makes me happy every time I look at it. I have a traditional kitchen in a 40's house, but the one nod I made to contemporary design was to have two different counter surfaces in the kitchen. The back counter and counters by the sink are granite; the island is hard rock maple. I like the look. If all surfaces had been granite it would have been too much.
Upper and lower cabinets? Bought or built in or dyi? Yes to both. They were custom built-in in the 40's, and there was no way I was going to tear them out and put in cheap or even mid-range new boxes. They are built like iron. So they got rehabbed and facelifted only. No open shelving, though (it's REALLY popular right now); this is earthquake country and the cabinet door hardware is now all ice box-type latches.
Island? Yes. It's the biggest feature of the kitchen, and not only is it my primary prep space, it also has the stove and oven (slide-in model). The front has glassed in shelves for my cookbook collection. Islands can be great for extras like a wine frig, coffee station, storage, etc. They can also provide a bridge between the sink, stove and frig (the famous designer "work triangle" of kitchens). If you have a REALLY large kitchen you can even set up a breakfast bar with stools - it's great for supervising homework while you're making dinner, and keeping an eye on what your kids are doing on the Internet.
Pantry cupboards or walk in pantry? I only had room for cupboards. I wish on the walk in pantry! If you have room and you cook a LOT, definitely go for a walk-in model. I wanna cry when I go into these gorgeous La La Land homes with kitchens and butler's pantries that are practically the size of my whole house, and nobody *touches* them to do anything more than make coffee ) What I could do with a kitchen like that! (I'm a cook, urban gardener and food preserver)
Flooring? Hardwood, to match the rest of the house. It's perfect. So glad I didn't listen to folks who told me to put in tile.
Lighting? Ceiling/can lights scattered throughout with task lights over the stove.
Tell me what you have or what you'd like... i need to start finalizing some things. I'm sooooo glad I got a single bowl sink. It's farmhouse sized in stainless steel. Undermounted, not an apron front; standard size but extra deep (10") and with no divider. After 15 years of frustration at not being able to fit my large stock pots, roasting pans and cutting boards in the old sink - it's clean-up heaven. I also REALLY like having the waste disposal button mounted on the countertop rather than having a switch on the wall or inside the under-sink cabinet. The extra-deep drawers are great too - even an extra inch of depth makes a tremendous difference. Also - the contractor put an electrical plug-in strip along the underside of one of the cabinet runs - - no more electrical plugs ruining the look of the backsplash . Also seriously consider computer cabling and at least one port for plugging in/charging phones, ipads, laptops, etc.Good luck whatever you decide and post pictures, please!
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Timberwolf
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Post by Timberwolf on Jul 11, 2016 19:45:52 GMT -5
I redid my kitchen totally (like from the studs out) a couple of years ago. Here are some of my observations:
Stove: make sure you find out how to clean it, before you buy. The Whirlpool convection stove I got is all but impossible to clean (the oven part). I only got the convection part because it was actually cheaper than the others but the convection doesn't really work me. What I should have got was the kind of oven that has a "little door" on top of the big door - it's great for heating up small amounts of things without having to heat up the whole oven. I got a 5-burner stove top - I like that, you can put on a big pot to simmer and it fits.
Cabinetry: all my cabinetry is solid (light) cherry and I really like it. The wood has some light/dark variation that gives it some dimension so it doesn't look flat like dyed hair. I maybe should have gotten 1 cabinet with glass to show off some pretty things, but I'm O.K. without it. Icemaker: I didn't think I needed it, but now that I have it I really really like it. I don't have water and ice in the door (more things to service and break) just the kind in the bottom freezer. Oh, I'm short so I really like the bottom freezer, however, you have to really make sure to get that sucker closed all the way every time you close it. It's easy to not close it all the way because it takes more force to close than the kind on top (ask me how I know) I utilize my freezer a lot so for me this arrangement is good. If I didn't use it a lot I'd get the freezer on top. I have the French door style - I like that a lot too, you can open both doors at once for full access and you don't have to stoop over to pull stuff out.
My kitchen in not super big so I opted not to get an island. Maybe I'm old-school, but I like having a kitchen table. I'm short so I don't have to climb onto tall chairs with a kitchen table like I'd have to with Island-type seating plus I can take the table out of the kitchen if I need a large work area for other projects. You can't do that with an island.
Lighting: I got recessed lighting that I like a lot, the bad part here is that there is no "focal point" light in the kitchen. (it's not really necessary, but it might have been nice to have a special fixture). I have under cabinet lighting and I absolutely think that's a necessity. I have the long tube type (it looks like florescent but it's led) not the "puck" type.
I second the pull out drawers and lazy susan things for the corners - both are super convenient. I put the heavy pots and pans in the pull out drawers and it saves the back a lot.
Countertops: I opted for quartz and I'm not at all sorry. I got a speckled-look that is great because it doesn't show dirt (at all) but I kind of wonder if it will look dated after awhile. Maybe it would have been better to get a more plain top that might be more versatile if someone wanted to change the color of the cabinetry, I don't know.
Flooring: I opted for tile and I like it a lot,really easy to keep clean. Someone told me to use darker grout (even with tan tile) and I did that. This person told me light colored grout is really hard to keep clean and she's a cleaning lady so she should know.
Pantry: If you have room for a walk-in pantry I'd get that. I didn't have space for that so I have 3 full length cabinets devoted to that and it works out fine for us, but there are only 2 of us, I might need more space with a larger number of people, besides, it's hard to have too much storage space.
Good luck with whatever decisions you make-it will all work out in the end.
P.S. We did a good deal of upgrading after the fact. I'm not sorry we did and I love the final result, but It's really easy to spend more than you intended. Oh yeah, one more thing, stainless steel is really pretty but it's a lot harder to keep looking clean than white is. You may want to decide which is more important.
after seeing kitten saver's post I wanted to add - I opted for two sinks instead of the one large one like I used to have. Maybe it's a personal preference but I like having separate sinks for washing and rinsing. With a large sink you have to either use a dish pan or keep running more water for rinsing and possibly over-fill the one sink. I understand about having the space to wash a large pot, but opted for the separate sinks. I think that is one area that's really a personal choice.
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milee
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Post by milee on Jul 11, 2016 19:46:43 GMT -5
If you're going to have a septic system, seriously consider not putting in a garbage disposal and instead throwing garbage away/composting and just leaving a fine mesh strainer in your drain. The solids that are produced when you grind up waste can play hell on a septic system's leach field. Your septic system will last a lot longer if you don't put ground up garbage in it.
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milee
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Post by milee on Jul 11, 2016 19:51:59 GMT -5
What I should have got was the kind of oven that has a "little door" on top of the big door - it's great for heating up small amounts of things without having to heat up the whole oven. I got a 5-burner stove top - I like that, you can put on a big pot to simmer and it fits. I have one of those and it's a great configuration if you have a small kitchen and only room for a normal range. We cook and bake a lot and use that small top oven 99% of the time. It's quick to preheat and doesn't heat up the whole house. The larger, lower oven only gets used 1-2 times a year. The next stove I get will be Induction, though. I really hate cleaning the glass cooktop even though it's easier than cleaning the old fashioned rings.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2016 21:03:28 GMT -5
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Timberwolf
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Post by Timberwolf on Jul 11, 2016 21:10:04 GMT -5
oped, that's beautiful, of course I'm partial because that's the exact color of my cabinetry. Think long and hard about a black countertop, though. I have a black countertop in my bathroom and I hate it, it shows every little drop of water or anything else. That looks like a Pennsylvania kitchen.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2016 21:15:15 GMT -5
I've never had a garbage disposal. We do compost.
I loooove my sink I have now. It's really why I'd rather do solid surface. I have one deep single bowl one piece no seams. I'll probably do similar.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2016 21:16:35 GMT -5
oped, that's beautiful, of course I'm partial because that's the exact color of my cabinetry. Think long and hard about a black countertop, though. I have a black countertop in my bathroom and I hate it, it shows every little drop of water or anything else. That looks like a Pennsylvania kitchen. That was really just an example of cook top in the corner I do think we've decided not to do that though. Sigh. I can barely keep up with myself.
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busymom
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Post by busymom on Jul 11, 2016 21:39:22 GMT -5
That stove DOES look pretty! Just wanted to mention that I've got a corner sink, and it IS a hassle to clean behind.
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on Jul 11, 2016 21:44:16 GMT -5
If I was building, quartz counter tops, pantry and plenty of cabinets, extra deep sink (I'm tired of splashing myself doing dishes!!), lots of counter space for prep and things like my mixer, coffee pot, toaster and so on and most definitely gas. I hate electric stoves with a passion especially the flat ones. Evil inventions and that person should be shot!!!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2016 21:50:50 GMT -5
All the boys keep suggesting a walk in is a waste of space...
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CCL
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Post by CCL on Jul 11, 2016 22:42:08 GMT -5
All the boys keep suggesting a walk in is a waste of space... Walk-in pantry? Are they nuts? That might be the very best thing you could put into a kitchen.
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CCL
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Post by CCL on Jul 11, 2016 22:46:19 GMT -5
I used to have black solid surface countertops. Always showed scratches and those sinks are almost always white and a real pain to keep looking good. I had to clean the sink with bleach nearly every day to keep the stains at bay. Replaced them with granite and lived happily ever after.
I love my single-bowl, extra deep sink.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2016 22:51:19 GMT -5
Under mount?
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Jul 12, 2016 1:27:32 GMT -5
Also, I'm short (5'1"), so I needed the strip of counter between me and the sink to be narrow so it didn't unnecessarily increase the distance to the sink and faucet. I have used sinks that are almost centered in wide counters that have me leaning over to reach the stupid faucet. So, keep your height and arm length in mind for placement of the sink (and cooktop if it is not a slide in range).
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on Jul 12, 2016 6:23:49 GMT -5
All the boys keep suggesting a walk in is a waste of space... The boys are crazy!! It's a great place to store food, things that don't get used daily like crock pot, etc. It can also be a good place to store mop, broom that kind of thing. If I was building I would definitely have one. My fiancee's kitchen has one that you can step into. Not a total walk in but it's great to have that space. Definitely put lighting in it, nothing like a big dark space!
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Jul 12, 2016 10:54:40 GMT -5
we'll also do a pot filler (I think) and we'll do a downdraft hood because we have a vaulted ceiling there and it would be a ton of work/expense and bulk to do a standard hood all the the way up and out
I'm looking forward to your review of the downdraft hood in a year or so. I cook daily. I find my downdraft Jenn-Air vent to be loud, woefully inefficient, and it pulls the gas flame away from the pot/pan. I don't have any other options without an expensive retrofit. Fortunately, with the kids moving on to college, I will not be doing daily heavy cooking as I do now, so the lack of an effective vent is almost a moot point.
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Chocolate Lover
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Post by Chocolate Lover on Jul 12, 2016 11:21:52 GMT -5
All the boys keep suggesting a walk in is a waste of space... They will only think a walk in pantry is a waste of space until they start looking for all the snacks and stuff you won't be able to store.
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bean29
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Post by bean29 on Jul 12, 2016 11:57:16 GMT -5
I'd love me a really cheap one! And then I can spend the extra money( ) on some spinning wheels for my truck. Cragar preferably! It goes like this - no stove/cooking appliances = take out- yay! -no fridge- there is ice at the gas stations if needed and food is best . consumed fresh! - no table- grab some 2x10s and a couple 2x4s and voila! Rustic look and very functional - countertops? Why do you need prep surface if there is take out? Shall I go on? LOL, my parent's first kitchen table was a very old table with a piece of plywood on top - Mom just kept a tablecloth on it.
If you want to go that basic, you could have just built a cabin, and the kids could sleep in the loft.
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milee
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Post by milee on Jul 12, 2016 12:09:53 GMT -5
we'll also do a pot filler (I think)
I was pretty hyped about the pot filler idea, too. But then my friend who's a well respected builder talked me out of it. His point was that the selling idea of the pot filler is to avoid having to carry a big, heavy pot of water from the sink to the stove - right? Yes - that's why I want one! Then he started raining on my parade by pointing out that unless you also have a pot "drainer" (insert sarcastic tone here) you're still going to have to carry that big, heavy pot of water from the stove to the sink when you go to empty it. Ohhhh.... His theory is that they're an expensive fad.
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Jul 12, 2016 12:42:56 GMT -5
we'll also do a pot filler (I think)
I was pretty hyped about the pot filler idea, too. But then my friend who's a well respected builder talked me out of it. His point was that the selling idea of the pot filler is to avoid having to carry a big, heavy pot of water from the sink to the stove - right? Yes - that's why I want one! Then he started raining on my parade by pointing out that unless you also have a pot "drainer" (insert sarcastic tone here) you're still going to have to carry that big, heavy pot of water from the stove to the sink when you go to empty it. Ohhhh.... His theory is that they're an expensive fad. For brewing we installed a spigot and then a line for draining, in our case down into a rigged temp controlled chest freezer in the basement. If you were draining dirty pasta water into a basement sink, wow, impressive .
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2016 12:49:47 GMT -5
I was pretty hyped about the pot filler idea, too. But then my friend who's a well respected builder talked me out of it. His point was that the selling idea of the pot filler is to avoid having to carry a big, heavy pot of water from the sink to the stove - right? Yes - that's why I want one! Then he started raining on my parade by pointing out that unless you also have a pot "drainer" (insert sarcastic tone here) you're still going to have to carry that big, heavy pot of water from the stove to the sink when you go to empty it. Ohhhh.... His theory is that they're an expensive fad. Never thought about it that way! When I see new bells and whistles, the first thing I think is, "how likely is this to fail and how messy will it be to repair it?" Not sure about how likely it is to fail but you'd have to rip up whatever pretty backsplash surrounds it to get at the piping. Oh, well- now you can choose the latest backsplash style, I guess!
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Jul 12, 2016 12:49:59 GMT -5
All the boys keep suggesting a walk in is a waste of space... Da boys be cray-cray
I'd LOVE to have a walk-in pantry. There's a LOT you can store in there besides "just" food: cleaning supplies, small appliances, broom/mop, extra dishes/your wedding china, table linens, serving dishes, pet food, paper goods . . . .
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2016 13:10:45 GMT -5
So I stopped by the job site with my white out and marked my walk in pantry in the plans...
Now. I picked a fridge and a dish washer but I cannot make this stove decision. The cook top and wall oven are just so much more than a regular stove... Glahherrr... I
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