Monday 19 September 2016

Planning A Kitchen That Works - Part 1.

I love my new kitchen.  It's clean,  shiny and works so well.  I guess 20 years of dreaming and planning has paid off.  It also helps that I've been cleaning other people's kitchens for the last 18+ years too.  This has given me the chance to see what works and what doesn't.    Here are some things to consider when planning a new kitchen -

Pull out tap. These taps make it easy to rinse off large pots and to swish a sink clean.

Stone bench top color and edge.  If you get a stone bench top,  consider the color you choose.  A black or dark color is very hard to keep clean.  Every wipe mark and smear shows up no matter how hard you try to keep it clean.  Stone benches will have joins in them.  Choosing a light color with detail helps to conceal the joins.  The edge of the bench matters too. If you pick a slightly rounded edge it prevents damage to your clothes.  

* Drawers. Replacing cupboards with drawers makes it easy to access everything.  No more bending down and digging into the back of a cupboards.  Please note,  drawers might not hold as much as you think.  I had to do another declutter to fit everything in.  At least  I've only kept the things I really love.

Corner cupboards - lazy susan or not.  When I picked out my kitchen,  I was shown a corner cupboard with a lazy susan in it.  At first glance it seems like a great way to access everything.  Unfortunately the shelving is not as strong as a regular cupboard shelf.  I like to stack casserole dishes inside each other to maximise space.  A lazy susan would only be good in a plastics cupboard.

Sinks are smaller.  When I was researching the sinks available to buy,  I was quite suprised to find that sinks have shrunk in size over the years. Please keep this in mind when choosing one for your kitchen.  I picked the biggest I could find.  Even doing that,  I lost 20 centimetres off my old one.

*  Range hood with canopy or pull out.  Range hoods with a canopy might seem like all the rage on those cooking shows.  Keeping them clean is another issue.  When cooking,  steam rises.  So does the oil you cook with.  Before you know it your range hood has a layer of grease that can be a pain to remove.  Even if you do remove it,  you'll see the wipe marks from your cloth.  I've wasted so much time cleaning clients canopy range hoods only to see they are still not perfectly clean.  I chose a Westinghouse 90 centimetre pull out range hood.  The filters can be pulled down and cleaned in the dishwasher.


Drawers
Pull out tap
Detail in a bench hides the join

10 comments:

  1. This is so useful Wendy. Thank you!
    Your kitchen looks great, those green tiles are absolutely lovely.
    All the best,
    Peach

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  2. Thanks for your tips. Can you do bathrooms next please as I know you did them a while ago. Love love love your new kitchen.

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  3. Really great post Wendy
    Regards Julie D

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  4. Wendy, it is beautiful. Your thoughtful comments help us all, especially when we are doing our own re-models.

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  5. Dear Wendy, your new kitchen is Pinterest-worthy, honestly! Just beautiful. I agree with your tips. It's easy to get sidetracked with what 'looks good', as opposed to what is functional. Love it. Mimi xxx

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  6. Hi Wendy,

    Great post, I would not have thought of these tips, Thanks

    Maureen

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    Replies
    1. I have another couple of posts about planning kitchens.

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  7. Sinks - if we ever built, I would opt for laundry sized sink in the kitchen. They can be had in porcelain nowadays too. Modern-sized sinks seem hardly meant to be used.

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  8. Your tips make so much sense ♥

    summerdaisycottage.blogspot.com

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