Roughed up my earlier sketch in the IKEA planner. It should be pretty close to the correct scale. You could easily fit a much larger kitchen island in but I can't figure out how to do that in their planner. You also have enough space in this scheme that you could make the island a fully floating one and would have the option of rotating it 90 degrees too if you preferred. The fridge freezer is in the tall cabinet to the right of the sink. I actually think I'd want to swap the sink and hob position round now but can't be bothered to change it again this evening lol. I think in reality you'd want to just box off the awkward bit of wall sticking out by the kitchen island. Or possibly fit some shallow shelves in. You'd have buckets of cupboard and counter space and given the wall of floor to ceiling units you could get away with a much more open devol-esque scheme in the kitchen itself if you wanted. Have no idea what sort of style kitchen you were after so just defaulted to my favourite scheme (sorry!).

Hi Tracey, A really good question, it can be overwhelming out there. My advice is based on my experience, I'm sure you will get differing viewpoints but my advice is based on 30 years in the business so I have seen types of kitchen furniture. If your going to go for a modern look, go to a reputable kitchen company, find something you like the look of, test the doors and drawers and get a feel of the quality. You need laying on doors with a blum hinge. Ideally, the drawers should have an 18mm base with under mounted double extension runners. The carcass will probably by MFC which is very hard wearing. Use a local company so you get good service and back up should you need anything doing in the future. If your going with a traditional look it can be more of an issue. Workshops offer value for money but usually don't have the design flair. (there are exceptions to this rule but this is what I have generally found.) Workshops with showrooms usually have the design skills but you will pay a large premium as their overheads are much higher and the design facility allows them to add a premium. My advice is to have the kitchen designed by a professional designer who can plan the kitchen, do elevations, lighting schemes and artists impressions then use this package of drawings to get quotes from a number of small workshops to ensure you get the best price. This is the specification you should be asking for. Carcasses in plywood with MFC or veneer face. MFC faced ply is more practical and does not need finishing so is more economical. Veneered ply needs finishing so is more expensive, more delicate but looks beautiful. I avoid solid timber carcases, they are very expensive and I have had issues with them warping and splitting. Full frame front edge in hardwood, inner edge beaded. Doors inset into frame with hardwood outer frame and MDF inner panels. Drawers in hardwood, dovetailed with double extension under mounted runners. First quality butt hinges. Get them to make it and spray in a matt white primer, fit it in primed finish. Then get a specialist pinter in to apply the top coats, use Farrow & Ball or Little Green as they do a good grade of paint suitable for furniture application and the colours are based on English heritage. Don't be tempted to mix paint to a similar shade, the quality and tonal value of the pint is very important. Hope that helps, Martin www.angel-martin.com www.3dinteriorillustration.co.uk

New Qooker Fusion Flex tap in (Brilliant bit of kit). Built a dedicated drawer for charging devices. New table acquired. Island still outstanding. To Do list Lighting Remove remainder of cupboards Install reclaimed brick wall Fit new black column rads. Paint paint paint. New flooring (still to decide but a vinyl light grey slate in mind). Paint over existing brick wall in heavy white. Cooker splashback in gloss black metro tiles. Ready for Christmas! Apart from one evening, the kitchen has remained fully functional and 'presentable' throughout. An absolute necessity for our guests.

I do not ‘obsess’ about anything but a number of things make using the space much nicer - we always cook from scratch so when we modernised our kitchen 5 years ago, I was able to design the modest space in to a very workable kitchen with plenty of storage space (cupboards scribed up to the ceiling to avoid dusty tops of cupboards), long lines of worktops for food prep & lots of cupboards to keep things off the surfaces. I had additional shelves cut at Homebase to make storage easier in the large cupboards (I have lots of china & glass). I removed the door between the utility and the kitchen so the space flows & the utility sink is deep enough to take all the large oven trays. I also decided on eye level ovens with a view to the future when I might not want to be bending over a hot oven at floor level. A redesigned kitchen