Help on various kitchen decisions before ordering next week!
Heather
5 years ago
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Heather
5 years agoHeather
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Please help with kitchen decisions!!
Comments (160)Hi, the feet are on all of the cabinets at the end of every run when we hit an appliance or just came to the end of the run. Some of the photos up thread were taken before the feet had been added since they were literally the last thing to go on. We actually used the ikea deco strip to create the moulding but we didn't use it the way Ikea anticipate. We fixed it sideways. It is supposed to be fixed the other way around but that look would have been too "modern" for this kitchen. If I was designing the kitchen again I wouldn't bother with the ikea deco strips and would have used pre cut wooden moulding and then painted it. This would have enabled me to have slightly deeper moulding at the ceiling line. At the time of ordering the kitchen I didn't know that we would find an exact paint match for the ramsjo range though. The wooden worktops were incredibly good value IMO. They are american black walnut (butcher block) and are from wood and beyond here worktops This thread doesn't show it but at the same time as doing the kitchen we did the adjoining snug and the large utility room. In the utility room I used the ikea walnut worktop which was ridiculously cheap because it's not solid walnut. There is no way you could ever know it isn't solid though unless you installed it. Its perfectly good. ikea karlby worktop The flooring is my big mistake with this kitchen. As the thread shows, this wasn't originally going to be a complete kitchen refit and it spiralled out of control somewhat. The flooring was being replaced due to a water leak and we went for laminate due to cost. Its from kaindl and as laminate goes its decent stuff with bevelled edges, narrow planks and texture matched finish BUT it was a mistake. It looks great and when you tell people its laminate they have to get down really close to tell but it damages very easily and is scratched, particularly underneath the kitchen table where the kids scrape the chairs in and out (even with felt pads on the feet). If you drop anything on it and it chips thats a problem. This wouldn't have been a problem with wood. I've never had laminate before and hadn't realised it would be this difficult to live with but I wouldn't do it again, I would bite the bullet and install the hardwood. The big benefit of the laminate was that we could have underfloor heating mats which are nice in the winter. The lighting is from Jim Lawrence. The style is called Ava. I love the lighting too and the shape of the glass echos the shapes in the wallpaper. pendant lights The kitchen table was our old ikea oak table which we'd had for ten years. we stained the top in dark walnut and painted the legs white to match the cabinetry. I haven't got a precise figure for everything but in total with the appliances and with the snug and also the large utility room included (which in itself has 14 cabinets) flooring and the decorating in each of those rooms and a hallway, plus new glazed doors through to the hallway and the dining room we spent about £15,000 (a big chunk of this on lovely ikea interest free credit though!). This includes all labour, fitter, plumber (we changed out two radiators for a nicer style), electrician, decorator. We could have saved further money by doing some of the installation ourselves and doing our own decorating (but then it would probably have resulted in selling the house due to divorce!)...See MoreHelp In which order please ??
Comments (6)I would completely agree with the comments above! We started a major renovation 6 months ago and got a concept planner / interior designer on board right at the start and it was the best thing we could possibly have done. She helped us work with structural engineers and an architect to get what we needed for the builders, but helped us avoid going down a very expensive route with an architect involving having a full survey (just a scale drawing of the whole house that they wanted before they'd do the drawing of what we needed) Our concept planner / interior designer helped us look at the space and maximise what we had (not get carried away about adding lots of bits as Man About The House mentions above). She provided different options for layouts and flow of how the space would be used and really challenged our thinking (in a very positive way!) She was also an absolute life saver in terms of helping us understand what to do when and in what order with all the different trades- I would never have known how early on in the process you needed a lighting plan, never mind how to create one and in what format to give to an electrician! She saved us large amounts of money by providing lighting plans and carpentry specifications, so we knew exactly what we needed and could give a proper brief to the different trades, rather than changing bits midway through, which is when the budget tends to creep up and out of control. She also got amazing trade discounts and passed them all onto us, which made a big difference to our costs- everything from the kitchen to underfloor heating and right through to doors and lighting! Just worth mentioning that our interior designer was able to offer the concept planning service, including all 3D images and video tours but then in addition all of the advice on colour plans and interior fixtures and fittings. This is quite a personal choice and you may only want the concept planning- for a small extra amount (which we definitely got back through all the trade discounts and accurate specs to give to trades) we chose to take the next step up to interior designer as I wanted to make sure that everything 'pulled together'. I had seen to many super practical schemes that looked just a little bit 'flat' and I wasn't confident I had the skills to pull the whole look together without a bit of help! More than anything we have had someone super knowledgeable and helpful on hand 24/7 (quite literally!) for any and every silly little question or wobble that I had. She's made the whole process enjoyable and taken away a lot of the anxiety and uncertainty of decisions. She's also stopped me making a lot of rookie mistakes :) Just to give you an idea in onr part of the house she's helped us achieve; we started with three separate rooms and have ended up with one large kitchen / diner / pantry. We'd never done anything more than a bit of decorating before and whilst I'm sure we'd have got done without her help, I'm 100% sure it would have cost us a lot more money, it wouldnt have been half as much fun and it definitely wouldn't look how it looks now! Hope it helps! Best wishes, Claire...See MoreLighting decision....help
Comments (15)Hi Sam, I have been through the exact same trauma as we are doing a big project with a stupidly small budget. I'm no expert, but by trial and error, this is what I have found... 2700k warm white bulbs give the closest light to halogen - but a much cleaner light. Totally agree that one company's 2700k is not the same as another!... which is a headache! Also some with the wrong CRI value can make you look like zombie when under them and make your vegetables look insipid when you are cooking... We settled on Philips 2700k bulbs in our downlights and are very happy with them (not too yellow but comfortably warm). We bought standard downlight cans and fitted the bulbs in... We have also used Scolmore Click Inceptor Micro downlights (2700k) in some places as we had shallow void ceilings there. They have integrated bulbs and are really good value but a lot warmer- a lot more of a yellowy light. I have used 3000k fittings for our accent lights (shower niches etc) which balance out the light temperature when they are all on together (hope that makes sense?) Also have Arrow Electrical 3000k integrated fittings in the corners of our hall which make the hall feel too cold but when the central pendant (halogen bulbs) is on then looks great in balance. If you have the budget there are some great fittings out there to choose from - you do get what you pay for on this one, but this is the best I found in our circumstances. Hope it helps you rule a few out/in. Good luck!...See MoreKitchen layout advise please - final decisions????
Comments (13)I would lose the wooden counter top and pull out larder. Put the hob next door but one to the sink with an extractor above. This will break up the run of wall units. Also think about when you are cooking pasta, filling up a saucepan with water and then draining it. You don't need to cross the room. Where you going to put bin, dishwasher and microwave? I would agree you need more drawers. I love my new pan drawers they hold alot. But my pull out larder does not and things fall down the back all the time. Also when you are taking something out of the oven, where are you going to put it? I never understand why designers put oven and fridges next to one another....See MoreHeather
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