About to order new kitchen - any last minute changes/ideas?

2 years ago

last modified: 2 years ago

So far all the advice I've had has been invaluable, so thank you everyone.

We're just about to place our order with DIY kitchens for our kitchen and bar area, it's going to be Inframe Helmsey, Dove grey for wall units and Cobham Blue for the island. Floor is going to be limestone. Thinking a antique mirror backsplash to help bring the outside in.

Anyone got any ideas/changes, open to all ideas, little touches like staggering things to add more detail etc.

Floorplan:

Renders:

The colours are off as anyone thats seen a dove grey kitchen from DIY actually looks more like this:

https://static.diy-kitchens.com/assets/images/kitchen_review_images/2463/large/1.jpg

I've tried using the oak in places where there's glazing and the bar area to tie the two and introduce a bit of interest.

We want the chairs to curve round the island so there's the ability to sit across each other and not in a line. Also gives more flexibility in the morning (sit at the side and watch tv etc).

The bar area is where the wine cooler will be and effectively the "drinks station".

Would love to hear your thoughts/any ideas!

Edit: To give an idea of real space, this is it's current state - annoyingly I couldn't get it all in one shot:

There's two roof lanterns in the extension part which when not covered up will bring a good amount of light in.

Featured Answer

Nathan B
Original Author

2 years ago

last modified: 2 years ago

So the amazing Karen at OnePlan has given our kitchen a bit of a shake up. We love it and thought we'd share the final outputs!

The handles on the render we couldn't match exactly )they'll be round with rectangular back plates)

What do people think? A small improvement over my "DIY" version , right?

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Comments (25)

Jonathan
2 years ago
I think this is looking pretty good but on a practical level needs some tweaks.

I think it would be more practical to move the dishwasher to the left of the sink (think about emptying it- in its current position you will be forever walking around the open door but if you move it most storage will be on one side.)

I would move the bin next to the sink so that veg that gets washed and peeled and dirty diner plates can all be dealt with in the same area.

I might think about getting rid of the wall cupboards on the sink wall - there appears to be loads of storage elsewhere and fewer cabinets helps make it feel less like a fitted kitchen and more like furniture. (Which seems appropriate to the style you have chosen.)

I think you will have to add cabinets to the back of the island to support the worktop. This may not be much more expensive than the panels you seem to be planning.

You could argue that since no one is going to see the open shelves on the end of the island (because it is facing away from sitting, dining, the entrance and the main working area in the kitchen) the display shelves won’t be seen and a cupboard might be more useful.

I think it’s odd to have a 200 cabinet on one side of the hob and a 150 on the other. I think it looks cleaner and more contemporary to have matching cabinets- could you instead have three 800wide cabinets each with a drawer and two pull outs?

I would move all of your cutlery storage to the island so it’s all together.

I notice the plan has two ovens but no obvious microwave- given the rest of the plan looks high end it would be a pity to have a microwave on the counter- is it worth considering adding a third oven tower with a combination oven/microwave and warming drawer so that your microwave lines up with your ovens?

Personally I would have chosen an integrated Fridge, integrated Freezer and then a larder cupboard because I think the look is higher end, the appliances better and I feel that one big cupboard larder is better than two small ones.
Nathan B
Original Author
2 years ago
Thanks for the feedback Jon!

Dishwasher to the left of the sink and bin to the right

We've umm'd and ahh'd about this one, our thought process is having the bin on the island as it's going to be our natural preparation zone, so yes may clean veg in sink but then it'll go onto the island to prepare. Waste can be swiped straight into the open bin. Do you think this won't work?

Wall Cupboards - less fitted more furniture

I know exactly what you mean, I just don't know how it would work and I couldn't find any good examples (i.e to steal) with the L shaped kitchen and island. I've played with having none on the run but then the oven and a few wall cabinets end quite abruptly. It also doesn't help that there's nothing interesting on that wall, no windows, features or anything. I'm not disregarding this one as I agree, I just don't know how we would execute, so if you've got any examples/ideas that'd be great.

Island: Cabinets back of island, 200/150 cabinet and cutlery storage

Reinforcement from cabinets won't be necessary as the carpenter is building a quick frame to take the weight, we also need to leave a large space for the extractor fan.

I agree on the 200/150 cabinets, will take a look to see if there's a better plan there

We were thinking of having the island wide unit for cooking cutlery/pans and then the one near the oven for plates and table cutlery, as it's closest (direct line) to where the table will be - again do you disagree with the flow on that?

Microwave / Integrated fridge/freezer

The original plan was to go for a Miele steam and conventional oven on the left and a microwave oven on the right, unfortunately they don't do a full size oven with a microwave! I love the idea of having a third unit but don't really want to lose work surface space (that corner is going to be the coffee machine zone) I also have to be conscious about cost as this project is already 30% over budget :eek: and if we start adding more towers in , it'll easily add ££££.

The reason for going american is because we like having the filtered water and ice dispensers - we've already got our boiling tap and it doesn't include a filtration system so it's too late to change that. It's also more economical as half decent fully integrated fridge and freezer would come in more expensive a decent american version.
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Jonathan
2 years ago
I don’t think the area to the side of the hob is as big as the area to the right of the sink so I think you might well prep there.

Miele are not the only brand of appliance. Siemens do a microwave in a full sized oven.

You might decide the cost of cabinets on the back of the island is similar to the carpenters solution but gives you storage.

You can often get an economy with integrated fridges by buying two 70/30 fridge freezers rather than a full sized fridge and full sized freezer. And American style fridge may still be cheaper but it’s looks polarize opinion.

And I think there are lots of kitchen images where they have used fewer wall cabinets.
Ellie
2 years ago
Agree with everything Jonathan said, particularly the removal of the wall units, I think the bridging unit is very dated above the sink. Microwave can go inside a cupboard. Definitely hide the big fridge/freezer. All these to me will make your kitchen look much better.
Nathan B
Original Author
2 years ago
All the photos you shared there Jon have windows on that wall or a fireplace. We have neither on our walls.

I've tried making it work but I just don't think it does:
Penny Daw
2 years ago
Just a point to mention. Not sure is NEFF do steam ovens but I have two ovens. Conventional oven, fan, grill and microwave.
Helen C
2 years ago
I agree with Jonathan but a few points
Most definitely remove cabs above sink. Too many. Even an open shelf with your decorative items would be better.

Open fridges are a personal choice which I like so go for what you like but I would maybe bring it in line with the island so they square off nicer.

I agree dishwasher by sink or bin is a must. I also put my bin by prep area and hob as that’s just how i prefer to cook and as I have my hob in the island I don’t want to spend my time prepping looking at a wall.

Looks lovely - lucky you!
Helen C
2 years ago
This is how I’d do the wall above sink
duft5541
2 years ago
If this was my kitchen I'd have all the tall units and fridge along the right wall and then have lots of drawer base units where the current fridge is. Loose the wall units above the sink run and have the island and a long strip of base units opposite each other. Would look stunning! Sure it will anyway.
duft5541
2 years ago
Saying that,I also have wall units in my DIY kitchen but mine is a lot smaller
sunshineband34
2 years ago
If you go along with duft5541’s idea (which I really like) you could also add a corner unit like the below to transition between the two. I think these look fab! Assuming you have enough space on the right for your ovens and fridge of course! Having said that your plan does look good and I think it will look fab whatever you choose.

https://www.diy-kitchens.com/kitchen-units/tall-corner/walk-in-larder/
rinked
2 years ago
Agree with the upper unit overload, here's a solution where you can still have leds built in:

Siemens and Bosch have some nice steam ovens (that can bake without steam as well) and a large oven micro combination. Neff has two types of steam ovens (one full steam, the other a regular oven with moist option, so to speak) but the micro oven is only available in 45cm height. You'd need a plate heater with that, or a faux one (glass inset, found online).

And I agree, both vertical drawers should be the same width. Or removed, but I do like'm as the hold bottles of oil and vinegar so well.
Nathan B thanked rinked
Nathan B
Original Author
2 years ago
Annoyingly DIY Kitchens don't do the walk in larder with the Inframe range!

They're also pretty restricted to different height wall units, aka, they don't do a shelf unit that's stepped up.

Another pitfall i've found when completely removing the wall units on that back wall is there's a soil pipe (which can't be moved due to steels) running down it, so it stands out like a sore thumb, it's somewhat hidden when there's a tall unit at the end of the run though.

So annoying as I could really see the potential of the de-cluttered option just execution is seeming impossible. Nice suggestion rinked, I've modelled it below (with the addition of a curved end unit):

I've also modelled another version of the wall cabinet overload but this time with the sink centered, so the weighting left and right works better (by moving the dishwasher as per Jon's suggestion) and also adding the contrasting blue to the bar area:

I've also removed the middle shelf wall unit from the bar area as we decided we'd want to put shelves up and maybe some nice decor items, so looks sparce on here but shouldn't be IRL.

Thanks for the tips on the Siemens ovens btw, I like the IQ700 range and will go for those as they have plenty of features and reasonably priced (esp compared to Miele).
Nathan B
Original Author
2 years ago
Wall units aside a second, do people think the oak wrap-around works on the island?

Thinking is it separates the cooking space, adds a natural/warmer material to the seating bit (also warmer to lean on etc - overthinking this much?) and maybe ties the oak accents of the kitchen and bar area together?

It's a big room so conscious that maybe without things like this it'll be a sea of white and grey?

Here's another version (without the blue bar area)
Jonathan
2 years ago
I like the oak but the proportions are wrong. Try making it twice as deep and having less quartz on the island
Nathan B
Original Author
2 years ago
I've extended it as much as possible on their tool which is 45cm and centered the hob which seems to work pretty well. Also tweaked the units on the left to include the oak accents.
PRO
OnePlan
2 years ago
Hi - bit late to the party - sorry ! But just popping on to say you don’t seem to have any decor end panels anywhere?! You’ll need those on this range as the fascia is longer than the cabinets, so looks odd without them .
Most regulars on Houzz forum will know what I’m about to say next - please be careful with seating behind a hob - hot slashes can cause burns.
Nathan B
Original Author
2 years ago
Thanks OnePlan - what do you mean by decor end panels? Where you thinking?
Ref splashed behind the hob, we’re going to have a down draft extractor on the island which pops up behind it - so should be okay!
What do you think about the rest of it, oak around the island or not?
PRO
OnePlan
2 years ago
They are the additional panels that you add onto the side of a wall unit or base using ( or tall unit) that matches the door colour - for this rage they are slightly longer to cover the frame that would otherwise be exposed ( I design lots and lots for people buying Helmsley ) they are 20mm thick so when you add a few in - you will realise it soon adds up.
Nathan B
Original Author
2 years ago
This is our end panel product list - there's a fair few on there, or are we missing more?
PRO
OnePlan
2 years ago
Ah - my apologies- I couldn’t see any in the plan ! As long as you have them - should be ok !
Nathan B
Original Author
2 years ago
No worries - had me worried!
K Dennis
2 years ago
Your new plan looks stunning! I love the framing over the sink area.
Designer Bathroom Store
2 years ago
Great, But neet to some improvments.