North-facing Kitchen Design Help

last year

Hi everyone. Just after some advice as we have been going round and round in circles with our kitchen design. I have attached photos of our kitchen at present and here is a little background:

- Moved in 3 years ago and have lived with the kitchen for a bit too long!

- Flagstone floor which we will get restored (with a matt finish).

- Stove dating from 1790 when the property was built (a detached property with six flats). Obviously keeping this but it has made the design process a little tricky as essentially lose an entire wall.

- Kitchen is north facing and therefore gets absolutely no sunlight. Will have a window seat with storage underneath.

We want to make the most of the wall space we have available but not use the portion of the wall where we currently have the sink in order to free up as much useable floor space for a table by the window, and to make the most of the high ceilings (2.8m). Hence the arrival at an L-shaped kitchen, with wall units right up to the ceiling. We are on a tight budget and therefore will be using IKEA, but we will be installing a Minerva worktop.

I have attached images showing our existing layout, and proposed plans and elevations, and also a zoom in on the axonometric and the following questions are linked to the numbers marked:

1. Need a cover panel here but IKEA cover panels have a max height of 240cm – we need 260cm so there will be a join ideally in line with the wall cabinets – any alternative solution to this?

2. 400mm height wall units – proposing to have these opening vertically – good/bad idea?

3. Corner is currently inaccessible with the drawers – trying to maximise drawer space over cupboard space – is this a good idea? Could reconfigure with 600mm drawers but thought a 400mm cupboard to access space in the corner would be unusable. Basically, is having more drawer space a better idea?

4. Extractor – gone for an integrated as wanted to have no break in wall units – good or bad idea?

5. Proposed a small shelf to the rear of the worktop which would be tiled as we are reducing the amount of worktop compared to the current, and wanted to maximise useable space for small items that would usually clutter up the worktop e.g condiments, kitchen roll, etc. Any thoughts on this? Anyone ever seen this, and if so, what depth/height would you suggest, and did it work/look good in reality?

6. Kitchen is 4.8m wide, and due the cabinet widths of IKEA, will always have about 150mm to fill along the width. Do you think where we have shown the filler panel is the most suitable location, or would it be better behind the oven (bearing in mind the wall units need something to attach to if we were to have the filler panel here)?

7. Worktop depth – as far as we’re aware, Minerva (with the integrated sink) only comes as 650mm deep. However, IKEA cover panels are max 600mm deep (needed for fridge and oven units), meaning our fitter would have to shave 50mm off the worktop. Is it doable for a good fitter?

8. Currently proposing this as open as only 200mm – would a 200mm pull-out cabinet be practical given the position in the corner?

We also have a few general questions:

- What colour of units would anyone recommend for a north facing kitchen, with a dark grey stone floor, and would you recommend matt or gloss? We have been going back and forward between green/grey (BODARP) or white, but is one too dark, and the other too stark? Would just be interesting to know what colours/finishes people would recommend based on experience.

- Microwave – integrated or not? Could replace the double oven with a single oven and combi microwave oven.

- Considering going for push open for all wall units – what are thoughts on this?

- Base units/appliances – would we be better with handles or grooves?

- Lighting – would warm or cool lighting work best in a north facing kitchen?

And finally, interesting to hear people’s thoughts in general please?

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

Juliet Docherty
last year
I'm in the middle of something right now, so can post later, but for now, I have an Ikea Kitchen and brought the units out to create a shelf. I would do it again in a heartbeat, saw it in Sebastien Conran's kitchen and thought it was very useful - it is. I have since retiled with teracotta tiles as our space also North facing. When light is scare, add warmth.
Kate Fitzpatrick thanked Juliet Docherty
PRO
Caldicot Kitchen & Bathroom Centre
last year
Some brief responses to your various questions:

1. Need a cover panel here but IKEA cover panels have a max height of 240cm – we need 260cm so there will be a join ideally in line with the wall cabinets – any alternative solution to this? If you were able to identify the matching board, it might be possible to buy a larger panel through a different route - many are up to 3m long if bought from a panel distributor or the manufacturer. But that will be less likely with Ikea, assuming they are making their own.

2. 400mm height wall units – proposing to have these opening vertically – good/bad idea?

Hmmm, I'm in two minds here. I don't like side opening for short but wide doors, but your top boxes will be a nightmare to use if they are top hinged because of height. You could consider pinning the top box doors to the ones below & side mounting, such that they all open together.

3. Corner is currently inaccessible with the drawers – trying to maximise drawer space over cupboard space – is this a good idea? No, a bad idea - a lot of waster space. Go for a corner with pull out Le Mans. Will be similar price to the drawers, but you get to use the corner totally.

Could reconfigure with 600mm drawers but thought a 400mm cupboard to access space in the corner would be unusable. Basically, is having more drawer space a better idea? As above, use wireworks - they were designed for a reason!

4. Extractor – gone for an integrated as wanted to have no break in wall units – good or bad idea? Good idea - we do plenty of these! Consider also telescopic options and be SURE to check installation dimensions to be sure the extractor you pick will fit the wall unit - not all do!

5. Proposed a small shelf to the rear of the worktop which would be tiled as we are reducing the amount of worktop compared to the current, and wanted to maximise useable space for small items that would usually clutter up the worktop e.g condiments, kitchen roll, etc. Any thoughts on this? Anyone ever seen this, and if so, what depth/height would you suggest, and did it work/look good in reality? Yes, I've seen this done and it can be useful & effective. BUT we would normally step all the base units off the wall by that full amount, in which case you need to ensure the design of wall units takes this into account where you return around corners!

6. Kitchen is 4.8m wide, and due the cabinet widths of IKEA, will always have about 150mm to fill along the width. Do you think where we have shown the filler panel is the most suitable location, or would it be better behind the oven (bearing in mind the wall units need something to attach to if we were to have the filler panel here)? Personally I hate to see any wasted space in a kitchen. If you have at least 150mm width, I'd consider doing a full height wine rack or cookbook shelves instead. A competent fitter will fashion something for the price of an extra fitter panel or two and an hour or two's time.

7. Worktop depth – as far as we’re aware, Minerva (with the integrated sink) only comes as 650mm deep. However, IKEA cover panels are max 600mm deep (needed for fridge and oven units), meaning our fitter would have to shave 50mm off the worktop. Is it doable for a good fitter? I very rarely do this, but I must urge caution against using Minerva. It is one product we used for a number of jobs a few years back, but now we wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. We've seen multiple problems with batch colour matching, stains, heat, and crackling of sink bases with hot taps. The company was not good at supporting putting issues right, and we came to the conclusion that we were not comfortable offering it to our clients. There are better alternatives out there, and a good fabricator and keenly priced quartz will get close in price. While you can remove 50mm from the worktop, the product will get through blades rapidly, and it is harder to work with than laminates. We really would recommend proper fabricators for such products.

8. Currently proposing this as open as only 200mm – would a 200mm pull-out cabinet be practical given the position in the corner? No reason why not. A good German kitchen would probably offer you an 800x800 L shaped carousel unit as one way to handle this "tight" corner. Or if you can stretch to a 300w unit, I would.

- What colour of units would anyone recommend for a north facing kitchen, with a dark grey stone floor, and would you recommend matt or gloss? Possibly a steel or Spitfire blue or light green. I'd consider woodgrains too. Gloss or matt is a very personal choice, though certain colours can look better in one or the other.

We have been going back and forward between green/grey (BODARP) or white, but is one too dark, and the other too stark?

If white is too stark, a Limestone or Taupe might suit you.

- Microwave – integrated or not? Could replace the double oven with a single oven and combi microwave oven.

Single plus combi is a popular option - have a good look at the Samsung options which are jam packed with additional cooking features like Air Sous Vide, Air Fry and steam. Alternatively if you only use a microwave infrequently for relatively modest amounts (a plate, say) & reheating, consider a wall unit mounted one.

- Considering going for push open for all wall units – what are thoughts on this? Anything with a push mechanism will need periodic adjustment and some mechanisms are better than others. German handleless wall units are better designed with a "finger space" rail so need no tip-on mechanism

- Base units/appliances – would we be better with handles or grooves? Personal choice! If going handleless, you really can't beat true German kitchens or the Omega "flat" rail system.

- Lighting – would warm or cool lighting work best in a north facing kitchen? Neither - pick "natural" (in between) at about 4000 Kelvin.

And finally, interesting to hear people’s thoughts in general please? The design is a little lacking in symmetry for me and is quite "fussy", but given the limited unit options from Ikea, I kind of see why it is as it is. Be aware that IKEA use their own slightly strange "grid" system, so all sizes are pretty unique to them and them alone. Their carcasses are very basic, and I see more than the average number of customers looking to change IKEA kitchens a lot sooner than most other brands. If budgets are tight, you can get a good looking kitchen for not a lot - but with some careful design from an independent studio whose suppliers have more extensive ranges, you will probably get a much better looking kitchen that lasts longer for not a huge amount more. We could probably design a tidier layout that used far fewer overall units, but which delivered more usable space - to give an example, using German units, you could do extra-high wall units as single units, so no top boxes or triple-stacked units required!

Hope that all gives you a little food for thought. I would certainly do your homework and look at reviews for Minerva - only 1.9 stars on Trustpilot. Feel free to ask anything else and I'm sure we'll be happy to give our thoughts!

Caldicot Kitchens
Kate Fitzpatrick thanked Caldicot Kitchen & Bathroom Centre
Related Discussions
Colour for North facing kitchen
Q
Comments (3)
I think Blues are beautiful, and can create some really dramatic effects using just paint, colours on cupboards etc. I wouldn't worry about the natural light, if it's as bad as you say ( and we have a similar problem, you're going to have to think about artificial lighting as well. Therefore, under-counter, pendants over-head, plynth lighting etc. The type of bulb and colour of bulb can be controlled to give you anything from daylight white to warm whites, so make sure you get the lighting right and choose whatever colour you like, after all ,, kitchens are top ticket items and you usually have to live with them for a long time! Depending on the type of house, you may even have the possibility to add a light tunnel, they're fabulous!
...See More
What blue for my cabinet in north. Facing kitchen
Q
Comments (10)
I think the cheaper finish actually goes beautifully with the worksurface, but it's a very icy colour and will look very cold, if you mind that. I don't think the other colour will go so well - it's too pure a blue. + 1 for trying duck egg blue.
...See More
Help with kitchen colours/ design in north / north west facing room??!
Q
Comments (2)
Hi! We have a north facing kitchen/dining/living area with a patio facing west and a window on the east side. We went for a lighter colour (slipper satin) on the kitchen units as they are at the 'back' of the room (ie you enter the kitchen from the hallway, then the living/dining area is at the patio/garden end). It is a lovely soft off white and doesn't look cream because of the cooler light north facing rooms get. We opted for Drop Cloth (also F&B) on walls which a lot of people comment on as it looks nice and warm and not too dark nor too pale. Our accent colour on the island/kitchen peninsula is Railings as I have other dark blue accents in my furnishings. If you are going for Downpipe on the island, I would possibly go for Strong White on your units as Ammonite can look quite cold. I have used S White on both walls and woodwork in other areas of my home and love it. Farrow & Ball told me it suits north light well, as does Wimborne White - which is a lovely warm white. Have you tried a sample of it at all? As for the tiles, I much prefer the blanc ones, think they look more modern. I have attached pics of my kitchen and hallway (which has strong white). I also have an instagram page Dekko Bird you could see more pics on. Hope this helps a little! keira x
...See More
Lighting for north facing kitchen
Q
Comments (2)
Hi ! Just looking at your plans briefly - it’s clear that due to cabinetry on all four walls - you won’t get a very big table in there ! You mentioned no wall units due to having enough storage elsewhere - but - if you had wall cabinets storage and storage to the patio doors on the top wall - you could take off some perimeter cabinets to give room for a table that’s larger than ‘just’ a four seater one ? There’s a lot more that could be done with this space in my professional opinion. Re colours - in a north facing room if you chose ‘winter’ colours you will need to warm it up a tad with woods and other tricks like tactile accessories. Scandi style for example uses whites and pale greys warmed up with pale woods and real or faux animal fur on benches or seats to add warmth ... Alternatively brilliant white cabinetry on pale Egyptian Cotton walls can look great too and is warmer than most grey toned paint . re lighting - if this drawings is true and it’s a flat extension then lighting could be LEDs in ceiling throughout - but if the new part is a vaulted ceiling then cable lighting might work or stronger LEDs higher up could also work but there will be a shadow line where the change in height happens. ... To summarise, this is ok - could be better and if worked on by someone with more of a ‘design driven’ background - time could be spent trying different colours for you and looking at lighting options and the table would be included in the drawings to show you what space you actually end up with ... you could see what it could look like in a more real image. If you click on my name or icon it will take to to my pro page with some past projects that might give you an idea of the difference a design done purposely for you, with no other agenda, could make. ( then send it to all the online retailers and builders merchants etc to compare like for like on their prices )
...See More
Jonathan
last year
I’m going to echo a lot of the earlier points. I think having a shelf like Colourhappy is very useful although I can’t help feeling it looks better in a kitchen with no wall cabinets and for you an extra deep worktop might be better.
I agree that some of the budget brands only have a wall cabinet internal depth of about 25cm. Since most diner plates are bigger than this and since you are having something extra deep below I would try to find a deeper wall cabinet.
I agree that ikea is not the only budget friendly way of buying this kitchen- many independent kitchen showrooms can help- you might well find an extra deep base cabinet choice too lots of manufacturers will make a base cabinet that is 700mm deep.

Kitchen design- personally I think the oven placement crowds the door and a straight run suits this space better. If you had deeper cabinets top and bottom and a deep worksurface then you will likely end up with more storage than you are planning anyway.

Personally I think you should plan a bigger space between the sink and hob because this is where most of the preparation happens.

I think you should consider if you will ever be able to access the top cupboards and if you might be better leaving it open and using the saved money for good lighting.

Don’t forget to plan your bin- it’s a pity to have a freestanding one in a very minimalist design.
Kate Fitzpatrick thanked Jonathan
Kate Fitzpatrick
Original Author
last year
Thanks so much Jonathan, Caldicot Kitchens and Colourhappy for taking the time to get back to me. Lots of food for though!

North-facing Kitchen Design Help

Comments (4)

Juliet Docherty

Caldicot Kitchen & Bathroom Centre

Related Discussions

Jonathan

Kate Fitzpatrick
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

North-facing Kitchen Design Help

Comments (4)

Juliet Docherty

Caldicot Kitchen & Bathroom Centre

Related Discussions

Jonathan

Kate FitzpatrickOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Kate Fitzpatrick
Original Author