Family kitchen /living rooms dos and don'ts

[goldilocks]

If you have the same (or very similar) flooring inside and out - (or lay a deck in the same direction as the inside flooring if you go for wood) it will make the spaces look more joined up. Bear in mind though that over time the colours will end up being different as the sun tends to fade the outside.

We have a side return extension with a glass roof (not skylights) - its beautiful, but the one thing I wish we'd don't differently is install some lighting on that side of the room. Its great in the daytime, but can be a little dark when there is no natural light

[ladyruskin]

The Americans have gone some way towards solving the tupperware issue with these: http://www.rubbermaid.com/Category/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?CatName=FoodStorage&Prod_ID=RP091258&Redirect=1

It does mean a little investment, but the problem of opening a cupboard and having countless lids/pots fall out is much reduced.

I think you could probably get them on eBay or Amazon

[supergolden88]

ladyruskin I think I love you

[ladyruskin]

supergolden88 they have changed my life!

[buggie]

sb Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> One of my favourite things is our larder cupboard.

> We got ours from this company and here's an

> example of one:

> http://www.higham.co.uk/winchmorehillkitchen.htm

Oh my that is a beautiful cupboard **takes link & runs over to Pinterest!**

[snowboarder]

We did a side return extension in our old house, and I pondered for ages on whether to make the back living area and kitchen one space or keep a knocked through larger reception room. In the end we went for the latter, and so just had a kitchen diner side return extension. It was quite tight but worked really well - we had a big storage wall with a TV that we liked having (as opposed to others views!). I've attached some photos from my friend who helped us with the drawings' web site - their are other schemes on his site with more generous spaces that might act as inspiration....http://www.russellhuntarchitects.co.uk/Silvester.pdf

[nunheadmum]

On the actual kitchen, the best thing I did was not to go with standard heights - we made the work surfaces a little lower seeing as I'm a bit of a titch. Also the wall cupboards and oven were brought a few inches lower so that I wasn't constantly having to stretch up / could see things at eye level. Got to be careful it doesn't look like a dwarf's kitchen but a few inches makes a difference.

We also used IKEA's taller wall cupboards - lots of storage space!

[supergolden88]

Yes I have same problem. Not sure whether to install cupboards after certain height as only way to access them would be via a ladder...

Project starts MONDAY (now freaking out and panicking)

[Belle]

Oh Snowboarder, those pics made me nostalgic!

[nunheadmum]

Yes, our little steps get plenty of use in our house! Useful to have the higher space though for those things that don't come out so often.

[snowboarder]

Belle - I know!! That house = fun times, even if we didn't know it then!!

[supergolden88]

Well the project is now officially underway and old kitchen has been ripped out. We are camping it out in the living room - ironically a better (temporary) kitchen that the actual kitchen ever was.

A very specific question re: kitchen islands. Yes? No? Do you love or hate them?

I am in two minds. I don't like the permanence of it but it makes sense in terms of maximising counter space etc. Photos very welcome.

[ladyruskin]

I don't have space for a kitchen island but have you thought about a moveable one if you don't like the idea of a permanent one?

http://www.pinterest.com/explore/portable-kitchen-island/

[supergolden88]

Yes it is an option but they tend to be smaller - more of a table or butchers block than actual island.

Photo: my kitchen yesterday

[RoLo1]

A great option for an island is on butlers online - great size and good quality. Granite top (could be awapped to another if that doesn't fit), but worth a look!

[amydown]

Love love love our kitchen island. Instead of having the island in the middle, we had it attached to the wall to maximise floor space for our table.

[alieh]

It really depends on the shape of your room, I think. You want to make sure there is lots of clearance around it - you can read guidelines online for how much space you should retain for circulation around an island. Our room is more long and narrow than square so we've gone for more of a "peninsula" like the photo above, but still with double depth worktops. Can't tell you if I like it or not yet because the bl%^dy project is still underway (4 months over and counting.....grrrrrr).

[supergolden88]

The room will be largely square shaped. I still cant picture it until they clear everything and tear down the walls. The kitchen was so small before - I realised it was actually smaller than the bathroom even with all units taken out!

[alieh]

I would draw it out and ideally you'd have at least 1 m clear around all sides of the island, with potentially more like 1.2 m between the island and the other row of units if you want to have 2 cooks working at the same time (i.e. someone at the island and someone at the other row of units). Not sure if that makes sense! It can be so useful to mark out the space with chalk or tape, even outside on the grass, as it will give you an idea of what you'll end up with.

[supergolden88]

If you fancy taking a look I have written a post about surviving a kitchen renovation on my blog. We are now into our 4th month...

http://www.supergoldenbakes.com/2014/12/how-to-survive-installing-new-kitchen.html

[scareyt]

Sb that cupboard is so beautiful I might cry.

Also on the what not to do question, having recently been invaded by mice, I would add to make sure the kitchen fitters don't leave handy gaps between floorboards and skirting / around pipes & wires etc for mice to use as super-highways, and then hide them behind fitted cupboards to make it impossible the block the holes! I spent a few fun evenings lying on my stomach on the kitchen floor stuffing wire wool and grip fill into various gaps hidden behind the kick boards that could easily have been sealed when the kitchen was fitted if they had done a good job. I would also never have a dark colour kitchen counter again, ours is almost black, and carefully examining it from various angles each morning for a while to check for new mouse droppings was not a fun experience....

[supergolden88]

Oooh good point! I will mention it to our project manager. The units have arrived but not fitted yet.

[supergolden88]

Help! I need to choose some paving stones to go just outside the large kitchen doors. Had chosen tumbled limestone but now not too sure! Anyone can recommend something that will look nice, not be too slippery and wears well? Thanks in advance!

[supergolden88]

If anyone wants to take a peek into my finished kitchen there's a small write up here. It has been a year since the project was completed and it has really changed our lives for the better! Totally worth the dust and anguish http://ao.com/life/home/inspiration/kitchen-makeovers-contemporary-shaker/

[scareyt]

Wow that's beautiful! I now have serious kitchen envy.... And it looks so clean!