kitchen questions.

[pawnhead]

(unless you want to get extravagant and put in a set of Blum corner drawers)

They just transfer the problem somewhere else.

[JDarvall]

Thanks to everyone for the good ideas. I'm still confused. Can't you blokes just agree. So I can just copy it, and make it easy for me. I don't really want to be origional, I just want it done..... so I can get some love from the misses, and then do something I really want to do.

The boss is on holidays at the moment, so I borrowed a couple of huge catalogs from his little library today. Full of all the gadgets and gizmos you guys being talking about. But its not making it any easier for me unfortunately.

I'll just try and keep it simple. My main concern is for my wifes weak back (and she doesn't bend her knees!)....So, I'll try and get her to agree to wall storage as much as possible. And the idea behind not having deep cubboards I like especially, so you can see everything and don't have to dig. Its all going to be dictated by how much I can spend anyhow.

Having said that, I reakon these things look clever. Thin tower thingo, to hold the commonly used stuff. Can see her liking that.

[jmk89]

Thanks to everyone for the good ideas. I'm still confused. Can't you blokes just agree. Of course not - where's the fun in that?So I can just copy it, and make it easy for me. I don't really want to be origional, I just want it done..... so I can get some love from the misses, and then do something I really want to do.

The boss is on holidays at the moment, so I borrowed a couple of huge catalogs from his little library today. Full of all the gadgets and gizmos you guys being talking about. But its not making it any easier for me unfortunately. Fraid you just have to design it yorself - just remember to try to keep it so that it is one step from the sink to the stove to the bench to the ink (ie they make a triangle of about 1m sides) Aside from that just make some judgement calls on what makes sense to you and see what the reaction from the missus is.

I'll just try and keep it simple. My main concern is for my wifes weak back (and she doesn't bend her knees!)....So, I'll try and get her to agree to wall storage as much as possible. And the idea behind not having deep cubboards I like especially, so you can see everything and don't have to dig. Its all going to be dictated by how much I can spend anyhow.

Having said that, I reakon these things look clever. Thin tower thingo, to hold the commonly used stuff. Can see her liking that. We decided on them and they work really well, even if they are a bit exxy.

Just trying to help!!

[arose62]

"Secret" drawers in some of the kick panels. Also useful for storing instruction manuals.

Like this:
http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_bas...k_Drawers.html

when googling "toe kick drawer" works better than "kick panel" - I'm not in the kitchen game, so feel free to correct my terminology.

Cheers,
Andrew

[JDarvall]

Thanks Jeremy and Andrew.

[RufflyRustic]

Hi Jake,

Have you had a chance to sit in the kitchen and chat to your wife one night while she's cooking dinner, quietly watching how she works in the space? What drawers/cupboards does she use the most etc etc etc?

Cheers
Wendy

[jmk89]

Hi Jake,

Have you had a chance to sit in the kitchen and chat to your wife one night while she's cooking dinner, quietly watching how she works in the space? What drawers/cupboards does she use the most etc etc etc?

Cheers
Wendy

A very good idea, Wendy.

[JDarvall]

Hi Jake,

Have you had a chance to sit in the kitchen and chat to your wife one night while she's cooking dinner, quietly watching how she works in the space? What drawers/cupboards does she use the most etc etc etc?

Cheers
Wendy

I like that Wendy.

After work I sit in there while she's making tea and we talk....

She mostly moves from fridge to bench beside stove and cutting board. From that bad corner next to the over she gets her pots. Its always a mess in there. Hard to get to. So that what I think should be focused on mainly.

I think she also wants a fly away cabinet. We're playing with the idea of putting a couple of fly screened doors over the old fireplace, with a couple of shelves behind. Cool in there. Good for storing some food I'd say.

Here's another picture . I quite like drawing on photos.

[RufflyRustic]

Hi Jake

So, Fridge close to the main work bench, improved pot & pan storage, and maybe sink in the middle - yep, there's that magic triangle thing again.

Something else to keep in mind. Having benchtop space available either side of the cooktop is very handy as well.
I personally, will never put drawers under the sink drainer sides again. I can't get to mine when someone is using the sink and if they are open, the contents get splashed.

Great idea for the old fireplace!

cheers
Wendy

[JDarvall]

Good ideas theres Wendy. I never really gave that much thought before. I'll mention it to Es.

Thanks.

[Pops]

Could not have said it better myself Wendy. All three points I agree with verily. Great minds etc., eh. My friends also said the same when they designed their kitchen.

They had the rubbish bin under the sink drainer with a door that pulled the bin out when you opened it. That was good for the scraps.

Happy pondering Jake.

Cheers
Pops

[scottyb]

Couple of things I found very useful in my last 2 kitchens:
1. Narrow (150mm) but tall (700) mm slide out rack adjacent to the sink to hold all the detergents, cleaning bottles, etc. These things are brilliant compared to rummaging around a shelf under the sink.
2. A small appliance cupboard to hold the toaster, kettle, coffee, tea, etc. Preferably with a light on a microswitch that turns on when the door is opened and a 4 outlet power point inside (sometimes even 4 is not enough)

[Bleedin Thumb]

One feature I like about my kitchen is that I have a beer cupboard specifically for storing of beer bottles...even though the wife thinks its where shopping bags should be stored

[ian]

Jake

my 2 cents worth

Layout
the clasic layout is a triangle with the fridge – preparation area – cooking area at the points
no more than two steps from one to another

bench height
what SWMBO finds most comfortable and bugger any "standard"
I've seen kitchens where the cook top was lower than the surrounding bench so that "the little woman" can see into a pot on the rear burner — my wife has a preference for our front burners precisely because of this

you can't have too many drawers — I like full extension slides because it's then easy to get to the things at the back of the drawer

deep shelves with stuff stacked on them are the pits

two or three of the drawers should be "dentist drawers" very shallow so the cuttlery and utensils don't build up into deep drifts

for the pantry tall and narrow (or shallow) is the way to go

the every day crockery can be stored on a plate rack rather than a cupboard

don't forget a space to store the rolls of al foil, cling wrap, baking sheet, etc, plus space for plastic bags
and space to store the cake tiuns and baking trays

where will the microwave go — on the bench, a wall under the bench

lighting where, what type and how bright



construction
moisture resistant chip board is probably much easier and faster than timber — almost certainly even cheaper if you buy pre cut flat pack carcasses that you assemble yourself.

gut the old and install the new all in one day?
who are you kidding?
moving the stove / sink / fridge and repairing / patching the floor once you moved the something
think about locating power points where you need them — we have one near the stove so that we can use an electric mixer to beat stuff on the stove
how many power points will you need for the toaster, kettle, coffee machine, kitchen radio, mix master, etc


for ideas
trawl the web sites of Blum, www.blum.com.au
Lee Valley (for example http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/pa...722,43723&ap=1 ) and others

here's Blum's way of dealing with dead corners




ian

[journeyman Mick]

...................here's Blum's way of dealing with dead corners.................

Which is quite expensive and leaves you with a dead corner behind the drawers and one on either side. I try to make a corner cupboard 900 x 900 which makes it a reasonably useable space. Or you could go 800 x 800 and fit a plastic lazy susan unit for about $90 (Hafele or Hettich, can't remember which) or spend more for a metal one.

Mick