As most of you know, our house is undergoing a substantial repair & renovation.
For various reasons the existing 1980’s kitchen was completely removed
Here’s the before, on the morning it was all removed -

And here’s the after –

Here’s a diagram of the empty room as it is now.

Here’s a rough diagram of how it looked. The fridge and oven were not very well placed, because if anyone was going through the door next to them the path would be blocked. The rest of it was pretty much okay. The empty area on the right was where the kitchen table was placed. Nothing special, just a table.

My idea is to still have the large bench space, but have them along the walls and not stick out on the ends like they did previously.

I have that large table in pieces down in the shed, it was free so we’re not married to it being there.

The sink has to go in the same place due to the drain plumbing but everything else is flexible.

I was going to get another dishwasher, identical to the existing one, and fit those two a few hundred millimetres to the right of the sink.
The area that previously had the fridge & oven would just be a bench & storage area. We have a decent pantry behind where the cooktop used to sit so storage isn’t a huge problem.

I was thinking that the fridge might be good where the old cooktop used to go, with the oven next to it a bit further down the bench.

The remainder of the bench past the oven just a plain bench, with the cooktop at the bottom length of the bench.

The cupboards under the benches we’d like to have slide-out instead of just a door. Depending on how much storage space we need we’ll add cupboards above the bench(es) where they won’t be in the way and they’ll have plain doors.

Also – The old slate floor is being removed and cream-ish coloured porcelain tiles laid down. The kitchen, laundry, pantry, and four bedrooms will all have the same tile. It’s also very likely that we’ll pull the slate up for other areas in the house to make it more uniform and a bit brighter.

So.
Any suggestions or tips please.

We’re also considering this company to make the various cabinets we need. They seem quite flexible.

https://www.goflatpacksqld.com.au

I personally don’t like island or cross benches, but I have seen a nifty way to make it possible to have them sometimes. A section of the bench is on castors, so it can either sit abutting the wall as an extension to the rest of the wall bench (with the castors locked) or it can be swung around to make a cross bench or an island bench for preparation work. Our kitchen is too small to accommodate this idea, but it’s been something I’ve thought about for years.

Spocky is keen to hear from people that do a lot of cooking, and can suggest the placement of the various units.
I nearly forgot – the old oven wasn’t close to the ground it was raised up a fair bit so no bending over needed to use it, we’d like to do that again.

buffy said:

I personally don’t like island or cross benches, but I have seen a nifty way to make it possible to have them sometimes. A section of the bench is on castors, so it can either sit abutting the wall as an extension to the rest of the wall bench (with the castors locked) or it can be swung around to make a cross bench or an island bench for preparation work. Our kitchen is too small to accommodate this idea, but it’s been something I’ve thought about for years.

Interesting, thanks!
That wouldn’t have been viable on the rough old slate tiles but very possible with the new smooth tiles.

I don’t think the fridge and oven should be next to each other. Opposite sides of the room for preference, so the oven isn’t making the fridge work harder.

buffy said:

I don’t think the fridge and oven should be next to each other. Opposite sides of the room for preference, so the oven isn’t making the fridge work harder.

It didn’t seem to be a problem with the old setup. It’d be fairly easy to fit some good insulation between them.
But yes, it’s a consideration for sure.

Here is our setup for oven, microwave and cooktop. The drawers under the oven have my baking pans etc in them. We set this up 25 years ago and it’s been pretty good.

As a renter I’m pretty much at the mercy of what’s available, but I did like the old cottage kitchen with its very large old central work table (ironically I was given that table by the landlady when she sold the place, but when moving day came, we couldn’t get it through the door and didn’t have the right tools to dismantle it, so left it there).

A large central table you can walk around is very versatile for big cookery jobs, like sausage making or mass pickling etc.

Consider open bench space close to the fridge and pantry, for unpacking groceries. Also a prep area next to oven/stove etc.
Think of how you would use the space as you age.

I thought I’d finished…but…bench edges should be rolled, not square. For safety.

Bubblecar said:

As a renter I’m pretty much at the mercy of what’s available, but I did like the old cottage kitchen with its very large old central work table (ironically I was given that table by the landlady when she sold the place, but when moving day came, we couldn’t get it through the door and didn’t have the right tools to dismantle it, so left it there).

A large central table you can walk around is very versatile for big cookery jobs, like sausage making or mass pickling etc.

Yep it’s a fair size all right. I think it was about three metres by ~1.3 in the middle. It’s an office type table so I’d like to get a tailor made cover for it. Not a fan of the artificial wood grain on the top.

kii said:

Consider open bench space close to the fridge and pantry, for unpacking groceries. Also a prep area next to oven/stove etc.
Think of how you would use the space as you age.

There’s bench space for that on the other side of the door next to the fridge.

Not my forté but I wish you well

Spiny Norman said:

kii said:

Consider open bench space close to the fridge and pantry, for unpacking groceries. Also a prep area next to oven/stove etc.
Think of how you would use the space as you age.

There’s bench space for that on the other side of the door next to the fridge.

I’d change that, have less chance of accidents if someone or a critter comes through the door. Also consider which way your fridge opens.
Less obstacles as you age.

kii said:

Spiny Norman said:

kii said:

Consider open bench space close to the fridge and pantry, for unpacking groceries. Also a prep area next to oven/stove etc.
Think of how you would use the space as you age.

There’s bench space for that on the other side of the door next to the fridge.

I’d change that, have less chance of accidents if someone or a critter comes through the door. Also consider which way your fridge opens.
Less obstacles as you age.

Sure, but the closest any bench space can be to the pantry is either side of that door. I just picked the right hand side as the fridge & oven weren’t going to be there anymore.

You should have a read of this, and look up principles of good kitchen design and such:

The Kitchen Work Triangle

The areas of a kitchen work triangle is a concept used to determine efficient kitchen layouts that are both aesthetically pleasing and functional. The primary tasks in a home kitchen are carried out between the cook top, the sink and the refrigerator. These three points and the imaginary lines between them make up what kitchen experts call the work triangle. The idea is that when these three elements are close (but not too close) to one another, the kitchen will be easy and efficient to use, cutting down on wasted steps.

esselte said:

You should have a read of this, and look up principles of good kitchen design and such:

The Kitchen Work Triangle

The areas of a kitchen work triangle is a concept used to determine efficient kitchen layouts that are both aesthetically pleasing and functional. The primary tasks in a home kitchen are carried out between the cook top, the sink and the refrigerator. These three points and the imaginary lines between them make up what kitchen experts call the work triangle. The idea is that when these three elements are close (but not too close) to one another, the kitchen will be easy and efficient to use, cutting down on wasted steps.

That’s pretty much what I’ve drawn in the diagram with the table in it.
It’s affected by the doors though.

Spiny Norman said:

esselte said:

You should have a read of this, and look up principles of good kitchen design and such:

The Kitchen Work Triangle

The areas of a kitchen work triangle is a concept used to determine efficient kitchen layouts that are both aesthetically pleasing and functional. The primary tasks in a home kitchen are carried out between the cook top, the sink and the refrigerator. These three points and the imaginary lines between them make up what kitchen experts call the work triangle. The idea is that when these three elements are close (but not too close) to one another, the kitchen will be easy and efficient to use, cutting down on wasted steps.

That’s pretty much what I’ve drawn in the diagram with the table in it.
It’s affected by the doors though.

OK, I’m not an expert or anything so feel free to ignore anything I say.

It’s a problematic room, IMO. The doorway / archway locations are very awkward, especially creating a difficult space in the top left off the diagram.

The work triangle thing also talks about how bench space should be appropriated relative to each of the nodes (fridge, stovetop, sink), and bench space is not treated as a separate thing. With your “bench and cupboards” tucked in the corner like that you have created a fourth node, the bench / (presumably) preparation area. And because of the way the doors are positioned the work “triangle” (red) now intersects with the passageways (green) in a way they shouldn’t. This might not cause any practical problems, the passageway areas probably don’t see the much foot traffic any way, but it does give a weird, awkward kind of feel to the kitchen which should really be more it’s own self contained area and not be doubling as multiple passageways.

Is the wide opening on the right a window or is it an archway? If it’s a window, is it within the scope of your project to move the whole kitchen down to the bottom right? That doorway on the left looks like it emerges into the side of a hall way? Is it within the scope of your project to maybe move the position of that door? Can you block that door off entirely and access the hallway a different way?

Now personally I could easily learn to live with a weird kitchen, and you may be the same. If that’s the case, I’d say your design is fine. On the other hand if there is the possibility you will be looking to sell the house sometime in the future I’d urge you to at least look into the costs of getting professional advice on the design and trying very hard to fit that into the budget. A weird kitchen set up will turn off many potential buyers.

You can take the kitchen measurements into Bunnings or Ikea and see what their computers suggest. Might even be a feature on their websites, I haven’t looked.

collect, clean, cook, serve

fridge, sink, cooking area, dinning area.

that’s the flow

Looks like esselte has covered the main considerations pretty well.

The optimal number of paces between the fridge, stove, and bench is 2 to 4 paces. This distance allows you to pivot and move between your key appliances and food prep areas without feeling cramped or taking too many exhausting steps.

As long as you’ve got a decent sized prep area within a few paces of fridge, sink, cooker/oven you’ll be right.

We made the mistake of not mapping out the kitchen in full prior to building. It still works well enough but there is a fairly small bench area in a corner between fridge and sink that also has all the tea/coffee making, kettle, toaster etc in it that is a bit constricted esp if there are more than 2 people in the kitchen.

Decent number of power points so you don’t regret it later

Belligerent AI as well

ms spock “Hal turn on the oven to 220 degrees”

Hal “I’m afraid I can do that”

where do the two doorways lead to? can one be closed off?

JudgeMental said:

where do the two doorways lead to? can one be closed off?

There’s four doorways and none of them will be closed.

JudgeMental said:

where do the two doorways lead to? can one be closed off?

And sorry, to answer your question better -
The doorway on the left goes to the laundry then the garage.
The doorway at the top-left goes to the dining room.
The doorway at the top-right goes to the library.
The doorway on the right goes outside.
The doorway at the bottom goes to the lounge.

So five doors sorry.

Cymek said:

Decent number of power points so you don’t regret it later

Power points are very important.

Cymek said:

Belligerent AI as well

ms spock “Hal turn on the oven to 220 degrees”

Hal “I’m afraid I can do that”

😂😂😂

Everyone needs to cover the mouth when speaking privately.

A cautionary tale.

ms spock said:

Cymek said:

Decent number of power points so you don’t regret it later

Power points are very important.

And all of them should be doubles.

buffy said:

ms spock said:

Cymek said:

Decent number of power points so you don’t regret it later

Power points are very important.

And all of them should be doubles.

and just when you think you have enough, double it

buffy said:

ms spock said:

Cymek said:

Decent number of power points so you don’t regret it later

Power points are very important.

And all of them should be doubles.

+1

A strong recommendation – have a fume hood over the stove that extracts to the outside of the building. Most don’t – they extract the fumes, partially cleaned, to the same room. This action covers everything with a fine layer of oil that traps dust and encourages growth of biofilms (including moulds).

Arts said:

buffy said:

ms spock said:

Power points are very important.

And all of them should be doubles.

and just when you think you have enough, double it

:)

Arts said:

buffy said:

ms spock said:

Power points are very important.

And all of them should be doubles.

and just when you think you have enough, double it

+1

Michael V said:

A strong recommendation – have a fume hood over the stove that extracts to the outside of the building. Most don’t – they extract the fumes, partially cleaned, to the same room. This action covers everything with a fine layer of oil that traps dust and encourages growth of biofilms (including moulds).

I’m not sure how we’d do that. The ducting would like be rather intrusive even if routed through the ceiling cavity and I’m not sure how the airflow would be dumped outside. It must be possible somehow though as it’s done in many places.

Arts said:

buffy said:

ms spock said:

Power points are very important.

And all of them should be doubles.

and just when you think you have enough, double it

All the power points were already doubles. The new ones will be as well.

Spiny Norman said:

Arts said:

buffy said:

And all of them should be doubles.

and just when you think you have enough, double it

All the power points were already doubles. The new ones will be as well.

For a second I thought we were talking about DA’s presentation and I was thinking this is a lot of double-spacing.

Spiny Norman said:

Michael V said:

A strong recommendation – have a fume hood over the stove that extracts to the outside of the building. Most don’t – they extract the fumes, partially cleaned, to the same room. This action covers everything with a fine layer of oil that traps dust and encourages growth of biofilms (including moulds).

I’m not sure how we’d do that. The ducting would like be rather intrusive even if routed through the ceiling cavity and I’m not sure how the airflow would be dumped outside. It must be possible somehow though as it’s done in many places.

Just like the flue duct for a wood fire. Straight 200 mm (or whatever the fume hood manufacturer recommends) stainless steel pipe with a vent-cap at the top to stop water intrusion.

Michael V said:

Spiny Norman said:

Michael V said:

A strong recommendation – have a fume hood over the stove that extracts to the outside of the building. Most don’t – they extract the fumes, partially cleaned, to the same room. This action covers everything with a fine layer of oil that traps dust and encourages growth of biofilms (including moulds).

I’m not sure how we’d do that. The ducting would like be rather intrusive even if routed through the ceiling cavity and I’m not sure how the airflow would be dumped outside. It must be possible somehow though as it’s done in many places.

Just like the flue duct for a wood fire. Straight 200 mm (or whatever the fume hood manufacturer recommends) stainless steel pipe with a vent-cap at the top to stop water intrusion.

Ah righto then.
That seems fairly easy to do.

Spiny Norman said:

Michael V said:

Spiny Norman said:

I’m not sure how we’d do that. The ducting would like be rather intrusive even if routed through the ceiling cavity and I’m not sure how the airflow would be dumped outside. It must be possible somehow though as it’s done in many places.

Just like the flue duct for a wood fire. Straight 200 mm (or whatever the fume hood manufacturer recommends) stainless steel pipe with a vent-cap at the top to stop water intrusion.

Ah righto then.
That seems fairly easy to do.

just make sure you keep a steady supply of small children in the basement so the flue can be kept clean.

Orange is the new orange

I’m assuming you are already doing it
However minimising any weird gaps or cracks where dirt can accumulate but not be easily cleaned.

Michael V said:

Spiny Norman said:

Michael V said:

A strong recommendation – have a fume hood over the stove that extracts to the outside of the building. Most don’t – they extract the fumes, partially cleaned, to the same room. This action covers everything with a fine layer of oil that traps dust and encourages growth of biofilms (including moulds).

I’m not sure how we’d do that. The ducting would like be rather intrusive even if routed through the ceiling cavity and I’m not sure how the airflow would be dumped outside. It must be possible somehow though as it’s done in many places.

Just like the flue duct for a wood fire. Straight 200 mm (or whatever the fume hood manufacturer recommends) stainless steel pipe with a vent-cap at the top to stop water intrusion.

This is what we have got.

Arts said:

Spiny Norman said:

Michael V said:

Just like the flue duct for a wood fire. Straight 200 mm (or whatever the fume hood manufacturer recommends) stainless steel pipe with a vent-cap at the top to stop water intrusion.

Ah righto then.
That seems fairly easy to do.

just make sure you keep a steady supply of small children in the basement so the flue can be kept clean.

Well duh! :)

Cymek said:

I’m assuming you are already doing it
However minimising any weird gaps or cracks where dirt can accumulate but not be easily cleaned.

It’ll be a very conventional kitchen.

Michael V said:

Spiny Norman said:

Michael V said:

A strong recommendation – have a fume hood over the stove that extracts to the outside of the building. Most don’t – they extract the fumes, partially cleaned, to the same room. This action covers everything with a fine layer of oil that traps dust and encourages growth of biofilms (including moulds).

I’m not sure how we’d do that. The ducting would like be rather intrusive even if routed through the ceiling cavity and I’m not sure how the airflow would be dumped outside. It must be possible somehow though as it’s done in many places.

Just like the flue duct for a wood fire. Straight 200 mm (or whatever the fume hood manufacturer recommends) stainless steel pipe with a vent-cap at the top to stop water intrusion.

Here’s a 90 cm range hood that can be set up to exhaust outside and it’s installation guide:

https://www.bunnings.com.au/mistral-90cm-canopy-rangehood_p0959566

https://media.bunnings.com.au/api/public/content/0431cacdaed047808a9c6b7611109df6?v=7607712b

Spiny Norman said:

Cymek said:

I’m assuming you are already doing it
However minimising any weird gaps or cracks where dirt can accumulate but not be easily cleaned.

It’ll be a very conventional kitchen.

Many things in houses are are neither square nor planar. Especially walls and floors. We have a variable gap at the back of our kitchen benches that ranges from about 0.5 mm to around 6 mm.

Arts said:

Spiny Norman said:

Michael V said:

Just like the flue duct for a wood fire. Straight 200 mm (or whatever the fume hood manufacturer recommends) stainless steel pipe with a vent-cap at the top to stop water intrusion.

Ah righto then.
That seems fairly easy to do.

just make sure you keep a steady supply of small children in the basement so the flue can be kept clean.

So, it’s a pizza kitchen then?

Bill, I suggest you consult a few kitchen makers/designers. Better than asking HF.. with due respect to the enormous expertise here :)

Michael V said:

Michael V said:

Spiny Norman said:

I’m not sure how we’d do that. The ducting would like be rather intrusive even if routed through the ceiling cavity and I’m not sure how the airflow would be dumped outside. It must be possible somehow though as it’s done in many places.

Just like the flue duct for a wood fire. Straight 200 mm (or whatever the fume hood manufacturer recommends) stainless steel pipe with a vent-cap at the top to stop water intrusion.

Here’s a 90 cm range hood that can be set up to exhaust outside and it’s installation guide:

https://www.bunnings.com.au/mistral-90cm-canopy-rangehood_p0959566

https://media.bunnings.com.au/api/public/content/0431cacdaed047808a9c6b7611109df6?v=7607712b

Nice, thanks.

Spiny Norman said:

Here’s a diagram of the empty room as it is now.

This is a very difficult layout given the thoroughfare going right through the middle of the space.

I think the sink and stovetop should not be on opposite sides of the thoroughfare. Walking hot pots from the stove to the sink (for draining etc) across that passageway is a biut suboptimal IMHO.

My suggestion is to have some sort of cupboard/bench/breakfast bar type layout to force the traffic to go around the kitchen instead of through the kitchen.

Ian said:

Bill, I suggest you consult a few kitchen makers/designers. Better than asking HF.. with due respect to the enormous expertise here :)

What nonsense…. Worst suggestion yet.

Arts said:

Ian said:

Bill, I suggest you consult a few kitchen makers/designers. Better than asking HF.. with due respect to the enormous expertise here :)

What nonsense…. Worst suggestion yet.

+1

:)

Arts said:

Ian said:

Bill, I suggest you consult a few kitchen makers/designers. Better than asking HF.. with due respect to the enormous expertise here :)

What nonsense…. Worst suggestion yet.

Yes, he’ll want to keep a small section of wall spare so that everyone who contributes can sign it when they inevitably visit.

Neophyte said:

Arts said:

Ian said:

Bill, I suggest you consult a few kitchen makers/designers. Better than asking HF.. with due respect to the enormous expertise here :)

What nonsense…. Worst suggestion yet.

Yes, he’ll want to keep a small section of wall spare so that everyone who contributes can sign it when they inevitably visit.

Maybe they can just send that section of the wall around the country and we can sign it at various local puds…

buffy said:

Michael V said:

Spiny Norman said:

I’m not sure how we’d do that. The ducting would like be rather intrusive even if routed through the ceiling cavity and I’m not sure how the airflow would be dumped outside. It must be possible somehow though as it’s done in many places.

Just like the flue duct for a wood fire. Straight 200 mm (or whatever the fume hood manufacturer recommends) stainless steel pipe with a vent-cap at the top to stop water intrusion.

This is what we have got.

These are great, no fumes, no noise;

https://www.schweigen.com.au/rangehoods/silent-rangehoods

A water supply to the wide fridge bay so that you can have a two door fridge that provides crushed ice/cold water without opening it.

Arts said:

Neophyte said:

Arts said:

What nonsense…. Worst suggestion yet.

Yes, he’ll want to keep a small section of wall spare so that everyone who contributes can sign it when they inevitably visit.

Maybe they can just send that section of the wall around the country and we can sign it at various local puds…

Bob2

Arts said:

Ian said:

Bill, I suggest you consult a few kitchen makers/designers. Better than asking HF.. with due respect to the enormous expertise here :)

What nonsense…. Worst suggestion yet.

Yeah! I consulted the SSSF on my house design, got eleventy seven suggestions, incorporated most of them, and now my house is nearly perfect except for two windows.

On the odd occasion that a forumite visits, I can show them party_pants vanity, Curves closet, Jenna Jones window, and various other additions/variations made from the old forums advice.

Arts said:

Ian said:

Bill, I suggest you consult a few kitchen makers/designers. Better than asking HF.. with due respect to the enormous expertise here :)

What nonsense…. Worst suggestion yet.

Alright, alright..

One of those doorways should be the entrance to your TARDIS.

Kingy said:

Arts said:

Ian said:

Bill, I suggest you consult a few kitchen makers/designers. Better than asking HF.. with due respect to the enormous expertise here :)

What nonsense…. Worst suggestion yet.

Yeah! I consulted the SSSF on my house design, got eleventy seven suggestions, incorporated most of them, and now my house is nearly perfect except for two windows.

On the odd occasion that a forumite visits, I can show them party_pants vanity, Curves closet, Jenna Jones window,

AND MY AXE

dv said:

Kingy said:

Arts said:

What nonsense…. Worst suggestion yet.

Yeah! I consulted the SSSF on my house design, got eleventy seven suggestions, incorporated most of them, and now my house is nearly perfect except for two windows.

On the odd occasion that a forumite visits, I can show them party_pants vanity, Curves closet, Jenna Jones window,

AND MY AXE

And my bow…

dv said:

Kingy said:

Arts said:

What nonsense…. Worst suggestion yet.

Yeah! I consulted the SSSF on my house design, got eleventy seven suggestions, incorporated most of them, and now my house is nearly perfect except for two windows.

On the odd occasion that a forumite visits, I can show them party_pants vanity, Curves closet, Jenna Jones window,

AND MY AXE

The bit that’s leaning would be Lucifer’s List.

Neophyte said:

dv said:

Kingy said:

Yeah! I consulted the SSSF on my house design, got eleventy seven suggestions, incorporated most of them, and now my house is nearly perfect except for two windows.

On the odd occasion that a forumite visits, I can show them party_pants vanity, Curves closet, Jenna Jones window,

AND MY AXE

The bit that’s leaning would be Lucifer’s List.

Hheh.

Kingy said:

Arts said:

Ian said:

Bill, I suggest you consult a few kitchen makers/designers. Better than asking HF.. with due respect to the enormous expertise here :)

What nonsense…. Worst suggestion yet.

Yeah! I consulted the SSSF on my house design, got eleventy seven suggestions, incorporated most of them, and now my house is nearly perfect except for two windows.

On the odd occasion that a forumite visits, I can show them party_pants vanity, Curves closet, Jenna Jones window, and various other additions/variations made from the old forums advice.

I have to admit that I can no longer recall the details of that discussion, but I hope it worked out well for Kingy and he’s not secretly cursing me every time he uses it.

When my house was getting built, one piece of advice from Kingy was to take photos of where all the pipes and electrical cables go, before the plasterers come and render over it. I took that advice, and there have been one or two occasions where I’ve refered to them.

party_pants said:

Kingy said:

Arts said:

What nonsense…. Worst suggestion yet.

Yeah! I consulted the SSSF on my house design, got eleventy seven suggestions, incorporated most of them, and now my house is nearly perfect except for two windows.

On the odd occasion that a forumite visits, I can show them party_pants vanity, Curves closet, Jenna Jones window, and various other additions/variations made from the old forums advice.

I have to admit that I can no longer recall the details of that discussion, but I hope it worked out well for Kingy and he’s not secretly cursing me every time he uses it.

When my house was getting built, one piece of advice from Kingy was to take photos of where all the pipes and electrical cables go, before the plasterers come and render over it. I took that advice, and there have been one or two occasions where I’ve refered to them.

Good idea.

party_pants said:

Kingy said:

Arts said:

What nonsense…. Worst suggestion yet.

Yeah! I consulted the SSSF on my house design, got eleventy seven suggestions, incorporated most of them, and now my house is nearly perfect except for two windows.

On the odd occasion that a forumite visits, I can show them party_pants vanity, Curves closet, Jenna Jones window, and various other additions/variations made from the old forums advice.

I have to admit that I can no longer recall the details of that discussion, but I hope it worked out well for Kingy and he’s not secretly cursing me every time he uses it.

When my house was getting built, one piece of advice from Kingy was to take photos of where all the pipes and electrical cables go, before the plasterers come and render over it. I took that advice, and there have been one or two occasions where I’ve refered to them.

“I have to admit that I can no longer recall the details of that discussion, but I hope it worked out well for Kingy and he’s not secretly cursing me every time he uses it.”

Nah, it was a great suggestion, because I can now open the shower door without it hitting the vanity cabinet/mirror.

Thanks, p_p.

“When my house was getting built, one piece of advice from Kingy was to take photos of where all the pipes and electrical cables go, before the plasterers come and render over it. I took that advice, and there have been one or two occasions where I’ve refered to them.”

There have been many people who took that advice and now have pics of the hidden water pipes/electrical conduits inside the walls of their homes before they drill holes into the walls for a picture or a clothes drier and discovered something that they regretted.

Kingy said:

party_pants said:

Kingy said:

Yeah! I consulted the SSSF on my house design, got eleventy seven suggestions, incorporated most of them, and now my house is nearly perfect except for two windows.

On the odd occasion that a forumite visits, I can show them party_pants vanity, Curves closet, Jenna Jones window, and various other additions/variations made from the old forums advice.

I have to admit that I can no longer recall the details of that discussion, but I hope it worked out well for Kingy and he’s not secretly cursing me every time he uses it.

When my house was getting built, one piece of advice from Kingy was to take photos of where all the pipes and electrical cables go, before the plasterers come and render over it. I took that advice, and there have been one or two occasions where I’ve refered to them.

“I have to admit that I can no longer recall the details of that discussion, but I hope it worked out well for Kingy and he’s not secretly cursing me every time he uses it.”

Nah, it was a great suggestion, because I can now open the shower door without it hitting the vanity cabinet/mirror.

Thanks, p_p.

“When my house was getting built, one piece of advice from Kingy was to take photos of where all the pipes and electrical cables go, before the plasterers come and render over it. I took that advice, and there have been one or two occasions where I’ve refered to them.”

There have been many people who took that advice and now have pics of the hidden water pipes/electrical conduits inside the walls of their homes before they drill holes into the walls for a picture or a clothes drier and discovered something that they regretted.

You’d almost think there wasn’t such a thing as drawings…

furious said:

Kingy said:

party_pants said:

I have to admit that I can no longer recall the details of that discussion, but I hope it worked out well for Kingy and he’s not secretly cursing me every time he uses it.

When my house was getting built, one piece of advice from Kingy was to take photos of where all the pipes and electrical cables go, before the plasterers come and render over it. I took that advice, and there have been one or two occasions where I’ve refered to them.

“I have to admit that I can no longer recall the details of that discussion, but I hope it worked out well for Kingy and he’s not secretly cursing me every time he uses it.”

Nah, it was a great suggestion, because I can now open the shower door without it hitting the vanity cabinet/mirror.

Thanks, p_p.

“When my house was getting built, one piece of advice from Kingy was to take photos of where all the pipes and electrical cables go, before the plasterers come and render over it. I took that advice, and there have been one or two occasions where I’ve refered to them.”

There have been many people who took that advice and now have pics of the hidden water pipes/electrical conduits inside the walls of their homes before they drill holes into the walls for a picture or a clothes drier and discovered something that they regretted.

You’d almost think there wasn’t such a thing as drawings…

As if the finished job remotely resembled the drawings…

Oh, that pipe should go there. Ok, but there is a chimney in the way, but the chimney can’t go there because there is supporting beam above it.

Righto, lets plumb the water pipe to the left of the chimney, and the electrical conduit to the right.

Hmm, that works, lets get someone to sign off on this outdated plan.

furious said:

Kingy said:

party_pants said:

I have to admit that I can no longer recall the details of that discussion, but I hope it worked out well for Kingy and he’s not secretly cursing me every time he uses it.

When my house was getting built, one piece of advice from Kingy was to take photos of where all the pipes and electrical cables go, before the plasterers come and render over it. I took that advice, and there have been one or two occasions where I’ve refered to them.

“I have to admit that I can no longer recall the details of that discussion, but I hope it worked out well for Kingy and he’s not secretly cursing me every time he uses it.”

Nah, it was a great suggestion, because I can now open the shower door without it hitting the vanity cabinet/mirror.

Thanks, p_p.

“When my house was getting built, one piece of advice from Kingy was to take photos of where all the pipes and electrical cables go, before the plasterers come and render over it. I took that advice, and there have been one or two occasions where I’ve refered to them.”

There have been many people who took that advice and now have pics of the hidden water pipes/electrical conduits inside the walls of their homes before they drill holes into the walls for a picture or a clothes drier and discovered something that they regretted.

You’d almost think there wasn’t such a thing as drawings…

I have my copies of the plans too. But they are only a bird’s eye top-down view sort of plan. They don’t explain the whole nuance.

Greetings Earthlings 🖖🏽🖖🏽💚🖖🏽💚🖖🏽🖖🏽

Did a minor revision, based on some comments here. I swapped the microwave and the fridge over.

I just remembered something else I’ve thought about doing – Cutting a wall in the kitchen to half-height to really open up the area.
The first two images are as the house was before the old kitchen removal.

And here it is with most of the wall removed. I’ve talked to a few people and the wall can be removed right up to the ceiling okay, no danger of the roof falling in. In this drawing I moved the entrance to the pantry to be part of the kitchen but I’m not convinced it’s worth losing that much bench space. It has the oven still in the same place it used to be and the fridge on the other side of the laundry door. Bad idea though.

Any thoughts on shortening that wall?

Oh no! I did my model idea before I saw the plans of the whole house…. and this changes things. I’m gonna show you anyway.
I am very much in favour of splitting your kitchen into the cooking / chatting area, and putting the cleanup area behind a wall. So you can put the dirty dishes somewhere else for later. So I would put a little wall across the back thus:

If you have sketchup, I’m happy to send you the model?

becklefreckle said:

Oh no! I did my model idea before I saw the plans of the whole house…. and this changes things. I’m gonna show you anyway.
I am very much in favour of splitting your kitchen into the cooking / chatting area, and putting the cleanup area behind a wall. So you can put the dirty dishes somewhere else for later. So I would put a little wall across the back thus:

If you have sketchup, I’m happy to send you the model?

(((waves to becklefreckle)))

becklefreckle said:

About the sink in the bench in the main area – after living with one for a few months I find them to be awful. With no backsplash the water goes everywhere on the bench area behind the sink.

becklefreckle said:

Not bad, but that figure should look more like…

Ian said:

becklefreckle said:

Not bad, but that figure should look more like…

Ha!

Where the sink was … what is the drain pipe coming from further up the wall attached to?

AussieDJ said:

Where the sink was … what is the drain pipe coming from further up the wall attached to?

stink pipe?

AussieDJ said:

Where the sink was … what is the drain pipe coming from further up the wall attached to?

No idea sorry. A vent for something I’d have to guess.

Spiny Norman said:

AussieDJ said:

Where the sink was … what is the drain pipe coming from further up the wall attached to?

No idea sorry. A vent for something I’d have to guess.

Can it be moved or relocated?

Not that I’ve read the whole thread … is the house single, or double-storey?
What’s the room on the other side of that wall (where the sink was)?

AussieDJ said:

Can it be moved or relocated?

Not that I’ve read the whole thread … is the house single, or double-storey?
What’s the room on the other side of that wall (where the sink was)?

I very much doubt it could be viably moved. I mean anything is possible but I’d rather not have to cut channels in the slab to do that.

It’s a single storey-house.

The room on the other side of that wall is the library/computer room. You can see the area better in this image.

Spiny Norman said:

Michael V said:

A strong recommendation – have a fume hood over the stove that extracts to the outside of the building. Most don’t – they extract the fumes, partially cleaned, to the same room. This action covers everything with a fine layer of oil that traps dust and encourages growth of biofilms (including moulds).

I’m not sure how we’d do that. The ducting would like be rather intrusive even if routed through the ceiling cavity and I’m not sure how the airflow would be dumped outside. It must be possible somehow though as it’s done in many places.

They extract it out through the roof – they aren’t allowed to duct it to the roof space anymore ( we are about to get our kitchen done – and the installer has just told us that – so will have to have another duct going out through our old tiled roof.

The black slate is gone now and it is time to choose a colour.

The tiles will be 600 × 600.

Any suggestions for a colour to be used?

Your experiences either good or bad.

ms spock said:

The black slate is gone now and it is time to choose a colour.

The tiles will be 600 × 600.

Any suggestions for a colour to be used?

Your experiences either good or bad.

ones that don’t have a pattern that looks like dropped food.

Bogsnorkler said:

ms spock said:

The black slate is gone now and it is time to choose a colour.

The tiles will be 600 × 600.

Any suggestions for a colour to be used?

Your experiences either good or bad.

ones that don’t have a pattern that looks like dropped food.

😂💚

The slate tiles have all been jackhammered off the floor now. The photo above is before the younger of the two chaps that came here removed all the debris and swept up. It still needs to be ground flat and I think they’re coming back on Wednesday to do that.

At the moment we’re thinking about a creamish coloured tile but as Spocky mentioned we’re open to suggestions.

ms spock said:

The black slate is gone now and it is time to choose a colour.

The tiles will be 600 × 600.

Any suggestions for a colour to be used?

Your experiences either good or bad.

Don’t get shiny or reflective tiles. PITA to keep clean

Divine Angel said:

ms spock said:

The black slate is gone now and it is time to choose a colour.

The tiles will be 600 × 600.

Any suggestions for a colour to be used?

Your experiences either good or bad.

Don’t get shiny or reflective tiles. PITA to keep clean

That’s the thing. Not shiny. No reflective tiles.

I have not seen any one’s kitchen for such a long time.

Was thinking like brown or grey. But not monocoloured.

ms spock said:

Divine Angel said:

ms spock said:

The black slate is gone now and it is time to choose a colour.

The tiles will be 600 × 600.

Any suggestions for a colour to be used?

Your experiences either good or bad.

Don’t get shiny or reflective tiles. PITA to keep clean

That’s the thing. Not shiny. No reflective tiles.

I have not seen any one’s kitchen for such a long time.

Was thinking like brown or grey. But not monocoloured.

I like neutral earthy colours for floors.

But I’m a bit of a weirdo so don’t listen to me too seriously if you want to make a bold statement :)

party_pants said:

ms spock said:

Divine Angel said:

Don’t get shiny or reflective tiles. PITA to keep clean

That’s the thing. Not shiny. No reflective tiles.

I have not seen any one’s kitchen for such a long time.

Was thinking like brown or grey. But not monocoloured.

I like neutral earthy colours for floors.

But I’m a bit of a weirdo so don’t listen to me too seriously if you want to make a bold statement :)

Neutral earthy colours are the way to go. I am not sure which ones though.

ms spock said:

party_pants said:

ms spock said:

That’s the thing. Not shiny. No reflective tiles.

I have not seen any one’s kitchen for such a long time.

Was thinking like brown or grey. But not monocoloured.

I like neutral earthy colours for floors.

But I’m a bit of a weirdo so don’t listen to me too seriously if you want to make a bold statement :)

Neutral earthy colours are the way to go. I am not sure which ones though.

It is such a personal choice, even if you live alone. Let alone if you have a partner too.

It depends on how you are going to decorate the rest of the room too, and what style and taste of furniture and appliances you intend to have in that room.

I reckon have a look at lots and lots of images of kitchens, and save a few that you really like. Then study them and make a list of why you like them, what features blend well to your taste.

ms spock said:

party_pants said:

ms spock said:

That’s the thing. Not shiny. No reflective tiles.

I have not seen any one’s kitchen for such a long time.

Was thinking like brown or grey. But not monocoloured.

I like neutral earthy colours for floors.

But I’m a bit of a weirdo so don’t listen to me too seriously if you want to make a bold statement :)

Neutral earthy colours are the way to go. I am not sure which ones though.

Just don’t be like Mrs rb and always choose white or light coloured carpets

ms spock said:

Divine Angel said:

ms spock said:

The black slate is gone now and it is time to choose a colour.

The tiles will be 600 × 600.

Any suggestions for a colour to be used?

Your experiences either good or bad.

Don’t get shiny or reflective tiles. PITA to keep clean

That’s the thing. Not shiny. No reflective tiles.

I have not seen any one’s kitchen for such a long time.

Was thinking like brown or grey. But not monocoloured.

Slippery tiles. Don’t get those. I like cork tiles in the kitchen. Warmer under foot and the cups bounce.

ms spock said:

party_pants said:

ms spock said:

That’s the thing. Not shiny. No reflective tiles.

I have not seen any one’s kitchen for such a long time.

Was thinking like brown or grey. But not monocoloured.

I like neutral earthy colours for floors.

But I’m a bit of a weirdo so don’t listen to me too seriously if you want to make a bold statement :)

Neutral earthy colours are the way to go. I am not sure which ones though.

Go with neutral earthy colours and you can have Mexican fiestas every day.

These guys have a feature where you put a picture of your room in and it will let you see what different tiles look like.
Click on each tile that you like the look of and scroll down a bit to find this- “Take the guesswork out — upload a photo of your space to our Visualiser and see it live”
https://www.beaumont-tiles.com.au/tiles/room/kitchen-floor-tiles

I’m Frank Walker from National Tiiiiiles

ruby said:

ms spock said:

party_pants said:

I like neutral earthy colours for floors.

But I’m a bit of a weirdo so don’t listen to me too seriously if you want to make a bold statement :)

Neutral earthy colours are the way to go. I am not sure which ones though.

Go with neutral earthy colours and you can have Mexican fiestas every day.

These guys have a feature where you put a picture of your room in and it will let you see what different tiles look like.
Click on each tile that you like the look of and scroll down a bit to find this- “Take the guesswork out — upload a photo of your space to our Visualiser and see it live”
https://www.beaumont-tiles.com.au/tiles/room/kitchen-floor-tiles

Keep the colours light though for walls/cupboard doors/benchtops/ceiling. You can put any bright or dark colours in things other than the background. You need to be able to see in a working kitchen. I can’t remember if I mentioned bench tops should have rolled edges, not squared ones, for reasons of safety.

One very strange part of kitchen design that I noticed in the USA…tiled bench tops.

kii said:

One very strange part of kitchen design that I noticed in the USA…tiled bench tops.

Bloody awful to keep clean. I went for laminex that looks like white marble. Easy to clean. Always put hot things onto a trivet or wooden board not onto the laminex. And it lasts well. Tiles for the splashback.

buffy said:

kii said:

One very strange part of kitchen design that I noticed in the USA…tiled bench tops.

Bloody awful to keep clean. I went for laminex that looks like white marble. Easy to clean. Always put hot things onto a trivet or wooden board not onto the laminex. And it lasts well. Tiles for the splashback.

My kitchen, which was renovated years ago, also uses a form of laminex that looks like white marble (I think it was called ‘porridge’, or something similar). Similarly, tiles for the splashback.

buffy said:

ruby said:

ms spock said:

Neutral earthy colours are the way to go. I am not sure which ones though.

Go with neutral earthy colours and you can have Mexican fiestas every day.

These guys have a feature where you put a picture of your room in and it will let you see what different tiles look like.
Click on each tile that you like the look of and scroll down a bit to find this- “Take the guesswork out — upload a photo of your space to our Visualiser and see it live”
https://www.beaumont-tiles.com.au/tiles/room/kitchen-floor-tiles

Keep the colours light though for walls/cupboard doors/benchtops/ceiling. You can put any bright or dark colours in things other than the background. You need to be able to see in a working kitchen. I can’t remember if I mentioned bench tops should have rolled edges, not squared ones, for reasons of safety.

+1 for this suggestion, too.

And, if not mentioned earlier (guess who hasn’t read the full thread?), lots of light. At least two light sources over each bench or sink. Yes, you’ll get a double-shadow effect, but you won’t get deep shadows.

ruby said:

ms spock said:

party_pants said:

I like neutral earthy colours for floors.

But I’m a bit of a weirdo so don’t listen to me too seriously if you want to make a bold statement :)

Neutral earthy colours are the way to go. I am not sure which ones though.

Go with neutral earthy colours and you can have Mexican fiestas every day.

These guys have a feature where you put a picture of your room in and it will let you see what different tiles look like.
Click on each tile that you like the look of and scroll down a bit to find this- “Take the guesswork out — upload a photo of your space to our Visualiser and see it live”
https://www.beaumont-tiles.com.au/tiles/room/kitchen-floor-tiles

Thanks Ruby that is really useful.

buffy said:

ruby said:

ms spock said:

Neutral earthy colours are the way to go. I am not sure which ones though.

Go with neutral earthy colours and you can have Mexican fiestas every day.

These guys have a feature where you put a picture of your room in and it will let you see what different tiles look like.
Click on each tile that you like the look of and scroll down a bit to find this- “Take the guesswork out — upload a photo of your space to our Visualiser and see it live”
https://www.beaumont-tiles.com.au/tiles/room/kitchen-floor-tiles

Keep the colours light though for walls/cupboard doors/benchtops/ceiling. You can put any bright or dark colours in things other than the background. You need to be able to see in a working kitchen. I can’t remember if I mentioned bench tops should have rolled edges, not squared ones, for reasons of safety.

The rolled edges is going to be on the list when I write it up.

🐸🍀🐸

buffy said:

kii said:

One very strange part of kitchen design that I noticed in the USA…tiled bench tops.

Bloody awful to keep clean. I went for laminex that looks like white marble. Easy to clean. Always put hot things onto a trivet or wooden board not onto the laminex. And it lasts well. Tiles for the splashback.

I am keen to cut out any excess cleaning that I can.

ms spock said:

buffy said:

kii said:

One very strange part of kitchen design that I noticed in the USA…tiled bench tops.

Bloody awful to keep clean. I went for laminex that looks like white marble. Easy to clean. Always put hot things onto a trivet or wooden board not onto the laminex. And it lasts well. Tiles for the splashback.

I am keen to cut out any excess cleaning that I can.

We have not tiled behind the stove, although I intended to. It is painted. I wipe it every day when I clean the stove.

Interestingly, it is far easier to clean than a tiled “splash-back”.

It will never get tiled. It may need re-painting at some stage, but it has lasted 11 years so far.

Michael V said:

ms spock said:

buffy said:

Bloody awful to keep clean. I went for laminex that looks like white marble. Easy to clean. Always put hot things onto a trivet or wooden board not onto the laminex. And it lasts well. Tiles for the splashback.

I am keen to cut out any excess cleaning that I can.

We have not tiled behind the stove, although I intended to. It is painted. I wipe it every day when I clean the stove.

Interestingly, it is far easier to clean than a tiled “splash-back”.

It will never get tiled. It may need re-painting at some stage, but it has lasted 11 years so far.

I have a big pane of glass as a splash back. I replaced the tiles because I was sick of the grout being gross while the tiles wiped clean… so I eliminated all those issues by using glass cut to fit the whole back panel. It is sooo much easier to clean and looks great all the time.

Our counter tops are stone – they are hardy, heat resistant and easy to keep looking clean… does it cost more – yes, yes it does – but if I am spending money anywhere it’s in the room that has a high usage (possibly the highest usage room in the house – maybe aside form the bathrooms) and where we are doing things that have spill and spatter factors… to me it’s worth the investment

Arts said:

Michael V said:

ms spock said:

I am keen to cut out any excess cleaning that I can.

We have not tiled behind the stove, although I intended to. It is painted. I wipe it every day when I clean the stove.

Interestingly, it is far easier to clean than a tiled “splash-back”.

It will never get tiled. It may need re-painting at some stage, but it has lasted 11 years so far.

I have a big pane of glass as a splash back. I replaced the tiles because I was sick of the grout being gross while the tiles wiped clean… so I eliminated all those issues by using glass cut to fit the whole back panel. It is sooo much easier to clean and looks great all the time.

Our counter tops are stone – they are hardy, heat resistant and easy to keep looking clean… does it cost more – yes, yes it does – but if I am spending money anywhere it’s in the room that has a high usage (possibly the highest usage room in the house – maybe aside form the bathrooms) and where we are doing things that have spill and spatter factors… to me it’s worth the investment

Not that I do much cooking but do people think gas stove top cookers do a better job

Arts said:

Michael V said:

ms spock said:

I am keen to cut out any excess cleaning that I can.

We have not tiled behind the stove, although I intended to. It is painted. I wipe it every day when I clean the stove.

Interestingly, it is far easier to clean than a tiled “splash-back”.

It will never get tiled. It may need re-painting at some stage, but it has lasted 11 years so far.

I have a big pane of glass as a splash back. I replaced the tiles because I was sick of the grout being gross while the tiles wiped clean… so I eliminated all those issues by using glass cut to fit the whole back panel. It is sooo much easier to clean and looks great all the time.

Our counter tops are stone – they are hardy, heat resistant and easy to keep looking clean… does it cost more – yes, yes it does – but if I am spending money anywhere it’s in the room that has a high usage (possibly the highest usage room in the house – maybe aside form the bathrooms) and where we are doing things that have spill and spatter factors… to me it’s worth the investment

I had originally thought of a glass splashback. I had intended to paint a rainbow on the wall beneath the fume hood and cover it with clear glass. Weeks became months which became years…

I love stone bench tops, but the laminex was here. When it’s worn out, maybe. Just maybe. It’s 22 years old now, and may well outlast me.

Cymek said:

Arts said:

Michael V said:

We have not tiled behind the stove, although I intended to. It is painted. I wipe it every day when I clean the stove.

Interestingly, it is far easier to clean than a tiled “splash-back”.

It will never get tiled. It may need re-painting at some stage, but it has lasted 11 years so far.

I have a big pane of glass as a splash back. I replaced the tiles because I was sick of the grout being gross while the tiles wiped clean… so I eliminated all those issues by using glass cut to fit the whole back panel. It is sooo much easier to clean and looks great all the time.

Our counter tops are stone – they are hardy, heat resistant and easy to keep looking clean… does it cost more – yes, yes it does – but if I am spending money anywhere it’s in the room that has a high usage (possibly the highest usage room in the house – maybe aside form the bathrooms) and where we are doing things that have spill and spatter factors… to me it’s worth the investment

Not that I do much cooking but do people think gas stove top cookers do a better job

Yes, if you are using a traditional round-bottomed wok.

(I guess you mean “better than electricity”.)

Michael V said:

Arts said:

Michael V said:

We have not tiled behind the stove, although I intended to. It is painted. I wipe it every day when I clean the stove.

Interestingly, it is far easier to clean than a tiled “splash-back”.

It will never get tiled. It may need re-painting at some stage, but it has lasted 11 years so far.

I have a big pane of glass as a splash back. I replaced the tiles because I was sick of the grout being gross while the tiles wiped clean… so I eliminated all those issues by using glass cut to fit the whole back panel. It is sooo much easier to clean and looks great all the time.

Our counter tops are stone – they are hardy, heat resistant and easy to keep looking clean… does it cost more – yes, yes it does – but if I am spending money anywhere it’s in the room that has a high usage (possibly the highest usage room in the house – maybe aside form the bathrooms) and where we are doing things that have spill and spatter factors… to me it’s worth the investment

I had originally thought of a glass splashback. I had intended to paint a rainbow on the wall beneath the fume hood and cover it with clear glass. Weeks became months which became years…

I love stone bench tops, but the laminex was here. When it’s worn out, maybe. Just maybe. It’s 22 years old now, and may well outlast me.

In my rented house, the vintage kitchen counters were covered with classic “geranium pearl” laminex, which can still be seen in the curved section on the right in this picture. The rest they topped with wood at some stage.

Michael V said:

Cymek said:

Arts said:

I have a big pane of glass as a splash back. I replaced the tiles because I was sick of the grout being gross while the tiles wiped clean… so I eliminated all those issues by using glass cut to fit the whole back panel. It is sooo much easier to clean and looks great all the time.

Our counter tops are stone – they are hardy, heat resistant and easy to keep looking clean… does it cost more – yes, yes it does – but if I am spending money anywhere it’s in the room that has a high usage (possibly the highest usage room in the house – maybe aside form the bathrooms) and where we are doing things that have spill and spatter factors… to me it’s worth the investment

Not that I do much cooking but do people think gas stove top cookers do a better job

Yes, if you are using a traditional round-bottomed wok.

(I guess you mean “better than electricity”.)

Yes

Bubblecar said:

Michael V said:

Arts said:

I have a big pane of glass as a splash back. I replaced the tiles because I was sick of the grout being gross while the tiles wiped clean… so I eliminated all those issues by using glass cut to fit the whole back panel. It is sooo much easier to clean and looks great all the time.

Our counter tops are stone – they are hardy, heat resistant and easy to keep looking clean… does it cost more – yes, yes it does – but if I am spending money anywhere it’s in the room that has a high usage (possibly the highest usage room in the house – maybe aside form the bathrooms) and where we are doing things that have spill and spatter factors… to me it’s worth the investment

I had originally thought of a glass splashback. I had intended to paint a rainbow on the wall beneath the fume hood and cover it with clear glass. Weeks became months which became years…

I love stone bench tops, but the laminex was here. When it’s worn out, maybe. Just maybe. It’s 22 years old now, and may well outlast me.

In my rented house, the vintage kitchen counters were covered with classic “geranium pearl” laminex, which can still be seen in the curved section on the right in this picture. The rest they topped with wood at some stage.

Ta Mr Car!

It’s so fantastic to see other kitchen set ups.

ms spock said:

buffy said:

kii said:

One very strange part of kitchen design that I noticed in the USA…tiled bench tops.

Bloody awful to keep clean. I went for laminex that looks like white marble. Easy to clean. Always put hot things onto a trivet or wooden board not onto the laminex. And it lasts well. Tiles for the splashback.

I am keen to cut out any excess cleaning that I can.

We have a stone splashback, as Arts mentioned, no grout to clean.

poikilotherm said:

ms spock said:

buffy said:

Bloody awful to keep clean. I went for laminex that looks like white marble. Easy to clean. Always put hot things onto a trivet or wooden board not onto the laminex. And it lasts well. Tiles for the splashback.

I am keen to cut out any excess cleaning that I can.

We have a stone splashback, as Arts mentioned, no grout to clean.

The no grout to clean sounds like a winner to me.

buffy said:

Keep the colours light though for walls/cupboard doors/benchtops/ceiling. You can put any bright or dark colours in things other than the background. You need to be able to see in a working kitchen. I can’t remember if I mentioned bench tops should have rolled edges, not squared ones, for reasons of safety.

Thumbs up for Buffy’s kitchen suggestions