Kitchens - cheap vs expensive

[RevHappy]

loughran said:

Some people are hard on their kitchens. Families with young kids running riot, cooks who enjoy cooking a lot or people who like to socialise and party in their kitchen can all have an effect over five or ten years.

With a hand painted kitchen a painter can make the whole kitchen look brand new in about a week and as you say, a change of colour is no problem at all, keeping up with whatever F&B or Little Greene have decreed current this season.

Not helped by in front of door painted plinth, who thought that was a good idea in a kitchen…..

[number2]

RevHappy said:

loughran said:

Some people are hard on their kitchens. Families with young kids running riot, cooks who enjoy cooking a lot or people who like to socialise and party in their kitchen can all have an effect over five or ten years.

With a hand painted kitchen a painter can make the whole kitchen look brand new in about a week and as you say, a change of colour is no problem at all, keeping up with whatever F&B or Little Greene have decreed current this season.

Not helped by in front of door painted plinth, who thought that was a good idea in a kitchen…..

But they look so much better!

[loughran]

number2 said:

RevHappy said:

loughran said:

Some people are hard on their kitchens. Families with young kids running riot, cooks who enjoy cooking a lot or people who like to socialise and party in their kitchen can all have an effect over five or ten years.

With a hand painted kitchen a painter can make the whole kitchen look brand new in about a week and as you say, a change of colour is no problem at all, keeping up with whatever F&B or Little Greene have decreed current this season.

Not helped by in front of door painted plinth, who thought that was a good idea in a kitchen…..

But they look so much better!

Are 'front of door painted plinths' like skirting boards ? If so, I agree, they can look great and they can make kitchen units look like furniture... but ergonomically they're terrible.

If you're working at a work surface you need to get your toes under the cabinets and your body as near to the edge of the surface as possible. With skirtings you're always leaning forward over the surface which is an excellent recipe for a bad back.

An option is to cut the skirting so you can get you toes under in work areas, like this. I know it's a utility but you get my point.

[number2]

loughran said:

number2 said:

RevHappy said:

loughran said:

Some people are hard on their kitchens. Families with young kids running riot, cooks who enjoy cooking a lot or people who like to socialise and party in their kitchen can all have an effect over five or ten years.

With a hand painted kitchen a painter can make the whole kitchen look brand new in about a week and as you say, a change of colour is no problem at all, keeping up with whatever F&B or Little Greene have decreed current this season.

Not helped by in front of door painted plinth, who thought that was a good idea in a kitchen…..

But they look so much better!

Are 'front of door painted plinths' like skirting boards ? If so, I agree, they can look great and they can make kitchen units look like furniture... but ergonomically they're terrible.

If you're working at a work surface you need to get your toes under the cabinets and your body as near to the edge of the surface as possible. With skirtings you're always leaning forward over the surface which is an excellent recipe for a bad back.

An option is to cut the skirting so you can get you toes under in work areas, like this. I know it's a utility but you get my point.

Yes, they're the ones. On our main kitchen units but not the island. Thought my feet would bash them but found I adjusted quickly and not an issue.

[RevHappy]

number2 said:

Yes, they're the ones. On our main kitchen units but not the island. Thought my feet would bash them but found I adjusted quickly and not an issue.

Just start saving for the back issues in later life…. Or just work on the island

[ThomasSW]

Enjoyed reading this thread, got some good ideas from it so thanks.

Any thoughts on what's the right choice out of 'what's best' out of a built under double oven, or built under single oven?

Mrs SW is a Pescatarian so we do sometimes cook different things, and being able to have a grill and oven on at the same time would be useful so we are leaning to the double oven, but appreciate it will be smaller than a proper tall unit double oven set up.

We're having our kitchen redone at the moment as part of a house refub/ remodel, and another tall unit would look to overpowering in the space.

Thanks.

[bennno]

ThomasSW said:

Enjoyed reading this thread, got some good ideas from it so thanks.

Any thoughts on what's the right choice out of 'what's best' out of a built under double oven, or built under single oven?

Mrs SW is a Pescatarian so we do sometimes cook different things, and being able to have a grill and oven on at the same time would be useful so we are leaning to the double oven, but appreciate it will be smaller than a proper tall unit double oven set up.

We're having our kitchen redone at the moment as part of a house refub/ remodel, and another tall unit would look to overpowering in the space.

Thanks.

Two built under singles, or Samsung do one that can be one or two cavities.

[devonshiredave]

We manufacture and fit bespoke kitchens (as well as various other types of fitted and free standing furniture).

Happy to assist in any way - I guess in interwebs lingo, AMA

[RevHappy]

ThomasSW said:

Enjoyed reading this thread, got some good ideas from it so thanks.

Any thoughts on what's the right choice out of 'what's best' out of a built under double oven, or built under single oven?

Mrs SW is a Pescatarian so we do sometimes cook different things, and being able to have a grill and oven on at the same time would be useful so we are leaning to the double oven, but appreciate it will be smaller than a proper tall unit double oven set up.

We're having our kitchen redone at the moment as part of a house refub/ remodel, and another tall unit would look to overpowering in the space.

Thanks.

A build under double oven is even smaller than a normal one that goes in a tall unit. Have you considered two under counter ones side by side, it can look like a built in range if that makes sense.

[RevHappy]

loughran said:

Are 'front of door painted plinths' like skirting boards ? If so, I agree, they can look great and they can make kitchen units look like furniture... but ergonomically they're terrible.

If you're working at a work surface you need to get your toes under the cabinets and your body as near to the edge of the surface as possible. With skirtings you're always leaning forward over the surface which is an excellent recipe for a bad back.

An option is to cut the skirting so you can get you toes under in work areas, like this. I know it's a utility but you get my point.

Surely the cut skirting is just a muck and dust trap as you can’t easily mop across it?

[loughran]

RevHappy said:

ThomasSW said:

Enjoyed reading this thread, got some good ideas from it so thanks.

Any thoughts on what's the right choice out of 'what's best' out of a built under double oven, or built under single oven?

Mrs SW is a Pescatarian so we do sometimes cook different things, and being able to have a grill and oven on at the same time would be useful so we are leaning to the double oven, but appreciate it will be smaller than a proper tall unit double oven set up.

We're having our kitchen redone at the moment as part of a house refub/ remodel, and another tall unit would look to overpowering in the space.

Thanks.

A built under double oven is even smaller than a normal one that goes in a tall unit. Have you considered two under counter ones side by side, it can look like a built in range if that makes sense.

A set up like this, oven, oven microwave and warming drawer with a large induction hob on top, is a flexible arrangement and generally more effective than a range cooker.

[singlecoil]

loughran said:

A set up like this, oven, oven microwave and warming drawer with a large induction hob on top, is a flexible arrangement and generally more effective than a range cooker.

That's very tasteful.

[dmsims]

singlecoil said:

That's very tasteful.

That would get on my nerves in about 3 seconds from a practicality viewpoint

[CharlesdeGaulle]

singlecoil said:

loughran said:

A set up like this, oven, oven microwave and warming drawer with a large induction hob on top, is a flexible arrangement and generally more effective than a range cooker.

That's very tasteful.

Fitted in a caravan, surely?

[loughran]

dmsims said:

singlecoil said:

That's very tasteful.

That would get on my nerves in about 3 seconds from a practicality viewpoint

It's a pretty practical set up. you can grille in both ovens, the main oven has all manner of clever programmes, steam injection for baking, meat thermometer, etc etc and is pyro so has a programme for cleaning itself. All the controls are touch sensitive like a phone screen.

As for the cabinets... I once saw a fitted kitchen assembled from a number of old/antique pieces of furniture that had been sympathetically arranged and joined together and I thought it look great. Unlike any kitchen I'd seen before and the antithesis of anything commercially available.

However, making that concept work successfully turned out to be incredibly difficult. First you've got to find suitable antiques which can take for ever, then try and fit them around appliances, sinks etc into some sort of semblance of order and make sure they end up the same height to accommodate a worksurface.... the challenges are endless.

Much easier to start from scratch and make the bits of furniture as individual pieces but with a common purpose. Different styles, different finishes and each with a character of their own. Then join them all together and you've got something that approaches the the original ethos but actually works as a practical kitchen.

And that is why the oven cabinet is made in cherry wood when most of the rest of the kitchen is painted.

[singlecoil]

dmsims said:

singlecoil said:

That's very tasteful.

That would get on my nerves in about 3 seconds from a practicality viewpoint

I'm sorry to hear that, but you get that with everything, some people like it, some people don't. In this case I'm in the former camp. It's certainly an idea I will be offering to my clients when appropriate.

[dmsims]

I understand loughran, I love wood (although oak is my thing) just not for a cooker cabinet - it will get trashed and that large gap at the base is a no no

[singlecoil]

dmsims said:

I understand loughran, I love wood (although oak is my thing) just not for a cooker cabinet - it will get trashed and that large gap at the base is a no no

I agree about the toe space in the skirting, I wouldn't do it like that unless the customer requested if, but I don't see why the hardwood would get any more messed up that anything else. What can bash wood can also bash painted wood.

[stichill99]

Not read this thread but just chipping in with we are over the moon 2 years in with our kitchen supplied by DIY-Kitchens. Great service and quality at 60% of Howdens price!

[loughran]

dmsims said:

I understand loughran, I love wood (although oak is my thing) just not for a cooker cabinet - it will get trashed and that large gap at the base is a no no

The large gap at the base does have a standard kick board behind, painted black so it's not obvious.

I suppose the space could harbour dust or muck if you're a bit untidy.

This kitchen has been well used for about 7 years now and the cooker cabinet shows no sign of wear. Wood is a resilient material.

Edited by loughran on Saturday 12th March 15:24