Kitchens

I sometimes watch Escape to the Country. When shown a huge kitchen they often say it isn't big enough. Oh well, maybe one day Ikina.

No slate or tile floors for me Ilrina - too cold for bare feet, and too unforgiving if you drop anything! Otherwise sounds lovely!

Large kitchens may look nice, but involve a lot of walking to and fro, and a lot of cleaning!

I prefer a medium size kitchen, agree on a stone floor which must have underfloor heating! I would be with you on the Aga, but have recently been converted to an induction hob, so clean. Maybe I'd have both.

I have become used to all glass French doors out to the garden. Something this thread has made me just realise, that I've them in my past 2 and current house. How strange.

It sounds ideal IIrina similar to what we had in our family house before we moved except no utility room,we found that all the family congregated in the kitchen and chatted around the table and we totally ignored the other three downstairs rooms altogether I do miss that space as we only have a small square kitchen now in our apartment the term "swing a cat comes to mind" lol.

I have what could be termed a 'galley' kitchen - very small but we had it all re-fitted a couple of years ago and I love it and not much to keep clean. I would love a kitchen big enough to fit a table in for people to gather, but I haven't so I'm happy with what I've got

Probably modern and shiny for me with no door handles and an island in the middle. No breakfast bar, I hate being perched on bar stools.
Most importantly, like J52, doors out to the garden.

My kitchen is fine except when everyone in the family wants to come in to it - it's a bit cramped then.

I too would love a big country kitchen. Always fancied an aga but would need an induction hob for the summer. Definitely a utility room and a huge walk in larder. I would want one of those airers that you pull up and down to dry the washing. Oh and butler sinks in both the kitchen and utility room. I love those kitchen on TV that have a big island in the middle. Stop dreaming and get back into that 10 x 8. Never mind another chance at the lottery tonight.

I'm always amazed at these people on programmes like Escape to the Country. for one thing, they have pots of money (£750k is not unusual!) and as for kitchens, like Lullydully says, they're twice the size of our ground floor but 'too small'.. .what on earth are they planning to do in them? Host a society ball maybe?

I am very happy with my kitchen, which we had fitted about 7 years ago, after 12+ years with making do. The only things I would love are underfloor heating (so would the cats!), and possibly a more expensive worktop.

We bought from Wickes, not very expensive country kitchen style, and had it fitted by a local carpenter, who was great, and made use of every little space. We did get an induction hob (have no gas here) and I love it.

I am always amazed at the house buying programmes, where they view a perfectly good condition kitchen, and declare they will rip it out and replace with their taste. Unless something was really awful, I'd live with it and be happy. Think how many kitchens are being consigned to the dump every year, what a waste.

when we went to look at a property it had a lovely kitchen and that's what sold it too us. 6 years later we had to have a new boiler and it had to be pulled apart in some parts,, still like it though

Was talking about that sort of thing with DD last night. She knows someone who's trying to sell a house but the kitchen is in need of a refurb and it isn't selling. But we both agreed that what puts us off buying a house is seeing that a new state of the art kitchen or bathroom has been fitted but isn't to our taste...couldn't rip out a perfectly good [and expensive kitchen] but couldn't live with it either. My perfect kitchen would be large enough to have an old leather sofa in, a pine farmhouse table and would probably be cream Shaker style. Tiled floor [grey]. My nightmare one would be red shiny surfaces and lots of stainless steel. Oh and lots of kitchens in Homes under the Hammer seem to have black tiles; couldn't live with that. Wall tiles need to be a bit bland imo as they go out of fashion quite quickly and are difficult to replace.

I've got THE perfect kitchen - well no- the size and location- with door to South facing garden- a panty off and a big utility room. But ... it was replaced by the Church (ex owners since 1587) in the 70s- and we just can't afford to replace it... (thanks Brexit).

No worries- yes, shaker style grey, slate, French range cooker- and the washing machine moved to Utility (why on earth did they put it in kitchen, I'll never know!). It has to be big J52 as I like a living kitchen, with big table and we have chosen not ot have a dining room, but 2 lounges (1 without telly and big library- bliss)- as we never have formal dinners anymore (pheeew). I really don't like those 'islands' in the middle.

Ah well- it probably will never happen at this rate (being down 55% on expected budget does put spanners in the works)- but that is fine. It's lovely as it is- the only addition since we arrived here a big granit wood burner.

Anything bigger than the tiny one I have would be a dream for me. Although I do have a fantastic walk in pantry that I love.
In my next life, when I'm rich and beautiful I will have s large kitchen, with an island hob with curved corners and a granite worktop.
Back to reality I would be very happy with a little kitchen extension.

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You wouldn't like my kitchen then Tegan, it is white with red marble style work tops, which I love. DH disused a complete new kitchen 4 years ago, we swapped over the original kitchen and dining room to have a bigger kitchen. (Being in a bungalow it's quite easy to change rooms around)

Mine is appropriate for my size of house. It's cream, Shaker style, small and makes the best use of space. Everything is easily to hand - if I can find it! I would like to say that I have a place for everything and everything in its place but I always seem to have overspill. There is a door to the small cellar which must have been the coal cellar in its time as a miner's cottage. That's the glory hole that nobody else is allowed to see and my freezer lives there as well as assorted junk that 'might come in useful some day.'

An old miners' cottage sounds so romantic.

I'm not bothered about kitchens. Mine's ok. Had tthe cupboards doors and surfaces replaced a few years back, as a complete new one would have to be made to measure and I can't stand the thought of the disruption.

We are just looking at replacing our perfectly good but very dated kitchen but we have new appliances and I love my oven so its going to be new cupboards with deep slide out drawers instead of opening doors, I want a larder cupboard where the inside slides out when you open the door. We've just been looking at Hygena some of which are lovely... its the planning and sorting out what will go where I'm having trouble with our kitchen layout is very set in stone as we have French doors out to the garden and another door and window which take up one whole wall plus. I might get round to actually installation sometime next year

tanith to save money, I kept my kitchen carcases and had the doors replaced earlier this year. I also had 2 new cupboards added. This was done by Kitchen Magic and it was a fraction of what it could have cost.

It is a very small kitchen , my f/f is in the dining area but I do have a fridge in the kitchen with a w/machine and dishwasher.

Our kitchen has three doors in it. Ridiculous really. Makes it hard to fit it out.

In 47 years of marriage I have just (2 years ago) had my second new kitchen fitted and it's lovely. b&q top of the range which we finish paying off painlessly on interest free credit very soon. Though the new double oven is smaller than my old single one and the fitted fridge freezer has a tiny freezer so need another outside for overflow. I love the little lights under the units.
In all the houses we have lived in over the years we have put up with whatever kitchen /bathroom was there, never had the money or inclination to change it just because we may not have particularly liked it. Not the same now when perfectly good kitchens are ripped out on a fairly regular basis just because! most of our furniture was second or even third hand which we kept for years, I only know one young couple who not having the money to buy new have furnished and fitted their entire home courtesy of free cycle and it looks fine.

A lot of people have wonderful kitchens but don't know how to cook. My large stainless steel sink and unit is 40 years old the rest 28 years. It is large enough to have table and chairs, have walkin larder. No high wall cupboards and big window overlooking the back garden. I love cooking and always cook everything from scratch and never eat out. My son offered to have it renewed but it suits me. He can do what he likes when I am gone.
During the ten years we spent travelling by caravan in Europe I was able to cook very good meals and even made marmalade in Seville.

Bijou I want a wonderful kitchen, and I DO know how to cook. I have as I said only a small galley kitchen, but we have a table in it just big enough for the two of us. I spend most of my time in the kitchen, have the laptop on the table now whilst doing this.

Having such a small kitchen though it would be a help if we had a dining room. I have never, and will never have food in the sitting room. Have always set the table properly and we have always eaten our meals, and snacks sitting at the table.

I don't entertain, only Son and his Family and they manage to fit in somehow. Even if I had a HUGE kitchen like the one I described in my first post I would not entertain, I would love the space just for me.
I have done a bit of upcycling myself here as I don't like everything matching. My latest is an old cupboard which has been living in the garage for 10 yrs. Having made sure it has no woodworm I painted it in farrow and ball molesbreath and pitch blue. I have it under the worktop nearest the door and we keep our shoes in it:-)

I would hate a kitchen where everyone could congregate - I hate having people standing in my kitchen when I'm busy, and I hated our dining kitchen in the last house we had. I do a lot of cooking, and I want to walk away from the clutter of preparation (and with me, there always is!), not eat with it around me. I have a reasonable sized kitchen in this house, but since we had it refitted two years ago, the layout works better and it is much easier to keep clean. We eschewed the big companies and used a small local kitchen fitting firm. Couldn't have been a better experience.