Do I have awful taste in kitchens.

I find the enthusiasm for kitchen islands (and open plan for that matter) bewildering. Islands take up SO much space and what purpose do they actually achieve. I have always thought that they can’t be very comfortable to sit at either. Perhaps it’s just me?

Mamma66

I find the enthusiasm for kitchen islands (and open plan for that matter) bewildering. Islands take up SO much space and what purpose do they actually achieve. I have always thought that they can’t be very comfortable to sit at either. Perhaps it’s just me?

I can only say that ours is a god send-provides masses of storage & is very comfortable to sit at. It's perfect when you are dishing up dinners or laying out a buffet meal. The gc love sitting on the stools doing projects/homework & having snacks- it utilises what would be a wasted central space. Not for everyone for sure but I am certainly won over

Beswitched you described my kitchen exactly and no it is not cold and sterile. It is a kitchen full of love and laughter.
Just as well we don't all have the same taste in decor.
Everybody that comes into mine, friends or tradesmen, compliments me on my taste. I have actually had people say that if I was thinking of selling could they be informed first.

I really dislike breakfast bars and islands. My kitchen here has cream coloured units and click clack flooring. Not to my taste but usable and easy to clean. Last house had white units and dark blue vinyl flooring which we chose.

Islands and counter tops can take up a lot of space, but that doesn't mean they aren't functional and are merely a showpiece. How a kitchen is configured is often relevant to the space it is being fitted into. My kitchen, which we inherited, when we moved early last year, comprises very much of a long counter top island unit because the kitchen width runs across the back of the house, in my opinion, the previous owners who designed the kitchen used that space well in creating a fluid family/dining/kitchen area with double foldable doors from the kitchen into a dining room also at the back so in total something in the order of well over 30 feet. Although it is white glossy some may consider it sterile, I beg to differ, firstly when I'm preparing food, I have the pleasure on facing directly into my garden. The whiteness of the units are offset by wooden floors, grey walls and various pictures. It is a very light area, sunshine streams through bifold doors. At one end I have a squashy sofa and bookshelf with my well thumbed cookery books. The end of the counter island unit is a breakfast bar with stools, favourite place for grandchildren to perch doing whatever when they visit. Like others have mentioned my kitchen is also the hub of the house, often strewn with chopping boards and ingredients and an open bottle of wine, it's where we gather, it's where we placed our Christmas tree. I spend a lot of the time at the back of the house rather than in my living room at the front of the house because it gets the sun, like right now

Our (inherited) island contains a big butler sink, dishwasher, six deep pan drawers, two shallower drawers and the water softener and boiling water tap units, and on the other side it takes four bar stools. It provides a lot of working space. There are further pan and shallow drawers, cupboard and larder units, oven and hob and built in fridge/freezer, microwave and coffee machine along another wall. One glass wall, two sets of double doors and a wall of bifold doors, plus glass dining table, black gloss sideboard and two armchairs. The units are dark grey with granite worktops and splash back, off white walls with pictures and pink blinds. It’s very modern in keeping with the style of the house but also a nice room in which we spend a lot of time. Not at all clinical.

Our kitchens, as evrything else, depend on their size and shape and the extent that we can either extend or knock through.

Do I have the perfect kitchen, no I do not, but I probably have the best kitchen possible given the constraints, even after an extension, that had to be fought through theplanning authority because the house is listed.

I’m lucky that my kitchen is tiny but opens onto the conservatory which houses the dining table along with a sitting area.

I do think that a kitchen needs to suit you. Mine is ideal for a prolific cook who loves to potter and entertain occasionally but isn’t so big that it’s a chore to keep in daily order.

I know of people who have vast, posh kitchens and never produce anything other than tea and toast with every meal a ready made or takeaway and then complain about the cleanup of their choice.

My kitchen is not huge but is a good size, no Island, just personnel choice. I had the whole kitchen redone as it needed doing including structural repairs.
My kitchen was not eye wateringly expensive, it reflects the 1930's house I live in, it is robust and we use it, my partner makes alot of curries, and cooks everything from scratch. It is cleaned down straight away. It is easy to keep clean. Always looks uncluttered and tidy.The only thing I paid extra for was my black sink, it is lovely it takes more care and a clean with mineral oil but I love it.
When I had the kitchen done I had a good private fitter who got me appliances and units trade. I think these kitchens in glossy magazines that are very expensive do not always reflect a working kitchen.

Whatever the design ,, I would like a nice tidy , clean kitchen.
Sadly, I have a retired husband and the 2 seem to be mutually exclusive.
What should I do ?

Mirren

Whatever the design ,, I would like a nice tidy , clean kitchen.
Sadly, I have a retired husband and the 2 seem to be mutually exclusive.
What should I do ?

Does he cook?

Mine's quite good at clearing up (sort of) but always leaves a bowl of dirty water and a sink which needs a good scrub.
I'm not complaining because he does cook sometimes!