new kitchen, not enough worktop space

Grammaretto - my mother had a similar cabinet, I clearly remember bumping my head on the flap when I was three!

Rationing was in full force when my parents married, so part of the answer to how people managed is that they did not have all the things we have.

My mother started married life with one frying pan, two saucepans and a dinner service and cutlery for six, a baking bowl and a set of kitchen scales.

Years later when I couldn't make up my mind which chopping board to buy, she said her first one was the end of an orange crate.

I have done 3 coats of oil, more quickly than stated because I was early putting the first on yesterday, got another coat on last night and one today. Thin coats with a cloth. I need to do another 4 before I can contemplate putting things on the shelves and base, I want thisimportant and boring stage finished. I have started to use the top, placed my very big wooden chopping board on it and a couple of heat proof silicone mats as it is between the hob and sink

I bought a 2m extension lead, so I can easily use the magimix food processor, which I intend to keep on the steel top. It really does look lovely and I am so happy to have chosen the steel top. I like it where it is, very much like an island, so I have pushed the brakes on and it is stopping there. Money very well spent

I did order the butchers block, eddington with a stainless steel top, 120 cm long. I dithered about a beech wood top or the stainless steel but I have had a small eddingtons beech butchers block for a long time and it would look far too heavy and dense in the main part of the kitechen. This one is a lot lighter and brighter

It came today and is in the centre of the kitchen, while I do the necessary daily oiling, so it looks like an island right now and I am loving how it looks. It takes a mega amount of oiling, I need patience before I can fill the drawers and shelves but I can use the top now. It was a considered purchase but I will now have all the worktop space that I need.

I have lived in the house on and off for 24 days and full time since I finally moved in, 9 days ago. Yes, I am finding the kitchen workspace too small but have ordered a 120 cm rolling butchers block with a steel top. The steel top because all beech would look too solid and heavy. I have found a place to park it, at the end of the kitchen and have several items plus baskets lined up to go under and on top of it.I expect it to arrive in about 4 weeks and then I have to do a lot of oiling

That block will give me the space that I need. Today I had my first proper cooking session, pizza from scratch and a minestrone soup and I was tripping over myself, in spite of using the panny for the pizza dough, the panny is parked in the utility room. I would never be able to manage the present space when making my sourdough bread and some cakes

How else have I made room in the kitchen: A hob cover so that 2 hobs are visible, induction and are safe, stick on hanging hooks that move on a rack, 2 sets of those and a stick on basket on a cupboard on the side of the sink, ideal for a few different teas. A utensil holder and a mug holder that I already had, attractive and they look nice on the hob cover. Some new coloured quirky mugs from wayfair

I am getting there, adapting

How many people are you going to feed? Personally, I'd bite the bullet and take out the tall units, replace them with base units and cupboards. If it's a brand new kitchen, I'm sure you could sell the units. I've had to drastically downsize the stuff in my kitchen, for various reasons. I've bought some Blum plate holders, horribly expensive new, really cheap on ebay, my last lot were £8 each. These are brilliant for keeping my tins that I use to make Victoria sandwiches in. (4 different sizes nest inside each other), 3 different nests. I don't keep my large cake tins in the kitchen now, they live in the garage in a Really Useful box, These boxes are great for stuff you only occasionally.
My kitchen is in two halves. An L shaped unit with fridge on the left, sink in the middle, cooker on the right. Then I have a 10ft run of base units, with a microwave one end, large Magimix in the middle, Kenwood Major the other end. This is where I do all my baking. Up to 144 mince pies before Christmas, most then frozen, as we like them through the year! 36 hot cross buns, no problem. It breaks all the "rules" but it means I don't have to move my baking stuff to cook a meal. In the middle I have a large varnished pine kitchen table.

yes the trolleys are expensive but the eddingtons that I have has aged very well. I love the freely moving castors and the locking facility. There are enough sockets but just not enough space, I can only keep 2 items out and they are the kettle and toaster, I have squeezed on the food processor but that will sit on my trolley, when it arrives in 6 weeks. It is too heavy to carry, I will just have to have an extension lead handy and have already stuck a set of hooks near the utility door, on the end of a unit

Hoomatahook is sticking onto walls and they are fantastic, now have hooks on the tiles over the worksurface. I had large mugs but they have had to go, want to keep the lovely robert welch mug tree, if I can find something else to hang on it

I am adapting, the wooden boards with feet from wayfair are proving very useful, one covers 2 induction rings and the other is on the sink in the utility. If I could find dainty pretty china mugs for the mug tree then I wuld keep them out, they would look pretty, the others were by caravan and lovely for a big mug of tea but clunky

I had a trolley made by a joiner, he included a knife drawer tailor-made for my knives it also had locking casters and it was designed to butt up to my sink.
It was worth the spend, I also used it outside for bbq’s etc.

I find keeping my bread in a basket in the cupboard, and toaster on a tray in the cupboard, gives me so much more space. Also, would a couple of extra electric sockets help.

Good luck craftyone you will get used to the smaller kitchen as you go on.
I came from a really huge kitchen in the last house, to quite a small one here, and wondered like you, how I would manage, given that I bake and make meals for the family who live close by.I managed and got used to it by being ruthless about not having clutter on the worktops.

I am in, have my table and chairs at the dining end and have put some appliances in the utility with a sloping ceiling. Ice cream maker and food mixer on my small butchers trolley. I say small, it is eddingtons and 20 years old. I have just ordered another trolley but with a steel top becsuse thick beech would be overpowering 120 cm long. I will have to oil it very often to start with but it does not need much after a few months

Just a thought craftyone after reading you wish to protect your laminate work surfaces,

After having our new kitchen fitted (3years ago) on the advice of a friend, I bought 2 slabs of black/grey marble, which is the same colour as our work tops.
They have been extremely useful.

One is positioned in front ok kettle next to our hob and t'other beside the built in oven.

So there is always somewhere to put down hot trays, saucepan or cups.

I bought mine from BM store.

Weren’t those old units called kitchenettes? Remember my mother having one. There was a pull down door with an enamel top which was the “worktop”.No help at all to you craftyone but an interesting diversion down Memory Lane?

Just to make you feel better, my work surface is the top of my dishwasher beside the sink. I do have a table in the kitchen but nothing can be left out on it as it’s used for all meals.
My kitchen is also blessed with 2, yes TWO, electric sockets. Bet you haven’t got a fireplace with useful mantelpiece and a Belfast sink big enough to bath kids up to school age.
Just boasting!

I am partly moved in and the worktop situation was ok at first, last night the toaster was the last straw ie no more room for anything. I have covered half the hob with a wooden board on studs and that helps a bit, did the same with the draining board and it will also help when my dishwasher is installed. So tbh I have to do something

Nothing else is going to leave and the only alternative which will make more room ie worktop and storage, is going to be a 120 cm long butchers block. I have found one and will order when I have funds. In the meantime everything I can put away is put away and the boxes are mounting up. I have the extension lead and will keep some heavy equipment on the block

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A worktop allows you to work your stuff in a certain area at any moment. The downside of it, chores to do afterward. Still, having one should be a necessity, more so if you happen to enjoy cooking with your friends for more space to be used.

it would make the kitchen look messy Jalima and take away some light. There is already quite a big extractor hanging over the hob on the peninsula. I am sitting on my hands now, done a lot of thinking thanks to all the responses. Have to be patient and actually move in first.

craftyone you could have a hanging rack above your peninsular unit with hooks for saucepans etc

www.dunelm.com/product/industrial-kitchen-ceiling-mounted-pot-rack-1000141347?cm_mmc=pla_bing-_-Bing%20Product%20Ads-_-Bing%20Product%20Ads-_-pla&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Bing%20Product%20Ads&cm_mmc=pla_bing-_-Utility_Bins%20and%20Cleaning_[BING-PLA-UTILITY-BINS]-_-BAU-_-keyword&msclkid=34d4a3ee7ea914a49048ff7f443af2fc

Grammaretto my MIL had one just like that!!
I always found it very useful when I was doing anything in her very small kitchen which had no worktops.

I am excited about ikea. There is a bit of space under a window to the side of patio doors. Ikea have metal trolleys like
www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/kitchen-products/kitchen-islands-trolleys/flytta-kitchen-trolley-stainless-steel-art-00058487/

or a shorter one, perfect for my pan storage. Oh thank you to all the people who have recommended ikea, also on my bathroom thread

grammaretto, I was just thinking about those very useful units last night, most families had one in my younger days. Neti my dil has one of those hanging pan racks but tbh I want my pans out of sight. There is already a large extractor unit hanging down over the hob. It is a kitchen/dining and I will be cutting sewing fabric there too. It has to be comfortable to look at

I had a kitchen storage idea, nothing to do with worktops. I have this lovely once in a lifetime galley kitchen, here. It was being designed the morning of the day my husband died. I carried on with it, no intention of moving then. I have a most gorgeous and useful side by side miele fridge and a miele freezer, they are staying because they built a unit around them.

I cook everything from scratch and store nuts, hemp seeds organic foods, masses of fruit and berries from the allotment, which I am keeping. Those 2 units are always used to the max

This new kitchen has an integrated and narrow fridge/freezer with 3 tiny freezer drawers and certainly not enough space to put the contents of my veg box never mind the nuts etc. I have a feeling it is manual de-frost anyway. I have been thinking from outside the box and decided that I would not switch it on and would use that fridge/freezer for dry storage, my spices would fit into the door racks. I cannot have it taken out, it is part of the kitchen pack

This is leading to me having a space 53" long with an electric socket behind. I can get a miele side by side freezer and fridge again. Stupid isn`t it but I was getting upset at not being able to store the berries that I eat every single day through the year, plus all those apples. I will have 5 inches spare and will have to ensure that those 2 units are a bit away from the wall but I think it is do-able

These new houses are not designed by women

If it's any consolation I have a butcher's block on casters for the purpose of giving more worktop space, which is currently piled high with unsorted papers . Sigh!
Luckily I do still have space for a kitchen table which doubles up as workspace as the places under the wall cupboards are filled with gadgets and jars.
I inherited a 1950s larder cabinet - now used for tools in the shed- which has mouseproof drawers and a pull out enamelled worktop. I marvel at how people managed back then. This is one similar

I'm not sure that's clear (obviously more coffee needed).
Installing a pan rack hanging from the ceiling gives a better description.

Morning craftyone.

Could you install a pan rack on the ceiling and perhaps use wall space to add shelves?