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+--- Thread: Kitchen design apps?? (/showthread.php?tid=545)
RE: Kitchen design apps?? - Mikey - 19-09-2020
(19-09-2020, 11:47 AM)Small chilli Wrote: Mikey if scarlet doesn’t use and abuse your skills, I will.
I’ll draw my kitchen, tell you what I want in it & let you do your thing.
We’ll pretend at this point that the budget is limitless. I can promise you it isn’t!!!
Veggie I’d love to see a photo of you unique kitchen unit. It sounds brilliant.
No Worries SC, you can avail yourself of my creative energy whenever you want.
You've probably got plans for your new build, so start a thread and we can get the rest here to critique the design too
Generally, the design isn't the deciding factor when it comes to price, it's the choice of door style, internal accessories, appliances and worktops.
As a profession generally, very few kitchen designers have any design qualification and even fewer are qualified architects, or interior designers!!, which is why when they plan it in front of you they ask you what you want where!! Lets be honest, if you wanted to design a house, you wouldn't go to a window salesman you'd go to an architect, so if you want the best kitchen design don't go to a builders merchant or a diy shed, cos you'll just get a load of boxes on a wall.
I recently employed a new designer in our store, and when interviewing I set them all a design challenge to find the design flaws in a plan. There were 5 absolute no-no's and 16 design flaws, I only got one person that could name more than 7, and a couple that couldn't find more than 2 errors. We didn't take on the most aware but, the most empathetic, and employed him as an apprentice that I could train. He'd been designing kitchens for 5 years, and classed himself as a design specialist in disability kitchens he'd previously worked for the likes of Wren, and Wickes. Just so you know to become a qualified Wren kitchen designer you have 2 days of training, not on design but, on the software package that creates kitchens, and 3 days on their pricing software. You are then a qualified kitchen designer with a certificate to prove it!!!! Don't get me started, I'll be on my soap box for some time.
RE: Kitchen design apps?? - Scarlet - 19-09-2020
(19-09-2020, 11:47 AM)Small chilli Wrote: Mikey if scarlet doesn’t use and abuse your skills, I willI have a little message for you
I’ll draw my kitchen, tell you what I want in it & let you do your thing
We’ll pretend at this point that the budget is limitless. I can promise you it isn’t!!!
Veggie I’d love to see a photo of you unique kitchen unit. It sounds brilliant.
RE: Kitchen design apps?? - Scarlet - 19-09-2020
I've already drawn it....but I think I have too many doors and windows. I also have an Aga. I don't have any other cooking facilities. The room is big. But I don't think the extra room is gaining me any space.
It is seriously making me feel scared of wasting my money.
RE: Kitchen design apps?? - Scarlet - 19-09-2020
Thank you so much Mikey!!
It's currently about 9.8 foot wide and nearly 15ft long.
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The big opening on the bottom would be double doors onto the garden.
The door along the top is the main entrance to the house - we can move that anywhere. The aga is also use to heat the room - if I take that out I will lose a friend. But I love to cook and at the moment I haven't got a conventional oven/grill/hob.
My wish list would be a large island, a table at the end with the double doors so I can see out into the garden.
RE: Kitchen design apps?? - Scarlet - 19-09-2020
The load of boxes on walls......is the issue I have! I have gone to 3. None of them have given me anything that is worth adding on the space!
One place put a new cooker between the main entrance and the door to the rest of the house!! If anyone try's to make a cup of tea when I'm cooking there is a near murder!! How could they suggest that in the main walk way?? Another one did wall units and a plinth along to join them up.
What I want is a large island - with a worktop that I can roll out icing for a large cake
, a cooker and a table with a view onto the garden. A fridge freezer would be a luxury...and room for a fizz fridge If I can't fit a cooker in there I would take out the Aga
RE: Kitchen design apps?? - Veggie - 20-09-2020
I find cupboards on walls almost useless as I can only reach the bottom shelves without fetching something to stand on.- so the top shelves are filled with inaccessible junk.
Kitchen designers (don't mean you Mikey) seem to feel they need to cover every bit of wall with cupboards - I find this claustrophic - makes the room seem smaller if you can't see the walls.
Just saying
RE: Kitchen design apps?? - Mikey - 20-09-2020
A couple of quick questions to get my bearings, 7.3 is metres and 13.10 is feet and inches, yes?
I’ll add some dimension queries on your plan in a minute, however first very important question, if your garden is the Bottom wall with window and patio doors, where does the sun rise and set in relation to your existing kitchen space?
You have a splayed window at the end of the new extension so is your property a period cottage that you are continuing the style detail into the extension, and if so is that the look you want in your kitchen or do you want a more contemporary look In juxtaposition? How big is the dining table?
Appliance list next, what do you have and what will be new, you have an aga what colour?, I see no Value in moving that it is a focal point on the end wall, is the flue balanced or do you have a pipe going straight up? What fuel type is it, and do you switch it off in the summer? I’m guessing you do as you want an oven grill and hob, ceramic or induction for the hob? And 2 or 4 burners?
Fridge freezer are you thinking American style or built into furniture? Do you have other freezer space for garden produce? Have you got a utility space or do the laundry appliances have to fit in here aswell?
Finally let’s talk island, all furniture or some seating?, do you want cupboards on both long walls, as the depth of these will hamper your island width slightly, do you want the spare hob on it or would you prefer to keep it completely clear for prep work. If the hob is on it we’ll need to think about the extraction of air, as it’s a kitchen extension and you have to exhaust air to meet building regs.
That’s all for now, I’ll ask for some dimensions shortly?
RE: Kitchen design apps?? - Mikey - 20-09-2020
Ok, two quick sketches for some initial thoughts, dimensions and thought process.
There are a few dimensions I need to draw up the room, the second image is a very loose sketch to show the potential places the hob can go, do you have a preference?
If it goes onto the island you will be facing the room to cook which is nice, but extraction is more complicated
If it goes next to the Aga, it doesn't give you lots of worktop space as prep area around your aga, though you could use either surface when the other is off.
Over by the patio doors, is the out of the way location for occasional use but will look a little oddly placed and feel like an add on
By the sink limits the worksurface by the drainer but it depends which side the drainer goes.
So there are trade offs to all locations, it's which option you'd feel would be most natural for you.
RE: Kitchen design apps?? - Scarlet - 20-09-2020
Thank you Mike. I really appreciate this.
Anyway - it's a listed house. The wall that is coming( on e/s side) out has to be put back further out. Although currently there are two windows with one blocked up l. We are reinstating that. There is a porch we are knocking that down. So I'm losing that space but gaining a little more.
The windows will have to be the same as the house/ doors will be made to match. I love the old feel of the house. But I don't do frumpy, cottage style.if you add anything "old" the house looks tired. I live in the kitchen/go in and out all day. The table I make things on. I'm having a skylight to get more light in. Shown in dotted lines.
Some photos to help. Sorry, it's not very clean
I've worn away the worktops - everything has fallen apart. It was old when we came here 20 years ago. Like VC I'm short. So I ripped off all the wall units and added shelves.
RE: Kitchen design apps?? - Scarlet - 20-09-2020
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