Anybody done a recent kitchen remodel?

[Frozen Canuck]

What kinds of innovative appliances, surfaces, and features should I be looking at? I know for a long time that granite was out and quartz was in, but now I'm seeing mention of Dekton for countertops giving quartz a run for its money. I'm open to hearing anything you love about your kitchen and even the things that you wish you had or hadn't done. We are just in the planning stages right now, so are open to any suggestions.

 

[barkley]

not a kitchen remodel but it did get new flooring when we redid all the hard surfaces in our house (previously tile). went with high end lvp-LOVE IT (and saved a significant chunk of change by opting to have it installed on top of the old tile vs. ripping that out). we did do a tweak to our pantry closet when we did the floors-pulled out all the wire shelving and replaced it with a couple of metal shelving units on wheels. i like being able to customize the shelf heights-and if needed i can roll them out to clean the floor.

appliances-got a new microwave and opted for the microwave/convection oven combo unit. enjoying it quite a bit, will benefit from having it as an extra oven for thanksgiving.

the one thing i would like to do in my kitchen but it wouldn't work without major reno to the cabinetry-install one of those hide away/pop up shelves for my kitchenaid mixer. it takes up allot of counter space and is so freaking heavy to move.

 

[Frozen Canuck]

the one thing i would like to do in my kitchen but it wouldn't work without major reno to the cabinetry-install one of those hide away/pop up shelves for my kitchenaid mixer. it takes up allot of counter space and is so freaking heavy to move.

I currently have a fairly large counter, with my Kitchen-Aid pushed way into a back corner, but yeah...those things are space hogs no matter where you put them.

 

[jo-jo]

the one thing i would like to do in my kitchen but it wouldn't work without major reno to the cabinetry-install one of those hide away/pop up shelves for my kitchenaid mixer. it takes up allot of counter space and is so freaking heavy to move.

I am positive my mixer has gotten heavier as the years have gone by. Couple more years, and I'll have to mix things on the floor. But then again, my knees won't allow that. Guess I'll give up eating.

 

[tvguy]

Our designer included an "appliance garage" on the counter which I never would have thought of. Amazing to have the toaster, food processor, and mixer on the counter, but out of sight.
Our remodel was in 8 years ago and we went with Corian and so far it has been great.
My neighbor is redoing her kitchen, the the three designers she has consulted have steered her away from granite and quartz. They seem to like Staron. I know nothing about Staron.

 

[Skippy918]

Our designer included an "appliance garage" on the counter which I never would have thought of. Amazing to have the toaster, food processor, and mixer on the counter, but out of sight.
Our remodel was in 8 years ago and we went with Corian and so far it has been great.
My neighbor is redoing her kitchen, the the three designers she has consulted have steered her away from granite and quartz. They seem to like Staron. I know nothing about Staron.

Can you share a pic of this?

 

[tvguy]

Can you share a pic of this?

Here you go. Our's doesn't have a roll up door like this, it has a door that matches the cabinet doors.
https://im-3.eefa.co/na-ag-100c-s3.jpg

FOUND ONE MORE LIKE OURS. WE HAVE A PLUG INSIDE TOO SO THE APPLIANCE YOU STORE IN THERE ONLY HAS TO BE PULLED OUT A LITTLE BIT ONTO THE COUNTER TO USE IT, AND JUST USE THE PLUG IN THE GARAGE.
https://www.pennwesthomes.com/media/uploads/0/1715_appliance-garage-open-HX126A.jpg

 

[limace]

We did a big remodel-moved our kitchen-a couple years ago and love it so much. Favorite things:

-soapstone counters. Indestructible and feel like a dream. I think they are gorgeous.
-good sized island that is all flat surface. No split level island, no sink or range in middle. Amazing for cooking, baking with kids, gathering with friends.
-Blue Star gas range, 6 burner. This was my big splurge. It’s lovely-and it’s bright green. Requires a serious vent system. Cooks like a dream.
-kitchen aid lift. Husband didn’t want it on counter and I didn’t want to lift it up every time.
-pull out kidney bean shaped shelves in corner cabinets. Stuff doesn’t get lost in there-it’s where I store small appliances like food processor.
-pull out garbage and recycling bins.
-Bosch dishwasher. So quiet we don’t always know if it’s running or not.
-large white Kohler farm sink. I thought I’d miss a divided sink but I don’t.

 

[ronandannette]

Can you share a pic of this?

Looking at the pictures, you can see that an appliance barn, while extremely practical, is entirely out of current fashion (hint: look at the counter tops and cabinet pulls). My DH is a high-end kitchen designer and I work for a homebuilder that does 300+ units a year. I can safely say it's been a decade or more since they were popular so if form is at all important, it would be a huge NO, although an A+ for functionality.

 

[Frozen Canuck]

We did a big remodel-moved our kitchen-a couple years ago and love it so much. Favorite things:

-soapstone counters. Indestructible and feel like a dream. I think they are gorgeous.
-good sized island that is all flat surface. No split level island, no sink or range in middle. Amazing for cooking, baking with kids, gathering with friends.
-Blue Star gas range, 6 burner. This was my big splurge. It’s lovely-and it’s bright green. Requires a serious vent system. Cooks like a dream.
-kitchen aid lift. Husband didn’t want it on counter and I didn’t want to lift it up every time.
-pull out kidney bean shaped shelves in corner cabinets. Stuff doesn’t get lost in there-it’s where I store small appliances like food processor.
-pull out garbage and recycling bins.
-Bosch dishwasher. So quiet we don’t always know if it’s running or not.
-large white Kohler farm sink. I thought I’d miss a divided sink but I don’t.

I didn't realize you could get soapstone countertops.

That range is gorgeous!

We currently have a very large, uninterrupted island and I don't think I could live without it. I often use it to spread out a buffet when the kids come home and we have to feed a lot of people. I use it every week as a station for making pizzas in our Ooni. It often doubles as extra table space when the dining table is full.

This is so helpful! I am taking notes!

 

[princesscinderella]

This sink is my favorite purchase when we did our renovation complete with a faucet that you can basically tap anywhere on the metal with any part of your hand to turn it on so if you have filthy hands from touching meat you never have to get your handle dirty to activate the water.

https://www.kohler.com/en/products/...l-workstation-kitchen-sink-5540?skuId=5540-NA

 

[theluckyrabbit]

...

the one thing i would like to do in my kitchen but it wouldn't work without major reno to the cabinetry-install one of those hide away/pop up shelves for my kitchenaid mixer. it takes up allot of counter space and is so freaking heavy to move.

I currently have a fairly large counter, with my Kitchen-Aid pushed way into a back corner, but yeah...those things are space hogs no matter where you put them.

I am positive my mixer has gotten heavier as the years have gone by. Couple more years, and I'll have to mix things on the floor. But then again, my knees won't allow that. Guess I'll give up eating.

One inexpensive option is to get a rolling cart (ours is from Ikea) for the Kitchenaid mixer. Our cart has shelves for baskets which hold all the attachments. The mixer gets rolled out when needed and rolled back afterward. No need to lift or carry anything to/from the counter. DH painted the cart and added a small towel rack.

 

[QueenIsabella]

We did ours a few years back. It was a to-the-studs remodeling, the only things we kept were the room dimensions and a fridge we'd bought just a couple years prior (and loved).

What I love:

Quartz countertops. Countertops are very personal--really research, and go with what YOU like. Laminates are nothing like you remember from years back. Something like stainless steel or a waterfall top might be in vogue--but that means nothing if YOU don't like it.

Big island--my son is eating breakfast here as I type this. He'd eat every meal there if we didn't force him to sit at the table for dinner.

Shelves for cookbooks. I use Pinterest a lot, but still love cookbooks, as do the kids.

Convection oven with an induction top--this was a splurge, but I love it

Bosch dishwasher--whisper-quiet

Dog feeding station built into the island

What I don't care for:

Faucet. I let DH pick this, since he does the hand-washing. He loves, I don't care for it, he wins because I don't have to wash dishes. The main feature I don't care for is the way you turn the water on--it's a lever, and you push it away from you for hot, towards you for cold.

The flooring is already marred and coming up in a couple places. Contractor swore it was high-quality luxury vinyl. Our kitchen gets a lot of traffic--we should have gone with hardwood flooring. As it happens, this was also DH's pick. I only gave him 2 things to pick--this, and the faucet!

 

[Wood Nymph]

What kinds of innovative appliances, surfaces, and features should I be looking at? I know for a long time that granite was out and quartz was in, but now I'm seeing mention of Dekton for countertops giving quartz a run for its money. I'm open to hearing anything you love about your kitchen and even the things that you wish you had or hadn't done. We are just in the planning stages right now, so are open to any suggestions.

We did a kitchen remodel five years ago.

Things I love:
appliance garage
spice cabinet
large dresser type cabinet with three large drawers. The top drawer has dividers for utensils
quartz countertop

Things I would have done different:
I bought a glass top range, which I love, except that it is flush with the counter, so food splashes on the backsplash while cooking. I have a decorative tile backsplash, which is pretty, but I have had to hang a piece of plexiglass to protect the tile from getting soiled. I would have gotten something different behind the stove if I had realized what would happen when I cooked.

Although I love the counter depth refrigerator with the freezer on the bottom, it is 6 cubic feet smaller than my old refrigerator. I ended up buying a second, small refrigerator to handle the food that didn't fit in the new one.

 

[goofy4prez]

We just finished building our house last December, so ours is not a remodel. For us, it was a large island with quartz countertops with a sink built into it. We installed a ZLINE 48" slide-in duel fuel range in stainless and matching appliances. Like others, we also have an appliance garage. And lastly, a very large walk-in pantry/wine cellar with plenty of room for our food and on the other side housing a 92 bottle 4 cooling zone wine cooler and plenty of shelves to hold what's not in the cooler. Now at 58 years old, I hope to live long enough to enjoy it for many years. LOL

 

[Frozen Canuck]

Shelves for cookbooks. I use Pinterest a lot, but still love cookbooks, as do the kids.

I have this in our current kitchen design and wouldn't want to lose it. I am the same way. I get a TON of recipes online, but some of my favourite cookbooks I still go back to time and time again.

 

[_19disnA]

We recently built a new house and there are LOTS of choices for the kitchen. The whole granite vs quartz discussion seems overplayed and mostly those who sell a particular product are trying to make it sound like one is superior to another. Granite is a natural stone product so it is a good idea to pick out the actual slabs since there can be color variations between slabs. We have found our granite looks great, easy to take care for and would definitely buy again.

Think about how you plan to use your kitchen, how much you cook, for how many and what specific features work for you. For example, if you rarely cook, do you really need top of the line industrial grade appliances? Probably not. Ignore those TV design shows that tend to push whatever is trendy so that is 5 yrs they need to return to 'redo' your outdated looking kitchen. Go to some of those kitchen design places to see the various choices that are available and which things you like the best. Many of the features/options are a matter of personal preference so what works for someone else may not be best for your family.

Excessively large islands take away from the available floor space and are mostly an example of the builder wanting to do what is easier for them by putting two sets of cabinets back to back. Our floors are ceramic tile and are very easy to clean, don't scratch and are very durable. I would never recommend wood in a kitchen since any tiny bit of water that might splash on the floor needs to immediately be wiped up so you don't ruin the finish. Wood of any type scratches VERY easily and not something I would recommend for any high traffic area.

 

[AppleDumpling]

My only regret with our kitchen reno is the over-the-range microwave, which I never had before. It is large and doubles as a convection oven, which I love, but as a short woman, I am not comfortable lifting hot, sometimes heavy dishes from above my head and over the gas stove top. Because of my height (something I hadn’t considered), I feel it’s a safety issue, and am now replacing it with a vented range hood and a smaller countertop microwave. In hindsight, I would have splurged on a microwave drawer, under the counter. YMMV of course, as pp said, you have to think about your personal needs and preferences.

 

[firefly_ris]

I would just add that if you're not looking to sell the house within the next 5 years, I would not personally worry too much about what's in right now, do what you like as far as functionality and look, and what will make you happy to use the kitchen. In 5 years all the trends will be different.

I have a smaller kitchen where my stove/microwave combo sits between 2 windows (I have a corner sink at the end that looks out into the backyard). Flanking the microwave on either side my dad built 2 sets of rounded corner shelves that I use to put cookbooks on and a couple of little decorative items, not much because I don't like a bunch of clutter out. Most would say they are out of style, but they're probably my favorite thing about the kitchen.

I did white cabinets - I really would have preferred a nice sturdy maple, but they were out of the budget - a dark charcoal, almost black granite countertop, and a stone backsplash. We replaced the dishwasher and kept the rest of the appliances. Our first floor area is open concept between the kitchen, eating area and living room and it is all hardwood hickory flooring which has been great. We did the work ourselves for about $10k for the kitchen, not including the flooring which was the whole first floor.

 

[gmi3804]

I LOVED (and miss - we recently downsized after being in the house 22 years) my La Cornue range. It's 600 pounds, and has enough power to launch the space shuttle. One oven is gas, the other electric (for roasting and baking, respectively), and though they look small can hold a 20# turkey. The tops are customizable, as they're built when you order one. I went with four burners, grill, and flat-top with removable wok ring.



One practical thing to consider is a large so-called "farmhouse" sink, good for large pieces like sheet pans and big dutch ovens. They're also big enough so you can put different things in different ares in the large space, and you'll be thankful for the extra room.

You'll really love having a good-strength vent hood, for smells and smoke.

Another good thing to have is a thin, lower cabinet to store sheet pans, cooling racks, pizza peels and stones upright. Those things take up a lot of space if you have to store them flat, and it's never easy to access them because they're all stacked.