Working on the K&B issue I’ve been amazed by the use of kitchen appliances and fixtures. One kitchen, in a summer home that I visited recently, had two dishwashers!! (I don’t have a dishwasher at all, and it doesn’t seem to be a problem) From garbage disposal to pot filler to warming drawer, put the budget aside and it would only take a second to fill a kitchen with electricity-sucking gadgets.
My question then, is about what is necessary in a kitchen today. What is considered standard for kitchen appliances and fixtures? What extras do your clients appreciate most when you can squeeze them into the budget? And what is frivolous and over-rated?
Thanks for the input!
Brian P.
It’s my job!
It’s my job!
Replies
frivolous is subjective
two dishwashers? if you don't put your dishes away but go from the clean dishwasher to the table to the dirty dishwasher you never have to put the dishes away. unnecessary? depends on how much money you have and how you want to spend it.
went to a resort that had a suite that went for $25K (yes K) a day. it does get occupency, folks like Mickael Jorden, Oprey winfrey, etc. folks who that type of money means nothing to them.
My SIL works for a builder who is building a place, summer home in Vt for a customer and is having an additional two trucks loads of stone brought in from Kansas for use by the masons.
what was frivolis and extravigant yesterday is a necessity today.
bobl Volo Non Voleo
With solid-surface counters, two extras that we now find as necessities are an integral drain pan by the sink, and integral trivets by the stove.
The trivets are set in a groove and remove for easy cleaning, but there's always a place to set a hot pan.
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The drain pan eliminates those ugly wire racks.
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Another "necessity" is a central vac for easy cleaning of the inevitable crumbs. Whether a hose, or the toe-kick slot doesn't matter.
The "built-in" soap dispenser in the first picture is inexpensive and helps reduce clutter.
It's not energy efficient, but the instant-hot is used a lot for tea and hot chocolate.
In cabinetry, tray cabinets. We have about 15" worth, and could use double that. I have no idea where DW gets all those cookie sheets, griddles, etc. It's a conspiracy.
Lastly, and by no means a necessity, some cabinets have a glass front showing a 2" or 3" display space. Neat way to dress up a kitchen with color (pasta shells, beans, etc) without reducing storage by a lot. Visitors here seem to really respond to it.
And really last, the best way of all to make a kitchen work is to have a large, separate pantry. Put all kinds of stuff into the panrty, and then you can pick and choose what goes into the kitchen without having to over populate it with cabinets, or overload them with stuff.
Two dishwashers makes a tiny bit of sense. A 24" cabinet can cost as much as $500, about the same as a good dishwasher and a second dishwasher has more buyer appeal than a plain old cabinet. My sister has two dishwashers and three kids and she says they don't even need any cabinets-just shuffle the dishes from one to the other.
That's an interesting take on the dishwashers, but I'd still prefer to look at a well-crafted cabinet.
Brian P.It's my job!
I've heard that 2 dws is a British thing. Apparently you would use one for dirty and one for clean, with no cabinet storage needed for everyday dishes, etc.
Apart from the initial buy, they wouldn't cost any more than one to own since you're only running one at a time. Having 2 could be a big plus after entertaining.
Mike
I was wondering, with these dishwashers........
how many of you "wash" the dishes before putting them in the dish-"washer" ?
We rinse the dishes, get all the crud off (oh wait...that's the dw's cooking I'm talking about), put them in the washer and set to light clean. Usually run it after we go to bed or leave for work.
Do it right, or do it twice.
I have also seen 2 dishwashers in a Jewish home for the "Kosher" thing. A friend up in NoCal. did a home that had 2 kitchens. He said it was something to do with Kosher laws. Certain foods can't touch others or be on the same plate. In this case not in the same dishwasher, let alone the same kitchen.
Please don't get me wrong, I am not questioning another person's beliefs. Just putting this into the context of the discussion about multiple dishwashers.
1) Dual ovens. For the cook/baker, or any family for T-giving and christmas cooking.
2) Big, wide, shallow pantry. I like to finish the interior at 13" front to back, so the 12" wire shelving drops in. Shelf widths of 5 to 8' is common for me, have done up to 12', with bifold or accordian doors. Good storage, too, for appliances such as stand mixer, etc. I space pantry shelving at 14", usually put bottom shelf at 20" off floor.
3) No garbage disposal. Many municipalites here are banning them, since they put so much fresh organic matter into the sewer plants, overloading the process.
4) Oversized double sink, with tall faucet. Makes dish washing, esp big pots, super-easy.
Ditto on the double ovens. I'm doing a remodel where there will be two ovens, side by side, in the island. Electric, so no vent problems.
Do it right, or do it twice.
Well, here's my 2 cents worth.
Gutted my kitchen last week, built a temp in the dining area with a sink and prep area. Sink drains into a bucket which we empty outside in the grass. 2-5gal buckets hold our drinking and wash water. We cook and heat dish water on a old Coleman propane camp stove. So I think I know what is needed in a kitchen.
Dishwashers suck. Waste water and electricity and kill septic systems. Wash your dishes as you cook, and clean up won't be a pain.
Disposals suck. Start a compost pile.
Counter space is good. Build as much as you can. Same with cabinets.
Use slide outs when you can instead of hiding crap in the back of a dark base cab.
Put a wall cab where ever you can with lots of adjustable shelves. Keeps you from bending over hunting stuff in a base cab.
Lots of outlets.
Lots of good lighting.
Construct your cabinets with ease of cleaning in mind. Fancy moulding, frame and panel doors catch a lot of crap floating around in the air in a kitchen. Slab doors clean easier, especially over the stove area.
Put in a good power vent, and USE IT!
For another take on dishwashers, we use it more as a drying rack as well as for the 'rinse and hold' mode and the non-heated air dry mode at the end.
The rinse and hold is very convenient and may be the best compromise between a full cycle wash and handwashing/rinsing in the sink.
We soap scrub the stuff and let the machine do the rinsing, which takes hardly any time and does a good job.
Afterwards we get a towel for sopping up any pooled water on upside down mugs/cups and pull out the racks for overnight drying.
Here's what I'd have in my realistic dream kitchen in my current home (just a homeowner so this all personal):
1) A sink. Preferably undermount, sort of depends on what I can afford on the counter though.
2) A stove. Drop in is fine for me, I hate to cook. although a range with a small convection oven separately would be fine too. The truth is I cook a big turkey about once a year, if that, and would be just as happy to use the energy savings to pay somebody else to cook that turkey. An oven that holds up to a 12 pounder is fine with me. But it must be able to hold a big lasagne pan and cookie sheets.
3) A dishwasher. One of the things I hate about cooking is that you generally have to do the dishes after. But I'd like a really small dishwasher that just does the plates, cutlery and glasses from that day. It takes us almost a week to fill ours, since I won't do pots in it(leaves them scummy).
4) A special cabinet with chemically resistant catch pan that is up high for cleaning solutions. It is such a pain to do the child proof lock thing under the sink, but that is the only cabinet that will hold that stuff. Under the sink I would have an attractive and easily used recycling center and kitchen composter. It would be especially cool if somebody would design a kitchen composter that attaches to the sink so you can scrape and rinse your plates, it catches what is needed and passes most of the water through. Scraps end up in a compartment that is shielded by a carbon filter so it doesn't stink and once a week or so you can slide it out and dump in the yard composter. No, I've never heard of one of these, I just want one. I hate digging out sink baskets! I currently use the garbage disposal sparingly, but an in-sink composter would make me, my plumbing, and my city utility happy.
5) A pantry, but not a walk-in. I like the one I saw in Taunton's Built In Furniture. It pulled out and had access on either side. Walk-ins waste floor space and my home just can't do it.
6) Good lighting. I need to be able to read the directions on my frozen dinner. Did I mention I'm not much for cooking (except when I get in the lasagne, meatloaf or beef stew mood).
7) Good layout. My husband and I are both open the fridge and stare into it types. With our current kitchen the other can't exit into the house without interrupting this activity. Then you have to start over trying to figure out how old that left over spaghetti is - the entire process is lost when you shut the door.
8) Good seating. Why is it so hard to invent comfortable kitchen or bar chairs? Why is there never a nice stool in front of the stove that I can rest in while I simmer, stir, or saute? Maybe that is why I no longer like to cook?
Other nice stuff: some way to not waste so much of the cabinets in the corners. Maybe put an appliance elevator there for the mixer, toaster, whatever else people have. You push a button and the one you want appears. Maybe even a little crank that you turn, that way you have one less power drain on my little 60 amp board.
My guess is that most of these 'essential' toys that people are putting in today (probably much of my list above as well) are going to be fads. My kitchen built in the 60's has a built in mixer in the counter top. It still works and is kind of cool, but the glass part is long gone so all we can do is turn it on and watch it spin.
4) A special cabinet with chemically resistant catch pan that is up high for cleaning solutions. It is such a pain to do the child proof lock thing under the sink, but that is the only cabinet that will hold that stuff. Under the sink I would have an attractive and easily used recycling center and kitchen composter. It would be especially cool if somebody would design a kitchen composter that attaches to the sink so you can scrape and rinse your plates, it catches what is needed and passes most of the water through. Scraps end up in a compartment that is shielded by a carbon filter so it doesn't stink and once a week or so you can slide it out and dump in the yard composter. No, I've never heard of one of these, I just want one. I hate digging out sink baskets! I currently use the garbage disposal sparingly, but an in-sink composter would make me, my plumbing, and my city utility happy.
Cool design ideas. Has anyone found unique ways to handle things like recycling, composting, chemicals, etc?
Brian P. It's my job!
6) Good lighting. I need to be able to read the directions on my frozen dinner. Did I mention I'm not much for cooking (except when I get in the lasagne, meatloaf or beef stew mood).
Ahh! ....Lighting!
What lighting strategies do you all prefer in your kitchens?It's my job!
Oh, one more for me. Make the corner cabs lazy-susan types. Much more usable, and only takes about 10" in each direction from the corner.