Must have features in kitchen remodel

I like the metal wire drawers that pull out in my cupboards they make access to heavy or bulky items much easier. A trash unit that attaches to the inside of my cupboard door is convenient and out of the way. Lighting is always important in the kitchen. Recently installed LED light bulbs in place of less efficient ones and was happy to discover that they produce much more light and use less electricity also.

How exciting! Include the features that benefit you and your family the most. For me it would be a huge walk in pantry to store everything and the best stove I could possibly afford. Your needs will be different. Research thoroughly and get what makes you happy!

Here are some links with the hot new trends.

http://interiorzine.com/2017/09/11/kitchen-design-trends-2018-2019-colors-materials-ideas/

http://www.elledecor.com/design-decorate/trends/g14486069/kitchen-trends-2018/

https://sebringdesignbuild.com/top-trends-in-kitchen-design/

https://houseandhome.com/gallery/top-10-kitchen-trends-for-2018/

https://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/2018-design-trends-kitchen

One word of caution, trends come and go, unless you want to remodel every few years, choose carefully, you do not want to regret any choices a couple years down the line. And purchase the best quality products you can afford in your budget. Most of all enjoy the process as it really is a lot of fun!

We have a few regrets with our planning our recent 2015 kitchen remodel.

Build in a nice storage pantry, dont forget about a planning a backsplash...before they mount granite there. Wish I also did more wide drawers and less cabinet door storage.

We also put in traditional red oak hardwood floor strips stained and sealed to match the existing adjoining hardwood floor. The finish and durability has not been the greatest in the species of wood. I would’ve preferred a different type of floor possibly ceramic - we do have a 70# dog. Lastly our higher end KitchenAid and LG appliances are stainless steel however they need much more care and attention than our GE profile ss appliances did at our other home.

Good luck with your planning

don't forget a "hot Spot" in the sink

When we remodeled our kitchen 4 years ago... I put drawers in ALL of the lower cabinets, except under the apron front sink and in the 2 rear corners, where we put the IKEA pull outs.

( U shaped kitchen)... IKEA has 36 inch wide drawers all the way down to 9 in drawers, even one configured to hold a trash can or recycling bins. I have put everything in the drawers from canned goods to plastic storage ware, to pots and pans and cups and saucers and small appliances.. and the "good dishes".. I LOVE them... no more climbing into the bottom cabinet to find stuff (we even retro-fitted 3 cabinets to fit drawers after originally getting them with shelves and doors) FYI: at IKEA all of the boxes are the same... you just choose how to configure them.. add doors or drawers.

IKEA also has an online kitchen planning tool... just input the rooms dimensions, place the windows and doors and plumbing locations... and start planning your kitchen (I saved the basic plan and then used a "save as" feature to save the different configurations... you can also print them out to compare side by side.

i would love to have a hot water dispenser again, not the tap...but instant hot for tea, coffee.

Quartz counters never need any care.

How is it going Bbarr?

From my kitchen redo experience.

Worth it:

- Induction cook-top (Bosch Benchmark, specs). Just awesome to me better than gas and infinitely better than electric resistance.

- Lot of lighting, under-counter and overheard.

- High end quiet dishwasher (once again, pretty happy with ours Bosch!).

- Water filtration system with separate spigot.

- Hot water dispenser (for tea/coffee, noodles and simply to assist you while cooking) - though we installed our under sink to save working space.

Not Worth It:

- Built in soap dispenser, pretty useless (IMO).

- Downdraft vent. You are basically fighting physics and you lose.

Also I'd recommend you to maximize pantry space. I personally don't like open shelving. It looks cheap, non functional, and likely to be messy under real conditions to me. Talking about mess, choose linoleum or tiles for flooring since, well, you're going to spill things. Don't be like a friend of mine who decided to install wood flooring in kitchen area (w/o special protection).

Large pantry would be on my wish list. Shelves to hold roasters, deep friers, bulk buys of toilet paper, etc. - and room to store big bags of dog food, the vac and cleaning items.

Hello there,

Plenty of Electrical Sockets where you need them!