My family kitchen wish list

Are you planning any big home projects at the moment?  Autumn always inspires me to get cracking with the home improvement; I think the fact that there’s less to do outside in the garden frees me up to focus on indoors a bit more, plus the thought of Christmas looming on the horizon gives me a bit of a kick up the bum to get organised!

Our next big house project is to replace our family kitchen; the current one is way past it’s best, and just doesn’t work storage-wise for a family of four.  Our kitchen diner is a big open plan room, with lots of potential to re-jig the layout and make the space work harder.  Such an exciting project!

I’ve already spent hours on Pinterest getting inspiration, and to keep track of all the ideas I’ve created a kitchen inspiration board.  I always start home projects this way, I find it really helps me to firm up the look I’m going for before I get carried away with the details. 

We’ve also drawn up a wish list for the finished room; I find this a brilliant way to pinpoint the features that really matter to us, the list inevitably starts out long and gets pruned down as we become more realistic about the budget!  Here’s our family kitchen wish list.

Storage, storage, storage!

Can you tell we have nowhere near enough cupboards in our current kitchen?!  I’m forever battling worktop clutter and wading though overstuffed cupboards to find what I need, and  I’m determined to restore order.  I can’t wait to explore all the clever features that modern kitchens have to offer, and I particularly love the idea of a tall pull-out larder unit for all those tricky to stack bottles and jars.

Modern, minimalist design

We updated our bathroom last year with modern, high gloss units, and we love it so much that we’re going for a similar style in the kitchen.  I’m thinking white units at the moment, with accessories in a bold accent colour to liven things up.  I love the idea of extending the accent colour to things like cushions in the seating area, and blinds for the Velux windows like the ones you can find here.

A garden view

The kitchen is at the rear of the house, and I want to open up the back wall with bifold doors.  I love the idea of being able to sit and look out onto the garden.  We’ll also be able to step outside straight onto the patio, which will be fantastic for entertaining.

Easy clean materials

With young kids and hectic family life, a kitchen that’s easy to keep clean is very high on my list.  We’ve lived with real wood worktops and free-standing units for many years, and while they’ve looked great, the inevitable nooks and crannies that come with this type of design have made it a nightmare to keep clean.  So I want to move to as few joins and gaps as possible, built-in appliances, and worktops and units that you can quickly wipe down at the end of the day.  And an oven with a pyrolitic cleaning function is a must!

Room to entertain

We’ve got the space to entertain lots of people in this room, but we’re not using it effectively at the moment.  So in addition to our dining table, I’d like a kitchen island with stools, and a comfy seating area next to the bifold doors.  I suspect this mini lounge will also feature a TV on the wall, and end up being where we spend a lot of family time.

Bespoke walk-in pantry

OK, this is blowing the budget, but if I could, I’d have a walk-in pantry big enough to sleep in, with floor to ceiling shelving and lights that came on automatically when you opened the door.  It’s nice to dream isn’t it!

And there you have it: my family kitchen wish list.  Have you got any of these features in your kitchen?  Would you add anything onto my list?

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