Tuesday 3 July 2012

Caroline's Kitchen

Here's our preliminary schedule of fixtures for the kitchen -


Legend
1  Doors & Drawers
2  Marble - Statuario Venato Extra
3  TR Ghiaccio Gloss White Glazed Ceramic Wall Tile
4  Merlin Mirror Coat Decorative Glass for Drying Rack
5  Smeg A11X Freestanding Cooker
6  Enware LEVA Tap
7  Blackbutt Timber Flooring
8  Fisher & Paykel French Door Fridge

Now this is one room I just have to get right. Remember there are six of us! I need a BIG pantry and fridge (I'm actually thinking that the one above is not going to cut it) and plenty of prep space. If the budget would allow, I would be purchasing the big guns - WOLF freestanding oven and Sub-zero Refrigerator. And on the subject, can anyone recommend a good freestanding cooker? Have you recently bought one and what do you love/hate about it?

As you could imagine, I do a lot of cooking. One day soon, a roast chicken will not feed our family of six - I'll have to put two birds in the oven! And then when they bring their friends over, it could be three or more!! Now that's a scary thought....

Our proposed kitchen is quite large and there are a number of entries into the room so this should make it a whole lot better to work in, particularly if there is more than one person in the room (and there usually is.)

After living in a number of contemporary open-plan style homes, I've decided that this type of housing does not suit our family. We are leaving the existing walls intact - the kitchen is quite separate from the rest of the living areas. I actually like being in a kitchen without the noise of the TV in the background. However, adjacent to our kitchen is an adults sitting room, fitted out with full-height library shelving and banquette seating - it will be a great area for hanging out with friends or just reading a book in the sun. I can't wait to see this area transpire.

There is plenty of time for me to daydream as it will be approximately another 6 months before construction gets underway.

3 comments:

  1. We have remarkably similar taste in kitchens it seems! We are getting that exact fridge, looking at either a smeg or an ilve freestanding cooker and marble benches- either statuario or carrara- I actually prefer the grey of the carrara for an all white kitchen and it is nice to actually like something that is not the most expensive for a change! We are going with white cabinetry and the Statuario and Calacutta both looked too cream against the white for me. With the ovens, I have heard good things about Ilves but I just don't like the look of them as much as the Smeg- we are probably getting the cheaper Smeg without the catalytic liners- did you see how much smaller your oven volume is with the catalytic liners- 78 l vs 110 without! Just make sure you can fit two chooks in that model! What are you doing for rangehoods? We want a concealed one and I hate the idea of spending a few grand on something I can't see- almost as unappealing as a dishwasher really- any thoughts on that too?- we are considering Bosch and Miele depending on the budget. melx

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  2. I'm no expert, but from what I understand, you can't go wrong with the Qasair Rangehoods. They seem to be the quietest and most powerful - no point having an exhaust fan that looks good, if it doesn't work. I have chosen to go with the UV model with twin motors - for extra grunt. As for the dishwasher, I've chosen a Bosch Fully integrated model. I purchased a Bosch semi-integrated model for my previous house and couldn't fault it. Dishes were amazingly clean and it was whisper quiet. I was talking to a repairman recently who told me that Bosch, Gaggenau, and another brand (which I can't remember) are all the same - just rebadged. The only difference is the price!

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  3. I love the look of that kitchen!

    We are just starting to plan ours...it will be more rustic...partly because of budget and partly to fit in with the rest of the house

    I am thinking of this cooker...the Belling 90cm...in part I must admit it is because I want a black cooker.
    http://www.harveynorman.com.au/belling-richmond-90cm-freestanding-cooker-1.html
    At the moment we have a 1930's Early Kooka so really anything will be an improvement!

    And I am trying to find a way to fit a walk in pantry into our plans...I literally dream about having a walk in pantry!

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