Foodie kitchens [General]

2008 Mar 29
My fiance and I have recently (this morning!) purchased our first home and we will be completely renovating the kitchen before moving in. We need a kitchen designer to help us choose appliances, finishes, layout etc. Does anyone here have experience working with a particular designer or company, or just something to pass on that they've heard from a friend? We are totally lost - at this point we don't even know what our budget should be to get the kind of foodie-friendly kitchen we want!

2008 Mar 29
Congratulations Pam! As Jamie Oliver will attest, any kitchen can be foodie friendly, but I'd start with what you can do with it. If it's big enough, having an island, or bar seating is good for entertaining while the cookin's going on. My extravagances, that I either have, or would get if I was redoing things are:
- Counter depth refrigerator (bottom freezer, shown in pic). They are wide, and not very deep, which means you can reach everything in the fridge easily (i.e. fewer decade old jars hiding in back of fridge). Further, the full width drawer in the bottom is a godsend..
- Gas cooktop (as discussed in previous thread) with great simmer, and auto-restart for the flame ( mine is a DCS CTD-304 )
- A good, functional range hood, with venting outside
- Good lighting, and task lighting (which I do not currently have, but wish I did)
- Big, deep sink ( I don't have, but wish I had one of those apron front big-ass sinks. )
- Lots of storage, as accessible as possible (i.e. as few as possible dead spaces )

Good luck, I hope we'll get updates on this kitchen adventure of yours.


2008 Mar 29
I'm going to be a nitpicker and point out that you bought a house, not a home. But you will turn it into a home in short order, I'm sure! Damn those real-estate agents and their bastardizing of our language! Congrats, BTW!

First things first - you need a GFCI stove outlet for plugging in the electric brew kettle!

I really like the Ikea Grundtal shelving for hanging pots and pans. We've got all nice SS pots and pans and have it all hanging from these things along one wall. This goes along with Pete's idea of lots of storage as accessible as possible. Attached is a shot of hours with a fair number of pots missing.

www.ikea.com

I'm also a big fan of ikeas cabinets in general since they are generic but flexible in that they have a large variety of face plates for them that you can mix and match. Their function is terrific, and the cost is reasonable.

I also have the Ikea butch block counter tops. Really like them.

As for a fridge, since we have a tiny house we also have a tiny fridge. We did not want to trade off fridge space though, so we got an all-fridge and our only freezer is in the basement.

2008 Mar 29
Oh, and to the left and just below there you can see the top of the metal bar from Ikea. It has hooks on it and on the hooks are hanging all of our stainless steel big cutlery like big spoons, ladels, spatulas and so forth. The big empty space in the lower middle of the wall now has one of those magnetic strips on it, and that's where we store the most-used knives.

EDIT : I really like having the pots out hanging like this, rather than in a cupboard somewhere, where you are always fumbling to get the one you need.

2008 Mar 29
One final comment : when we bought this place 7 years ago now, it took a LOT of convincing to get my wife to let me do that wall like that with hanging the pots out. A few weeks ago completely out of the blue she actually come out and said how glad she was that we went that way with it, and how much she likes it. Not that it really took her that long to like it, it just took her that long to admit it :-)

2008 Mar 29
While I'm a major fan of Ikea's cabinetry, a couple of my close friends have had some serious problems with the contractors that they use for installing the cabinetry. There were some serious issues with either misordered, mismeasured & missing parts from their orders.

I am also a major fan of butcherblock countertops, and if you're into baking, a marble-top island is really handy & adds character and value to your kitchen.

Like Zym, I also enjoy a hanging pot rack since it frees up a lot of cabinet space and makes pots & pans easily accessible. I also have a magnetic strip for all of my kitchen knives, don't listen to the naysayers of the magnetic strip! It hasn't damaged or dulled any of the blades on my knives thus far.

Oh yeah, invest in task lighting, as PiO said... I never thought I'd miss it until I moved into this apartment. And don't skimp on the overhead exhaust range, get one with a removable - even - dishwashable filter.

2008 Mar 29
I haven't read anyone else's comments, but I know three of the people who work at www.deslaurier.ca/. I have no idea what their prices are like or anything, but they are always busy over there, and are generally a nice bunch. :)

2008 Mar 30
Fortunately we did not have any contractor-related issues with our Ikea cabinets, because we did it ourself. Which brings up another couple of things I love about them. (1) they are really easy to DIY, and (2) Ikea customer support is extraordinary. If even the slightest thing is wrong, they will make it right.

One example for us. We already had 1 butcher block counter from them, and when we got the other one installed (the stand alone dishwasher cabinet which we have installed as an island in our tiny kitchen) the can of stuff that we had for treating the counters was almost empty. So I took the almost empty can out to Ikea and bought one that looked just like it. When I got it home, it looked different. So I went back out to talk to the people there, and they assured me it was the same thing. So I got back home and treated my counter, and sure enough it was very different and now my 2 countertops looked different!

I phoned customer support and explained the situation that their person had assured me it was the same when it was not. A few days later they delivered a whole new dishwasher cabinet. They left it for me until I got the countertop switched, then they sent someone out to pick up the old stuff. All free.

2008 Mar 30
Oh, another example of Ikea customer support. First, I'll point out that for bigger orders we don't buy in-store. We call the toll free number from the website and pay the 50 bucks to have it all delivered. One of the faceplates for our kitchen cabinet drawer had a minor flaw in it. So minor that I'd never have noticed it, but my wife did. So we called them about it, and a week later they had a whole new drawer for us. They let us keep the whole drawer, not just the faceplate. So we put the extras away and now we have a whole whack of spare parts should we ever need them.

2008 Mar 30
Pete: so funny - the only thing we were missing on our list was task lighting! We have to put in a natural gas furnace if we want to do gas (currently the furnace is oil). Our agent told us that this is about $5k but well worth it, and we know there is gas in the area as other homes have natural gas. But it is one more thing we would have to put money into, you know? We are thinking of going with a downdraft range vent so we can open up some walls and put the range in an island. Have you heard anything about those?

Zymurgist: You're right, we were brainwashed by our real estate agent! Haha. It is not our home yet :) We did not even think of Ikea for cabinets. We did some looking and it looks like you can even get that custom cabinet look with Ikea cabinets (i.e. all the way to the ceiling). And their hardware is much cheaper than Home Depot. The only thing we would be concerned about is that we would have no idea of where to even start with cabinets...measurements, what we require etc. Any tips for two home improvement newbies?

Candice: Thanks, they were on our list to check out along with a few others - we'll check out the show room :)

2008 Mar 30
Well, in terms of the broader strokes of measuring the space for the cabinets, I hope that much is obvious. You measure the space, you measure the cabinet, and buy cabinets that fit the space. I guess the downside of Ikea vs custom is that you only have certain lengths to work with. But even in our 100+ year old house that was not an issue. In fact, in the picture above we got really lucky for that butcher block counter since the stock counter from Ikea was about exactly 2 inches shorter than the wall so it was a perfect fit!

As for doing the measurements for the kickplates and topplates to get the custom cabinet look, I can't help you there because we never bothered :-) In a tiny house like ours it actually gives the look of more space if you don't put them in, though that's not why we didn't. It was mainly just too much bother. I'm sure you could probably hire someone to do that part though. The rest of the installation up til that point was very easy for us to do, though we are both fairly handy with tools and such.

2008 Mar 30
Pam... Downdraft or overhead is not the issue (although I like overhead better). The issue is to make sure that you have EXTERNAL venting hooked up to the fan. Some places do downdraft, but don't actually hook it up to an external vent... which just means you get to shoot the smoke somewhere else, and you'll have just as many smoke alarms going off. They will sell really cool looking downdraft models mounted in islands... but it's very unlikely these stylish beasts are actually venting outdoors. Also, if you do get gas, or think you might, external venting is a code requirement. I've also read some mixed reviews of downdraft vents, but have no experience myself with them.

Also, don't discard having a cooktop separate from the oven.. it really allows you to push things around the kitchen a bit.

Zym... Yup, I totally love overhead pot/pan racks.

2008 Mar 31
Congrats, Pam!

Since I got here late to the party, I can really just say that I mirror Zym's comments, in that those Grundtal rails and shelves are so wicked useful. I only have one hanging up right now, because my kitchen walls are cinderblock and I've run out of masonry bolts.

The one suggestion I can make that hasn't been made yet is to use a magnetic knife rail, and buy the longest one you can find. If I could find one that was four feet long, I'd use it. I put all manner of metal things on it other than my knives: corkscrew, peelers, microplane grater, etc.


2008 Mar 31
We renovated our kitchen at my old house & the major thing I miss about it is the under cabinet lighting!!! Makes such a difference when you are preparing food.

Another thing I had that I didn't appreciate until I moved was the full extension drawers! You can see everything you have and don't scrape your knuckles to get the things in the back of the drawers! A must have, worth the upgrade.

We bought kitchen aid gas range which was awesome! Very industrial with the cast iron grates over the elements and it had an option of electric or gas oven depending on what you were making which was very nice! The price was very comparable too.

One thing though that I wish I had done was have a place for a microwave. We hardly used the thing so didn't think we needed it but for melting butter for my popcorn it was needed, lol. I eat a lot of popcorn. Always hated that it was on the counter.

Depending on what you current cabinets look like & if you like the layout you can just buy new doors. There is a local company, which is always nice, that sells just the doors to fit your exsisiting cabinets at either Rona or Home Depot. Great way to save some money & the junk yard while still undating your space. Our cabinets were custom but I believe our contractor moved away otherwise I would recommend him if a total reno is what you are planning. But we purchased the fronts from that company & they have many styles to choose from.

A fun idea for pots & pans is using an old cast iron grate or small peice of iron fencing & hang it from a chain of the same colour. Yesturday's things on Bank has a whole bunch of neat stuff you can use.

A great place to find fun handles is Preston Hardware. Tons of choices at any price range.

You should take a picture of the current space & post it if you would like more ideas. I have tons. I am taking an interior design course right now so I love this kind of stuff! Especially because it involves the kitchen, my old career & passion.

2008 Mar 31
My Mom's a Foodie - gladly! Here is a photo of the current space. The cabinets are all 100% custom and incredibly modern-looking given that they were done in the 80's! Unfortunately glossy white is not our style. We are looking for something more like this: www.denys.ca but with black "floating glass" appliances from JennAir.

We did sort of consider just trying to refinish the existing cabinets, but we don't think it will be possible given their glossiness, and I really want to warm up the kitchen with wooden cabinets. Additionally the kitchen is a little closed in and we'd like to open it up and add an island.

Thanks for the tips! Never would have thought about incorporating a space for the microwave, but I'd hate to have it on the counter too. And ESPECIALLY about Preston Hardware - I actually work on Preston and drive by there every day, but never ever would have thought to go in. Duh. I've been brainwashed by Home Depot.

2008 Mar 31
Here is another photo of the existing kitchen.

2008 Mar 31
Be careful what you do for a place for the MW, because there are special provisions in the electrical code for an "appliance garage". The important part is - best that whatever you end up doing does not classify as one because if it does then there are a lot of restrictions.

2008 Mar 31
Whomever you choose for kitchen cupboards, I would not recommend Canac to do any work. Our experience was completely awful. For the money they charge, I'd hire a small custom kitchen cabinet company, preferably based here in Ottawa.

2008 Mar 31
Hi there,
We renovated our kitchen a few years ago and used a company on Trim Road called Sebo Kitchens (as in "c'est beau"). They are a small company but we are happy with our kitchen and out of 5 quotes they were the least expensive. (We called Theo Mineault three times and no one ever called us back!!)

I have attached a picture of our new kitchen before they put the cabinet doors on so you can see what the insides look like. These are my suggestions:

-One of my favourite features is the "dead space" above the fridge that no one can ever reach and is too deep to do anything with. As you see in the picture, on the right side they put dividers and this is where I store my cookie sheets, muffin tins, pyrex dishes, cutting boards etc......anything that is long and can slide in and out. I only wish I had gotten them to do that on both sides. It's also a good place to put cookbooks. It's the best way to use this dead space and frees up lower cabinet space and no more bending down :):)

-In the corner cabinet at the bottom, we opted NOT to get a lazy susan put in and it was a big mistake - everything gets lost in that cabinet. Get the lazy susan for sure.

- One of my favourite things also is the slots for wine bottles underneath the cabinets on either side of the sink. We opted not to get round holes put in the openings and are glad we didn't because we can fit two bottles diagonally this way with the square openings so we can have 12 bottles instead of 6 (unless they are fat bottles).

-Lastly - a good space saving idea is to mount an exhaust/microwave above your stove so it does double duty (only problem is it doesn't vent outside. Still not sure why we didn't do this), but it hasn't really been that big a problem. We just open a window a crack and it seems to help with any smells.

Hope that helps!

2008 Mar 31
Here is the before of our kitchen:

2008 Mar 31
And here is the after:

2008 Mar 31
w.r.t. the lazy susan in the corner like that - since they space is square and the lazy susan round, you'll lose a fair bit of space. have a look at lee valley for some very innovate square solutions to this problem.

2008 Mar 31
Pam that kitchen is totally my style already! Swap out the current table and chairs for something from Verner Panton and you have yourself an uber-modern, space age kitchen.

Somewhat off topic but just curious - what area of the city did you settle on? My girlfriend and I are a fairly young couple and finding there's quite a variance in sizes and shapes of homes on our budget depending on the neighborhood (I suppose like any other city right? location, location, location)


2008 Mar 31
A few things: built in cutlery trays which are custom fit to the drawer are handy things to have, and I second (third?) the idea of making sure you have a spot for your microwave. I would even go so far as to plan for other "small appliance" storage: toaster, mixer, blender, etc. Make sure you have shelving the right size, and easy to access for these items.

Also, make sure you plan out the configuration of the kitchen so that two people can easily work in there together. Figure out what placement of sink, stove and fridge works best for you. Place your working areas in prime spots, to ensure that you can easily work beside both the stove and sink, where you will need to.

2008 Mar 31
You guys are amazing! Here are the tips I've gathered so far:

- island and/or bar seating is nice to have
- counter depth fridge/freezer with bottom drawer fridge
- gas range with good venting OUTSIDE
- task lighting (this seems like a big one!)
- big sink (James, my fiance, has wanted this from the beginning as he is a splasher when he does the dishes!)
- lots of storage (we don't have a problem with this - we have too much storage, if there is such a thing! we are struggling to figure out what to do with the "other half" of the kitchen)
- pot rack & magnetic knife strip(s) (we already have two from Christmas gifts)
- appliance garage (but not REALLY an appliance garage) or at least a microwave shelf
- lazy susan (this might count as part of the "lots of useful space" tip)

Keep them coming :)

KSW - your new kitchen is gorgeous! I love light, natural wood like that. My fiance is a fan of the dark, dark, dark woods. So we came to a compromise and agreed on a medium stain ;)

Monty - we have been sharing an apartment in the west end (Richmond near Lincoln Heights) for the past couple of years, and we love the Ottawa River, the Parkway and the bike paths & parks around here. We wanted to stay in this general area. We considered areas like Westboro, Glabar Heights, McKellar Park, Crystal Beach etc, but ended up in a little secluded neighbourhood near Bayshore called Fairfield Heights West. If you and your girlfriend are seriously looking email me! I'm happy to pass on some of our experiences with house hunting in Ottawa. It is hard to go resale I think, most young couples are buying new custom built houses out in Bridlewood or similar suburban communities.

Oh and PS...want to buy some glossy white cabinets? ;)

2008 Mar 31
The kitchen you desire is beautiful! Although I personally really do like the modern cabinets that you currently have, from what I can tell from the picture anyway.

The appliances, floor, counter top & wall colour do nothing for them though! Hard to tell from the picture what the colours of them are but they do not seem to do anything for the cabinets.

You could really do a lot with what you have and instead of spending a lot of money changing the cabinets you could spend less money & get a quality tile for the floor, new counter top and build an island.

If you find the modern cabinets too 'cold' I would say use natural finishes for the rest of the kitchen.

For example a darker smooth slate 3' by 2' tile on the floor & wood counter tops(I would think a dark ebony finish but medium would look nice as well if that is what you prefer). It would be great if the wood could wrap around the end of the base cabinet beside the dishwasher as well for a bit of visual interest. You could mirror that on the two narrow ends of the island to tie it all together if you choose to buy more glossy white cabinets for the island. Or make the island all out of the same stained wood with the same modern clean edges as your cabinets.

Then a nice earthy colour on the walls like a light moss green or something would really warm it up or a bold rusty orange would also be fun but still warm.(if you went with the darker stain that is)

But if you really don't like them & have a large budget (so many cabinets, floor, counter, appliances, lighting, etc...!$!) you mid as well go for it! You just want to be sure you will be happy with it all in the end.

2008 Apr 1
Pam I wish I had too much storage space in my kitchen LOL! I live in a one bedroom apartment with a kitchen the size of a postage stamp. I dream of one day buying a kitchen and having a house built around it LOL. Thanks for starting this thread - it gives me something to dream about...

2008 Apr 1
My suggestion... and it doesn't mean much as you can see from the pics of my kitchen.....

Go buy the game SIMS. Its this simulation game where you can control people. However you have to build their homes complete with furniture and rough measurements as well as custom colours, etc. hahaha. If you are anything like me, great furniture and design ideas will come to mind!

2008 Apr 1
Anybody want to renovate my kitchen?!?!

:D

(yupp, notice no fridge in my kitchen. and thats a WASHER... not a dishwasher, a clotheswasher!)

2008 Apr 2
I've got a washer and dryer in my kitchen. But luckily a dishwasher too ;-)

2008 Apr 2
My microwave is over my stove and I love it there since it doesn't take up any counter space and it does double duty as a vent.

Someone also mentioned layout which is really important to think about. I really like my kitchen when I'm alone in it but if someone else want to help out we're tripping over each other and I jsut end up getting frustrated.

When I renovated my kitchen I replaced the sink with one from a company called Blanca that's made from granite and silicone and I love it!! It's large, doesn't stain cause it's black and it doesn't scratch. I had a cream colored sink before that always looked filthy because it stained so easily. It drove me nuts!!

2008 Apr 2
My microwave's directly above my sink, held there by a big-honkin' pair of brackets I picked up from Lee Valley for that very purpose. Can't find 'em on the site any more, though.

2008 Apr 2
I haven't heard anything good about over the range microwaves (combo microwave-hood fan). It apparently reduces the quality of the hood fan, and if you are thinking of getting a gas stove, the last thing you want is reduced quality in your hood fan.

I wouldn't consider that if you want optimal performance.

2008 Apr 2
If you decide to replace your existing cabinets, you can give the old ones to Habitat for Humanity's ReStore. They use old fixtures in houses they are building. When we redid our bathroom, they even had a pick-up service come to the house to get the old vanity and toilet.

As for IKEA, we looked at them too and didn't think the drawer mechanisms would be as solid as Kraftmaid, which uses wood instead of plastic or metal for the drawer construction. We haven't made our final decision so if I'm way off base, someone let me know.

2008 Apr 2
We've had the Ikea stuff for 6 years now and not the slightest complaint with the drawer mechanisms. In fact quite the opposite compared to the old hand made wooden cabinents (we still have them on one wall). We are very pleased with their continued smooth operation. And while our 4 and 6 year olds have destroyed a lot of things in our house in their few short years, they have not yet had the slightest negative effect on these.

2008 Apr 2
Zym (or anybody): do you know what the Ikea cooktops are like? I've seen and been impressed by the cabinetry and drawers, but I haven't heard anything about the cooktops.

Shame it doesn't look like they have a six-burner version!

2008 Apr 2
Nope, no experience with their cooktops.

2008 Apr 2
A Maurice spoon, essential!

2008 Apr 2
Obviously Ikea doesn't make their own appliances. You just have to find out who is making them, to get an idea on how good they are.

2008 Apr 2
if i were you, i'd wait until i moved in and then contact a designer to give you some ideas. my friend works for house and home magazine and gave me the use of a designer for a house warming present. i had janise from uproar paint and design, i really enjoyed working with her. she also does the cbc designer phone-in on ontario today.

i like the white cupboards. it is really nice and bright in there, it will be much darker with all wood. so many people i know have ended up painting their wood cabinets white after a few years.

since you don't know what you want, my suggestion is to move in and live with it for a while to figure out how you use the space. then you will quickly know what you want - bigger sinks, more counter space around stove, island, ect.

in my kitchen i hate appliance clutter on the counter, so i have a special cupboard that has the microwave and stuff all hooked up. when i need it i open the cupboard and use it right where it is, when i am done, close the doors.

personally, i don't like hanging pots and pans and they take up space on the walls. i'd rather have more interesting cabinets and display shelving than pots on the walls.


2009 Mar 29
reviving this thread

my girlfriend and i just bought our first home this morning after a weekend of fierce negotiating :P

we were looking in older neighborhoods like queensway terrace south, qualicum area, and bel air heights. so a lot of kitchens we looked at were very outdated. i was really taken aback at the costs of reno'ing too - fixtures alone really varied in price.

fortunately we found a great place in bel air heights that met all our criteria, including a great kitchen that was just redone last year!

very excited!

2009 Mar 29
Monty - as I've said to others here in the past - don't let the real estate agents put words in your mouth - you bought a house and only some time after you move in will it turn into a home! :-) Congrats!

I had to do a double-take because wow that looks like the kitchen of my buddy's former house. But he sold it about 2 years ago and I also happen to know the guy who bought it (even though the 2 of them did not know each other), and I'm pretty sure he's not moving. Very nice cabinets.

2009 Mar 29
Monty, congrats!! Gorgeous kitchen.

The house we bought is in Copeland Park (the neighbourhood beside Bel Air Heights) :) I've since moved downtown but we could have practically been neighbours, heh!

2009 Mar 29
Congrats, Monty! Now... who did you get your mortgage through? ;)

2009 Mar 31
We had our kitchen done by Kitchen Craft. We got excellent service and a great product. They are out near the lighthouse by the Museum of Science and Tech. Cabinets and island top were built in Winnipeg and shipped by train. We had no issues whatsoever and the cabinets are very well built--there are no plastic components and even the drawer interiors are solid hardwood. The pantry we wanted didn't fit in our space so they customized one for us.

A few things to consider that we learned:

By taking your cabinets right to the ceiling you gain extra storage space for things you don't use as often.

We had a space built in the island for the microwave. This keeps it off your countertop and out of the way. Also better/safer for children taking hot things out of the microwave.

We have large pot drawers for storage--I find them more convenient than cupboards.

Don't hang compost/recycling bins off your cabinet doors--they get too heavy and can put too much tork on the door. Look for the slider mechanisms that allow you to support the weight of the bins. We have good sized ones for newspaper, cans/bottles, garbage, our reuseable grocery bags and garbage. Very convenient.