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I'd like to have a wall mounted oven, an induction range, and counter-depth fridge. A pantry and plenty of storage for my kitchen doo-dads. Plenty of well laid out work space. Open to the living room/great room. Chest freezer - in the pantry would be fine. So yeah, big pantry. Truly venting range hood. White appliances - unless I can get all matching appliances in bright red. Ultra deep sink as large as possible. Real wood cabinets in a light natural woodstain. No black, grey, or stainless steel anywhere - unless I have a real commercial stainless sink. NO GRANITE OR MARBLE. That stuff's ugly. Tile floor. Lots of windows.
Better stove. I live in a rental apt. and my stove is so old it has pilot lights that are on all the time. The maintenance people give you new appliances if yours die. Got a new A/C a few months ago but I can't figure out how to kill this crummy stove to get a new one. Also a better dishwasher and a hanging pot rack. Other than those things I'm happy with my kitchen.
We were just talking the other day of building an addition to expand our kitchen. There are several things I really want. I want to switch to gas. I learned to cook on gas and am finding it hard to switch to electric. I want a good stove. Something like a vintage O'Keefe and Merrit or a new AGA. I would love a butler's pantry. While house hunting earlier this year I ran across a couple. Boy do I love them. And last I really want a breakfast nook.
Well, in my mind and my husband's mind it looks like this:
Wallpaper would be take out/delivery menus
2 ATMs and the money to fill them (we prefer to always pay cash for delivery)
2 Large screen TVs on opposite walls, and wireless headphones
2 Leather Massage LaZBoys
Robot to provide me wine, him beer, and snacks for each of us and to go pick up the food if it's take out and we can't get it delivered. He'll also grocery shop. I'll give him cash from the never ending ATM.
Pneumatic pipeline system that will deliver money to the delivery person and provide us the food
Perhaps a chef who lives in the pantry and cooks exactly what we want, how we want it, when we want it, and makes it taste like we think it is supposed to
It really kinda blows to get old. My kitchen would be a lot more like your guys' dream kitchens if I were my old self when I COULD physically cook (and had someone other than just us to cook for).
My dream kitchen...
The heart of my home is my kitchen where family and friends gather. It is a happy place for me where you can find varieties of food, drink,music and laughter.I love my kitchen open spaced and very bright looking.The kitchen tile floors should have an earthy, natural color.With super-efficient appliances,light colored walls,oak cupboards and drawers,granite countertops,2 big windows looking out in my garden,great storage design including a walk in pantry.I prefer lots of counter space when I do all my Christmas cakes/cookies /Stollen/bread baking or just to do my daily cooking. Two large sinks are mandatory in my kitchen due to my big pots and cookie sheets.My kitchen also should have great lighting fixtures so that I can easily read my cooking/baking instructions or clean up my mess after hard days work in the kitchen. Not to forget a special designed Bavarian eating nook with hand carved antique wood table,bench and chairs designed for 6 people. to enjoy a beer with family or friends.
My dream kitchen...
The heart of my home is my kitchen where family and friends gather. It is a happy place for me where you can find varieties of food, drink,music and laughter.I love my kitchen open spaced and very bright looking.The kitchen tile floors should have an earthy, natural color.With super-efficient appliances,light colored walls,oak cupboards and drawers,granite countertops,2 big windows looking out in my garden,great storage design including a walk in pantry.I prefer lots of counter space when I do all my Christmas cakes/cookies /Stollen/bread baking or just to do my daily cooking. Two large sinks are mandatory in my kitchen due to my big pots and cookie sheets.My kitchen also should have great lighting fixtures so that I can easily read my cooking/baking instructions or clean up my mess after hard days work in the kitchen. Not to forget a special designed Bavarian eating nook with hand carved antique wood table,bench and chairs designed for 6 people. to enjoy a beer with family or friends.
The nook is missing but will a table for 6-10 with chairs for big guys in front of windows to the garden do?
The nook is missing but will a table for 6-10 with chairs for big guys in front of windows to the garden do?
Yes of course
At the moment I have a table for six in front of my big patio door close to my kitchen and a dining room separate for entertaining. But no nook,grew up with one and have one in my home in Bavaria and would love to have one again. Sadly we down sized.
I've never had the square footage to have my "ideal kitchen". I have no problem cooking for 10 people with a 4 burner gas range, a microwave, a dishwasher, a normal-sized fridge, and a normal-sized kitchen sink. A larger kitchen doesn't improve food quality and I'd rather use my limited square footage elsewhere in the house. If you have a big kitchen, everyone is going to congregate there. I don't have that problem.
I loathe electric cook tops. Must be gas. I like having a very quiet dishwasher. I find an ice maker and filtered water dispenser to be very convenient in the fridge but I could get by just fine with ice cube trays and a Brita.
Storage, storage, and more storage.
shallow pantry for food, deep pantry for appliances like the rice cooker, bread maker, punch bowl, pasta machine, wedding silver... Yup, I got all of those.
lots of drawers for utensils, pot lids, towels, and the ever-popular miscellaneous.
Counter space. areas near the sink for wet work, space with outlets for small appliances, large areas near the stove to put cookie sheets and such.
low-maintenance surfaces. Stainless is a pain to keep clean, I like black appliances. Granite, marble, cement, and grout all stain. I've heard quartz doesn't need much maintenance. (I currently have big tiles with epoxy grout. that's working pretty well).
backsplash that goes from the top of the counter all the way up to the base of the cabinets, or to the ceiling where there's no cabinets. I despise those 4" to 6" splash guards you see with cheap counters (including a lot of granite). And the backsplash should be attractive but mellow. Those strongly patterned and/or multi-color ones must get old real quick. And easy to clean.
resilient flooring so my feet and legs don't hurt. Hardwood is OK, tile isn't. There's a cushy vinyl that seems like a good idea, but I'd be afraid it looks tacky.
View of the TV so I can watch while working. Easy-to-reach phone in case it rings. computer access if I want to look up a substitution or recipe. OK, I'm showing my age; some people would do all those on their smart phone.
Key components and thoughts. Builders of better homes do most of these things but home shoppers should have a checklist of design criteria and components.
- Oversized sink, like a farmhouse or apron sink, minimum 22x33 inches. HATE 2-part divided sinks.
- No prep sink. HATE it. Too small; need elbow room to scrub veggies. If a 2nd sink I want standard size.
- Faucet(s) that turn on/off with just a touch or wave of the hand.
- Double door fridge/freezer with ice maker/dispenser and water dispenser. Larger is better.
- Large GAS range, like a Wolf or a Viking. Four burners with a grill. Consistent flat surface, not raised burners.
- Double oven, one gas and one microwave above it. HATE microwaves overtop of ranges or on counter.
- Large hood over the range, vented to the outside. HATE those tiny hoods that just blow it up to the ceiling.
- Dishwasher, a quiet one.
- Lots of cabinets with quality door slides. Some with glass fronts.
- Task lighting under the cabinets.
- Lots of recessed lighting.
- Stainless steel for appliances.
- One large island for main meal prep work; a 2nd island okay.
- Some sort of stone for countertops but not granite (needs annual sealing).
- Backsplash covers all wall space from counter level up to bottom of cabinets.
- Walk-in pantry with lots of adjustable shelves.
- Plumbing. Be wary of putting any water lines along an outside wall to prevent winter freezing.
- Garbage disposer in each sink.
- Pull out trash drawer under main work counter.
- Dishwasher under main work counter, near sink.
- Reverse Osmosis water filter system under main sink for drinking and cooking water.
- Layout should emphasize a triangular concept where when standing at main work counter, both the range and fridge are behind you, one on either side to minimize walking around. You want to just turn left or right to reach either one and not walk all the way around the counter to get to these. You want this counter top (island) to be the long dimension of the kitchen so you're facing out to the great room or seating area.
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My kitchen would be a lot more like your guys' dream kitchens if I were my old self when I COULD physically cook (and had someone other than just us to cook for). 
Not to forget a special designed Bavarian eating nook with hand carved antique wood table,bench and chairs designed for 6 people. to enjoy a beer with family or friends.
