Kitchen reno--fave features/overrated updates?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Or this one. Lovely, and not a burger king.

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/6600-Kennedy-Dr_Chevy-Chase_MD_20815_M61778-13873

Everything about this is lovely except for the floor. Need to see more contrast there.

Those photos look photoshopped. Shadows and light look off.
Agreed. Needs a wood floor.

[Anonymous]

Totally regret the second dishwasher. It is a waste and only gets used a few times a year. Would rather have storage.

Love having at least one column of shallower drawers to hold utensils, cutlery and small gadgets. My kitchen has too many deep drawers.

Induction is awesome! Heats water super fast and is more adjustable than gas. It is also safer for little hands not getting burned.

At least one decent sized vertical cabinet is a must.

[Anonymous]

We have a mix of cabinets and drawers. I find his a great option to fit everything. If you have an island for eating at, make sure the overhang is deep enough for a person to sit at comfortably. If you have the space, consider putting cabinets on the backside of your island, too. We have a drink fridge and it’s great for when you have a party and everyone can easily help themselves. If you are a coffee drinker, consider a plumbed in espresso machine. We use ours for all sorts of this things. Additionally, we always have almost boiling water. We added a smaller sink in the island and it has been a huge help when prepping food. I would never want just one sink again. We also have one large sink for washing. Think about adding some usb outlets.

[Anonymous]

Push-to-open and soft-close drawers. If nothing else, get this for the trash (think opening and closing while your hands are holding ditches you want to scrape into the trash.)

Toekick drawers if space is at a minimum. They are an extra cost but great for casserole dishes, cookie sheets, breadboards, etc.

Electrical outlets on island for small appliances, and one inside a drawer/cabinet if you want to use it as a charging station.

If you are planning for a gas range, install an electrical outlet (I think this has to be 220?) behind it, just in case you want to switch to induction in the future.

In terms of planning for kids, remember they grow up fast, so imagine how you want to use your kitchen when you don't have rugrats running around.

Really research the finish of your cabinets, and how it will hold up to splatters. We have light-colored painted cabinets marketed as "wipe off", but the warranty apparently does not include stains, and every time a red sauce splashes the drips are absorbed into the finish, so there are now faint freckles on a number of surfaces. It is my one regret, and I would never have known to ask about red sauce specifically. I mean, we have kids and eat spaghetti. Ugh.

[Anonymous]

Not sure if it’s been mentioned but instant hot water at the sink. I use mine all the time and it was the best thing I put in my renovation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone's general feedback was so helpful, I have more questions to crowdsource.

We have to decide between a banquette or a freestanding kitchen table--banquette would mean sacrificing some drawer/cabinet space, but would probably fit more (kids especially) seating. We'll have separate dining table in dining room, adjacent to the kitchen. Anyone have thoughts?

Also, we're seriously considering getting an induction range. While I know the fanciest homes tend to have giant gas ranges, from my research, induction seems to be faster and somewhat safer with little kids. We're ok with limiting the cookware, but would love reactions from the crowd!

I love our built-in banquet seating (we have two sides built in, the other two sides are chairs). It's cozy and the kids like to sit there to do their homework. The seat of our banquet flips up, so there is storage for things we rarely use (the roasting pan I use about 3x per year, a few serving dishes, Holiday linens, etc). The storage is not super convenient, but for items I only use at the holidays, it's not terrible.

The downside to the banquet is you have to crawl back there with a vacuum every few weeks to get all the crumbs that accumulate.

[Anonymous]

Double oven, soft close drawers and large sink with instant hot is great. Pot filler was like more expensive with the plumbing than it’s worth.

[Anonymous]

Oh. We also got double thick quartz on the island. Expensive and unesseccary but I love it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Totally regret the second dishwasher. It is a waste and only gets used a few times a year. Would rather have storage.

Love having at least one column of shallower drawers to hold utensils, cutlery and small gadgets. My kitchen has too many deep drawers.

Induction is awesome! Heats water super fast and is more adjustable than gas. It is also safer for little hands not getting burned.

At least one decent sized vertical cabinet is a must.

Totally agree about induction. It heats pots and pans instantly (like I don't even have to wait a second for it to heat up) and has better temperature control than gas, and it's safer for kids and easier to clean. Magic.