Large Kitchens - are they all useless?

Shermie said:
I sure wish that I had THAT kitchen!!! :wink:
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It needs more useable work surface space and perhaps one of those central work areas. To full that void in the middle and actually provide a useful area. I don't know what it is about it but it just doesn't work.. The aga also needs servicing, it does not get hot and there is no alternative to the aga.

After nearly 4 weeks in it I will be quite happy to return to my old one... Not that my old one will exist because it's been ripped our and I don't even have a kitchen tap at the moment. The new cupboards, cooker, dink, work surfaces etc were delivered today!
 
Lullabelle said:
I will take the dog if you need more room :wink:
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Most people say that. He's a total sweetie and very soft! But he looks down on those kitchen work surfaces and can easily open wheelie bins! The lids are at his head height! :eek: he comes up to my elbows and can easily nudge my elbows out of the way to see what I am doing... His head is the size of an adult rabbit!
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
Most people say that. He's a total sweetie and very soft! But he looks down on those kitchen work surfaces and can easily open wheelie bins! The lids are at his head height! :eek: he comes up to my elbows and can easily nudge my elbows out of the way to see what I am doing... His head is the size of an adult rabbit!
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When we lived in Belfast, my Mum once sat down on a park bench to eat lunch, and turned her head to find herself face to face with an Irish Wolfhound...
 
Arch said:
When we lived in Belfast, my Mum once sat down on a park bench to eat lunch, and turned her head to find herself face to face with an Irish Wolfhound...
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They are stunning creatures, if only I could sweet talk TVC
 
Arch said:
who had a Deerhound. Like a Wolfhound, but taller!
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I have had to look the deerhound up not knowing it. It does seem that the wolfhound is the taller though on average, but the deerhound seems to have a better frame. They do both look gorgeous though and this one is currently talking to me, yet again... Don't think 9am is going to arrive soon enough for him! (2nd walk)...
 
For me I prefer working in a small kitchen that is clean and organize than in a large kitchen that has all the mess and not organize. I may say that my kitchen is my favorite part of the house that is why I want that I am always comfortable when I am there that is why I see to it that even it is small it is nice to look at and very organize for storing, preparing and cooking our foods.
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
This is the kitchen I am currently 'in'....
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As @winterybella said, large is relative. Looking at this photo it seems like a normal sized kitchen to me. My idea of a large kitchen (in a house, not in an apartment) is one in which there is dining space with stools at a counter as well as room for a central island for prepping, etc., and an additional seating area with a table and several chairs on the opposite side for family dining.
 
I would not give it a great grade for practicality as I think the counter space around the stove and sink is too limited for a kitchen of that size. That's just my opinion.

I used to be around houses a lot back in the day. Back then you always knew who was into cooking. Those were usually the ones who wanted a practical kitchen. They could see themselves working in it. You could tell those who were not cooks or kitchen people. They just wanted "a look" and functionality was almost always lacking in the design.
 
My grand nephew - the one who ;likes to cook & bake & myself would be like a kid in a candy store in a kitchen that big!! Hah!! :cook: :wink: :chef:
 
winterybella said:
They just wanted "a look" and functionality was almost always lacking in the design.
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this is definitely that.... my new one is being assembled. I'm getting quite excited. I actually had some say in the design and it looks like it could have paid off... the guy who is putting it together and coordinating all the workmen is great, he is actually asking me if this gap here is big enough (between the wall and the freezer, where there has to be a gap for some power sockets and also because of a radiator handle and some pipes... it is going to be one of those slots for trays and I may even pick up a towel rail thing that pulls out as well which would be useful. The boarding around the and under the boiler which was basically a straight down and kill the work surface space job is now being boxed in properly and he is realises that maximising the work surface space around these pipes would be beneficial...
He has even realised that I have a magnetic blackboard that we had on the wall - really useful to me and if he moves the wall cabinets over so they don't line up with the fridge and freezer exactly, (they will be about 2cm out) we can easily get the blackboard back on the wall without having to go and buy a smaller one ... it won't look odd at all, so its not a problem.
 
The best balance is a small working area, and lots of storage. In a well organised small working area the amount of walking about between fridge, cooker, sink and worktop is minimised. We're lucky to have a utility room that can serve as a pantry, so We can store non-perishable food in there (as well as things like tupperware, and things I use occasionally like my preserving pan) so the cupboards in the kitchen are kept for things needed frequently like saucepans, and for food I need to grab while cooking like spices or oil.

My previous kitchen in my flat was tiny, I could virtually cook without moving my feet, but I had very little storage space.
 
Pretty much every major chain restaurant that I've ever worked in or been in, has been much smaller than you might expect considering the amount of orders that go through it on a daily basis. I think the logic is, that eventually the head cooks are going to start sending the newer cooks home one by one, as the dinner or lunch rushes die down, and towards the end of the night, we would ultimately be working by ourselves, so if an unexpected rush happened again, it's more practical to have as much within arms reach or a few steps away at all times. I would go nuts having to run around a huge kitchen for every little thing. Even the restaurants that have larger kitchen, most of the additional space is for prep cooks, but the bulk of the cooking is still handled on a narrow line.

I think the larger kitchen you pictured above would really benefit from an island in the center, maybe even one with some spare burners on it too. But I also see what you are saying how it would be a bit inconvenient to cook in due to how everything is so spread out. That is an enormous dog in the picture too by the way! LOL.
 
I feel my kitchen is rather small. I wish I had more room. I love counter space. I need more of it. I would like more space to prep my food. I also would love more cabinet storage. That is the major problem. A Large kitchen would not be a problem for me.
 
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