Do's and Dont's +NEW KITCHEN

Belfast sinks are over-rated, I've always got splashed when doing the washing up in one

Avoid B&Q like the plague, I've never heard of anyone who has had a good experience with them

Be careful taking out your existing kitchen, especially around the sinks, speaking from past experience, it's easy to crack a pipe. Check for leaks before you start installing

I'm 6 inches taller then my wife, if I had been designing the kitchen, we'd have lots of cupboards she couldn't reach.

Avoid laminate work tops, you will, at some stage, put a hot saucepan on it and melt the top. Use Granite or pollished stone.
 
Do people still wash up in this day and age?

Yes of course as not everything fits in dishwasher. A sink is still as vital as ever.

However, I am also not overly keen on belfast sinks. Personal preference is for large double stainless steel sinks.
 
However, I am also not overly keen on belfast sinks. Personal preference is for large double stainless steel sinks.

I have a one-and-a-half stainless steel sink, but I deliberately got one without a draining board. I hate the look of draining boards and decided I'd rather have the countertop space. When I wash up (I do also have a dishwasher but there is still a bit of washing up to do) I put a tea-towel on the counter and use that as a "draining board". I've found you're much less likely to leave stuff draining indefinitely when you don't have a draining board (I had stuff permanently draining in my last place), instead I actually dry it and put it away, and then I put my "draining board" away too. The kitchen looks much better for it, and strangely not one visitor has actually noticed the lack of draining board until I've pointed it out.
 
No i don't agree, I would rather have the draining board. Sometimes when i've lots of extra washing I use a tea-towel also, but it wouldn't be my first choice.
 
No i don't agree, I would rather have the draining board. Sometimes when i've lots of extra washing I use a tea-towel also, but it wouldn't be my first choice.

It is a personal preference (obviously ours differ!) but people often take it for granted that you need to have a draining board, when in fact you may not. I never thought twice about it until I saw a drainerless sink in a kitchen in Germany. (In fact that woman had a foldable dish drainer on a metal tray that she stored under the sink, rather than the tea-towel I use). Now most people have dishwashers the draining board has become optional in a way it wasn't years ago.
 
If you have a blank canvas, then for sure put either the sink or hob in your island. Its nice to be able to see something other than the wall when cooking or preparing food.

Or consider a prep sink if this is not possible
 
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