Majjie's Blog

When I first started designing kitchens I never used to ask about a waste bin. My customers automatically got one of those little swing lid numbers (or slide lid ... or lift lid - there were several variations)that fitted under the sink.

Well ... high gloss rules, if you're looking at the door finish for a very modern kitchen.

There were lots of high gloss doors on show at the Bathroom and Kitchen Expo. William Ball is the latest supplier to offer a wider range of colours in a high gloss finish, in their Variocolore range; notably Pistachio green and Arancia orange.

Just in case you're wondering what I talk about in my blogs, I thought I'd maintain a list (most recent first):

26.11.08 Consider a Remoska
14.11.08 Meet Majjie
02.10.08 New Gallery Pictures - of an IKEA Kitchen
29.09.08 Should Janet do up her Kitchen?
23.09.08 What's Happening at MFI?
11.09.08 TIMBER WORKTOPS Part 2: Care and Maintenance
10.09.08 Looking for Good Kitchen Fitters

When I was at the Bathroom & Kitchen Expo the other week, I saw an exhibit of tiny kitchens produced by Elfin Kitchens. They make them in widths of 900 to 1500mm, which is from just under 3 foot to just under 5 foot.

Obviously, for most of us, these won't be of much interest but for bedsits, tiny flats, holiday homes or perhaps for an office (if you tend to live there!) they'd be ideal.

I spent a lot of my early kitchen designing years trying to persuade people out of having a plate rack in their kitchen. The more ornate ones can be quite expensive and although I could see that they looked very pretty, with beautiful best china plates in them, I thought they were a waste of space and that it was a nightmare to keep both the plates, and the rack itself, clean.

As you can tell from the picture below, which shows a big plate rack in one of my kitchen designs, I changed my mind. It's being used to show off some really pretty plates ... 

Having just said that you don't get owt for nowt ... there is one way to get cheap appliances. That's to buy them second hand.

Now, obviously, you get a lot of rubbish for sale second hand and you could just be setting yourself up for future problems. It can be worth a look, though, if you're on a very tight budget. You can tell a lot from the type of family that owns the appliance. Does the rest of the house look well cared for? Or have these appliances been used and abused during the upbringing of numerous boisterous offspring?

I have listed UK Whitegoods in my Resources section as a source of independent advice for kitchen appliances but just wanted to point out here that the site is a veritable mine of useful information on appliances.

There are forums where you can ask for specific advice but there are also reviews of individual appliances, information on manufacturers (including who makes what - which may be a revelation to you!) and a shop where you can buy spares.

In my January newsletter I included a picture of a striking green, striped glass splashback from Rupert Scott. See their gallery here. I suggested that something like that would be a good way of introducing an accent colour into a kitchen.

One of the main features of the enduringly trendy range cooker is that it is free standing and not fitted into the kitchen furniture ... right?

Well, no ... wrong actually ... if the two new offerings from Rangemaster and Britannia are anything to go by.

I thought it might help if I listed the contents of previous newsletters; so that you can see if anything is of particular interest to you:

• Aug 08 - NEW PRODUCTS: Britannia range cookers/wood effect worktops/splashbacks/Nobilia kitchens ... Designing a Small Modern Kitchen - 10 Years Ago + 2008 Modern


• May 08 - TRENDY FEATURES - Should you go for them?...1.High Gloss ... 2. Curved Doors ... 3.Steam Ovens ... RADIATORS - Consider Being More Adventurous