SuzzyQ

I always laugh when husband think they need to input for kitchen design. Who does the cooking and the cleaning? Who is in the room? Who just has to look at it?
I lived in the house 13 years before I did the kitchen over. DH told me he liked wood cabinets and I reminded him that since I was the chief cook and bottle washer we would be getting laminate - which were cheaper and "cleaner". Was his last suggestion except that I'd better like what the result was because it would be the last kitchen reno.
28 years later - I still love my kitchen design. The cabinets still look pretty good except for the oak strips which on the drawers and bottom cabinets doors have a groove in them. Groove catches everything and is a pain to clean. Unfortunately can't figure out how to remove the strip and replace with a flat piece. Then I'd just add handles and new countertop. Just painting the oak wouldn't remove the groove.
Design the kitchen the way you use it - and get the plainest cabinetry you can.

GEMRM

Thanks to all of you for some thoughtful, some funny, some supportive answers and ideas. I'm not sure where this will go, but for now, it's all quiet on the renovation front...... I'm waiting for him to bring the topic up again!

Chasing Hawk

My husband, 2 of sons all worked in construction. The 2 sons both worked for a cabinet company for 5+ years. My last kitchen remodel was after a tree fell on my kitchen. Our son went to his boss with the dimensions of the kitchen and designed my kitchen that way. I loved it but my only change was I didn't want my stove in the corner. I personally like the "framed" look of a cabinet door.

We are wanting to redo the kitchen in our present house, but the house is only 12 years old. So a remodel is on the back burner for now.

cashs_mom

He was a smart man. My husband stays out of all the home remodeling. He's afraid if he says anything that I'll make him deal with the contractors lol

QuiltnLady1

We moved 3 years ago and gutted the kitchen -- this is the third kitchen I have designed. This time I went with Shaker cabinets. The last 2 kitchens had a trash compactor, but the bags got pretty heavy and we could not handle them any more so we put in drawers that hold cans for the recycle and the garbage. I put long, metal handles (horizontal on the drawers and vertical on the doors) and so far the cupboards have not gotten messy. I only have 2 lower cabinets and all the rest are drawers of various widths and depths -- this is the second house I have done this and I am sooo glad that I no longer have to crawl into the bottom cupboard. The original kitchen was very small, but there was a place for a table adjacent so I extended the kitchen into that area so I could get a decent size kitchen. I put a bar that we can eat at. We put in a smallish pantry -- it is much smaller than the one we had in our last house, but there really is no room for a bigger one. The kitchen is next to the garage and I had hopes of putting in a laundry room there but I haven't felt up to doing more remodeling so I have a large plastic garbage can in the garage that contains my mops and brooms. I, too, am lucky, DH says that since I do the cooking I can design the kitchen. He also lets me do the bathrooms (we had to gut them too -- the house had major issues with all the mechanicals because it had been remodeled by numerous handymen over the years and once you got under the skin of the house everything that was not original was bad).

AZ Jane

I was thinking, grooves that just go up and down?? Kinda like this? The before picture https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/28569778859058601/

Corky

Being very careful with $$, we did Ikea, too. They are holding up really well (4 years ago) and show no signs of wear. The designs are so flexible, easy to install, and they are less expensive than many, although not cheaply made, better reviews than KitchenMaid, etc. Best ideas: Pull out containers under the sink for trash and recycles. Deep drawers rather than shelves under counter, LOVE them. Corner lazy Susans and pull outs to use all the space. Tall pantry shelves with pull out baskets. Genius. My husband had the best idea, too. We made our counters 6" deeper (wider?) than traditional counters. This leaves room for the coffeepot, toaster, etc without taking up counter space. If you have a large enough area, do it, it is wonderful! It also placed our range away from the backsplash so there is no more having to clean the wall of splatters, (we even get to hang pictures there, changing with the seasons) Another idea: we got a very sturdy metal cart on wheels and had a custom top made for the top to match our countertops. It is a prep area that is moveable when needed, can be used for a side area during large dinners, and the basket type shelves underneath is great for storing potatoes, onions, etc. .Don't do the hole in the counter, I think you would regret it. Besides the mess of cleaning, other stuff can go down there unintentionally. Let me know if you need clarification.

romanojg

you know that you can have the doors replaced and keep the original cabinets. I agree with the garbage can out from under the cabinet, you can also build a cabinet/box to go around the trash can so that it isn't as exposed good luck

cathyvv

Trash can - I agree with you about NOT having the trash under the sink. The cabinet door gets lots of wear AND if the trash spills out under the sink, it's he!! to clean up. Suggestion: build a matching, portable, trash containter, maybe with wheels, with a hinged cover as a separate unit. Make it match the cabinets. Have it installed at the end of another unit, or make it roll out from under the counter. Make sure it fits a standard size kitchen trans can inside it when it is designed.

Cabinets, you have to do the work, so get what you want. Or get what he wants, but hire someone to come in and clean once a month. I doubt he'll like that idea at all!

quilt9226

The best thing we did when we totally remodeled our kitchen was have a pullout for the recycling and the garbage. This was important because big dog and smaller trash can. Anything organic, like chicken bones, was brought directly outside to the garbage can since big shelter dog could not resist. Have your cabinets go to the ceiling instead of leaving a gap which gets dusty and dirty and is a place that gets cluttered easily. If you are getting new appliances do your research on brands and performance. We originally purchased our appliances from a big box retailer which I will not name. We returned all appliances since the wrong refrigerator was delivered to us three times. We finally bought our appliances from a local company who told us that the brand we had purchased and returned was impossible to find parts so many consumers had giant paperweights in their garages waiting for parts.