Need assistance with kitchen upgrade

[HelenaC]

• Firstly please excuse the state of my kitchen. Everything is covered in concrete dust and I am just trying to clean a bit at a time!
• My kitchen is about 25 years old and very brown. I have just ripped up the tiles and intend to add new ones once I have added a couple of new cabinets and bench tops.
• I am thinking about just changing the bench top and the doors (to white) on the existing cabinet with the stove and oven it it. 
• I need to add new kitchen cabinets above my stove and across that wall.
• This is an apartment and due to BC rules the only kind of extractor fan I can add is one that sucks up into a filter not one that ducts out through the cladding on the external area of the building. I will add an filter extractor fan so would love some suggestions of one that might work well.
• I would like to extend the bench with the sink in it maybe 40cm so that the shelves are not too deep.(newspaper at the end of the bench on the floor shows how big I am thinking)  If I do go for a shorter cabinet I miss out on 20 cm of additional bench space, but it does push out into the hall (it will then be even with the fridge on the other side). Also it seems that off the shelf shelves are 60cm deep so might have to get a custom made one which will of course push the price up.
• At the other end of the bench with the sink in it there is a large double sided shelving system that I had made about 25 years ago when I first purchased the apartment. It has a lower drawer on the kitchen side which I like and would quite like another drawer added. One side backs into the lounge is provides a lot of storage space. This unit is dark brown and I would imagine that it would be quite expensive to get another one made so might either paint it or leave it brown and change the colour of the other cabinets and bench tops. 
• The floor I just installed down the hall way and through the lounge are vinyl planks from Bunnings called Springfield. They are a grey/brown (sounds terrible) they look stunning so I need to match the kitchen with the floor. I cant extend the planks into the kitchen as the concrete floor is not quite even enough and the neighbours have complained about the noise I made removing the tiles so they would have a heart attack if I brought the grinder out!!!  I love black, but everyone has warned me off black... anywhere in the kitchenDefinitely not to scale!
• the front of the kitchen cabinets facing into the lounge is brown and if I add an extension to the end I will need to either add a board across it or maybe it comes off and I can just add a boring white one? Otherwise I could go wild and put a transfer of some kind that can come off if I change my mind. I have a wild side and would love to go crazy but I am getting near the end of my time living in an apartment in the city and may sell in the next 12 months or so and know that most buyers love white kitchens

Needless to say the drawing is not to scale Double sided cabinet extends out to loungeThe newspaper shows where the new hall facing cabinet would go and where the bench would extend toLovely new flooring

[EricL · Accepted solution]

Hello @HelenaC

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. Thank you so much for joining us and sharing your question about your kitchen.

Before I make any recommendations for your kitchen, is your kitchen floor flat or slightly lower than your current floor? If it is relatively flat but lower, You can still put the vinyl planks on and use a Roberts 50mm x 3.3m Aluminium Cover Strip - 5 Pack or similar to transition between floors.

Putting kitchen wall cabinets is an excellent way of adding more storage. I suggest using the Bellini 60cm Stainless Steel Recirculating Slideout Rangehood in combination with the Bellini Charcoal Filters - 2 Pack to filter smells and smoke. The Bellini recirculating range hood has aluminium grease filters that are dishwasher safe. So after a heavy day of cooking, you can place the filters straight into the dishwasher to remove the built-up grease.

If you're serious about the wine rack, why not take the next step up and get a Devanti Black 18 Bottle Wine Cooler Fridge. It adds practicality, especially if you want your wine to last. You can add another drawer on top of your existing one by using a Kaboodle 600mm Metal Sided Soft Close Drawer. 

At the end of your island run, you'll just have enough space for the wine fridge and a 300mm base cabinet. I suggest going for wild on the back panel of the island. The new owners can change it back to white if it's too wild for them. Changing the doors to new white ones will only work if your existing doors are the same size as the Kaboodle flat pack doors. Otherwise, you will have to just paint them. I'll leave the benchtop choice up to you.

Here is the cabinet list.

• Kaboodle 450mm Wall Cabinet
• Kaboodle 600mm Rangehood Cabinet
• Kaboodle 800mm Wall Cabinet
• Kaboodle 150mm Infill Wall Cabinet
• Kaboodle 300mm Base Cabinet
• Kaboodle 450mm Gloss White Modern Cabinet Door
• Kaboodle 600mm Gloss White Modern Rangehood Doors - 2 Pack
• Kaboodle 400mm Gloss White Modern Cabinet Door (2X)
• Kaboodle 150mm Modern Cabinet Door - Gloss White
• Kaboodle Gloss White Wall End Panel (3X)
• Kaboodle Gloss White Base End Panel (2X)
• Kaboodle Standard Door Hinge - 1 Pair (7X)
• Kaboodle 2400mm Kickboard - Gloss White

Your drawer front will have to be specially ordered and signed off by your installer to make sure the correct size is purchased. Please have a look at the drawings and tell us what you think. If you wish to see it in another configuration, please let me know.

Here is a link for ideas and inspiration: Top 10 most popular kitchen projects

Let me tag our experienced members @prettyliving and @lifestylebymari for their recommendations

Eric

[HelenaC]

Hey Eric

This looks wonderful. Thank you so much. 

And the floor is even it is just that I have laid some vinyl planks up to where the tiles were. There will be a small lip from the tiles to the vinyl planks.

[MitchellMc]

It is wonderful that you like @EricL's design. I'm sure he'll be pleased to hear when he's back on the site after the weekend.

I thought I'd add. Although it's nice to consider your neighbours when doing construction works, you are well within your rights to renovate your entire apartment. If you were gutting the whole apartment, they'd be looking at several weeks' worth of daily noise (within requirements), not a weekend of grinding. I'd drop a box of chocolates at their door with a note that lets them know they might want to head out to the park for the weekend as you'll be breaking out the grinder. 

Please keep us updated and reach out if you need further assistance. We're here to help.

Mitchell