We actually want to make our upper cabinets smaller, removing some, since we have tons of things we never use in the back of those cupboards! Most people only use the front "row" of what's in their cupboards. All the rest just sits there. Dishes, put them on open shelves since they're used & washed daily. Pots/pans you probably only use 3 regularly, plus 1 pizza or cookie tray. All the once in awhile pots/dishes can be put in the basement until you need them.
Yes, yes, and yes please…as always reliable, realistic, and relatable…. Can’t believe how long I have watched your channel and still learning new things. Thanks for all you put into your videos and live streams…be so 😇 blessed.Thumbs up all day everyday 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Have outlets. Something that is lacking in most kitchens. Between apartments and now our third home, a lack of outlets is a major issue. On the one wall of our present kitchen, you have the outlet behind the fridge and the big stove outlet. Nothing else. We had to replace the stove. Unfortunately, I never even dreamed that a stove would come without an outlet. I never thought to look. It also only came with two racks. It was not a cheap stove. The last stove we had bought came with one on each side. It was great because I was able to set up a recycling and coffee center I made with an old microwave cart and some doors bought at the re store. The other wall does have 2 outlets. Both had to be replaced with ones with breakers as they are on each side of the sink. No dishwasher, so the dish rack is in front of the one. I do use it for the light I installed over the sink. On the other side you need to be careful the cord does not go into the sink when using it. On the last bit of counter, with the area built in for the microwave, the only outlet is behind the microwave. My last kitchen had two outlets you could use, other than the stove. The one in our first home, one. And the stove was on a wall without counter on either side. I lived in 4 different rented places. Non were any better for outlets.
I agree so much with the outlets. In my house, built in 1945, the kitchen had 4 outlets. One behind the fridge, one in the back wall, one in a side wall, and one that was for all intents and purposes unusable since someone had built cabinetry around it. So only two that were accessible, whether you needed them or not. 🤣 Needles to say extension cords and outlet strips were a part of my life. We remodeled the entire kitchen last year, upgraded the electrical service coming into the house and I now have 7 outlets within easy reach. The stove is plugged into a dedicated outlet, as is the fridge and the microwave is hardwired so those 3 appliances don't count in my total. It's wonderful. Run both dehydrators, no problem. Add the air fryer, yep can do that too. And the toaster oven? Sure, and all simultaneously with 4 or 5 outlets still available to use and within easy reach. The range, microwave, and fridge are always plugged in. I love it.
outlets on the stove are awesome... didn't know that was a thing till my mom bought a stove 20 plus yrs ago... esp in an apt where it had a 60 amp panel... plug in more than a couple of things and blew a fuse, smh... that apt didn't even have a plug on the 1960s stove... it was hard wired to the building... didn't know that was a thing either. I doubt anyone has said "man I have TOO MANY outlets", lmao.
As a repeat renter now shopping/planning for my forever home in retirement, your best point was defining your ideal kitchen and dream about the house that surrounds that. My greatest frustrations as a renter were struggling with space/function in the kitchen (bath layout was a close second). The kitchen is the workhorse of the house, even if you don't cook.
Mark, I LOVED this video. Great advice and shot in multiple locations… is that an MTKD first? You touched on this in a number of ways, but I also think people feel pressured to have “standard” appliances like a dishwasher or a microwave for example, even though they never use them. I’ve been in homes like that where the appliance just occupies space. I think people should be free and design the kitchen how they want regardless of what’s popular or trendy.
I've found it helpful to use a wall oven under counter and a cooktop elsewhere in the room. Has several advantages over a range, although cost is more. Didn't have a place to mount the oven higher.
We only kept 2 things from our old kitchen - window placement and ceiling. We had to keep the ceiling because our attic was recently insulated with spray foam.
we are keeping our ceiling bc its original to the house... tongue n groove... not much original character is left in our house they renoed everything to 1970s.
Wow, so many good tips. Thanks for being the ultimate professional and adding 10 tips from your hotel room, but please take your time off to rejuvenate. We don't want you to burn out. Anyway, I had to go into a rabbit hole about corner pantries. Trying to figure out how to have a built in corner pantry. Might be able to do it. Thanks for always having us thinking. Appreciate you!
Thanks Mark! Great vid (again!). Going to save this to watch a few times to make sure I’ve got most of the tips covered. I have a few sketches - but want to get a few more. Then I’ll reach out for your time!
I like the look of a range, but don't want to clean under it. Think I'll go with a range top and wall oven. At only 5 feet tall, the toekick stepstool is on my wish list!
I have that, too. I prefer it and will keep it that when I redo my kitchen. I have mobility issues, and it seems to work better than the triangle as on my bad days can have my roll8ng walker with seat and not bump 8nto everything
I made what I consider to be a relatively big mistake in my kitchen. I have a nice little pantry. It's on the smaller side and it's next to the fridge. It has 4 pull outs in the bottom. What I did not take into account was the bowed door handles on the freezer. There isn't enough clearance there to open the pantry doors fully so I only have about half the full depth of the pull-outs. I was looking at it today and I'm going to call the place that sold me the cabinets and see what it would cost to buy two new matching doors for the pantry. I think the easiest and cheapest solution would be to hang two new doors and just hinge them to open the other way. That's probably not the "best" solution but anything else really isn't going to be quick, easy, or affordable for the scope of the problem. All in all I still love the kitchen but it annoys me that I made this mistake.
I'm 5'3" and it's nerve wracking when I have to remove something boiling hot out of the over-the-range microwave because I'm afraid I'll get badly burned if liquid sloshes out onto me. I've had microwaves on the counter in two different homes I've owned and they're so much safer and easier to use. If you like to home can, a full-sized pressure canner barely fits between the top of the range and the bottom of the built-in microwave oven.
Just an FYI, Quartz is now banned in some countries due to the dust it creates during production. This dust is deadly and destroys the lungs of the stoneworkers. Same way asbestos does. So make sure stone is even legal in your area now. If it is, consider the health costs to the people cutting those quartz counters. If quartz or other stone is the type of counter top you desire, go for it, just keep the wider cost in mind.
Cooktops & sinks require a certain mimimum width of cabinet to be installed below them to accomodate them & to support them (a large sink full of water is very heavy). This needs to be taken into account when doing layout of lower cabinets.
NO SIR. I don't care if it's an everyday use item, I am putting it away in the cabinets. My toaster, my blender, my coffee maker all go away when not in use for the sake of clean countertops. I hate visual clutter of stuff.
Your brother is very lucky that his cabinetry was installed by a conscientious builder. Soft close mechanisms are notorious for wearing out prematurely resulting in costly repairs not too far in the future.
How about having generative AI actually render functional kitchen layout with standard kitchen room sizes? I liked the AI demo where it just gave advice
Hey Mark! Please help! We just purchased our first condo (in development) and I have 1 month to give the developers our final kitchen plans. Please help us with our final decision for our kitchen theme! Floors are grey marble and we’ll have gold accents (faucet, pendant lights, etc). And our top cabinets will be white (small kitchen, will help feel airy). Question is about the bottom cabinets under the countertop, should they be: - (a) bluish grey - for modern feel + match with gold, or - (b) oak wood color to make kitchen feel warm, homie feeling. Also fits with gold accents. Floors are grey marble ;) please help :)
I can understand that, but, when you sell your home...it will reduce your pool of buyers, just the same as for counter height being for very short person.
i have everything figured out, storage-wise, in our next kitchen, but the one thing that held me up the most was where do i put the fire extinguisher. They say to not put it near the stove and to have it out where it's visible, so i finally decided that it will go in a small canister of sorts on the floor next to the trash can. Those things are so ugly, but necessary. Anyone have any other ideas?
Wow, quite literally anywhere but sitting in the floor where you have to pick it up to clean and it’s taking up floor space. Can it be hanging in a nearby closet, but visible if you open the closet door? Or could it be hanging somewhere in the kitchen where you don’t see it right when you walk in the room? I’m just not a fan of having to pick stuff up off the floor every time I clean the floor. Sorry I don’t have a solution, but that’s the best I got.
@@teresev1435 Thank you for your suggestions. The nearest closet we have is too far away from the kitchen, so if a fire broke out, it would take too long to get it. The kitchen is on the small side, so there really isn't anywhere to hang it that you wouldn't see it, and the only wall space with enough height is right by one of the cabinets and by the sink / window. If i put it by the cabinet, i'd have to move it every time we needed to open the door, and i don't think i'd want it right by the window. The other major consideration is that my granddaughter is severely visually impaired. Right now as a teenager, she cooks only with supervision, but when she's an adult, there will be times when she's not supervised and if a fire started, she would need to be able to grab the extinguisher quickly. But, like you, i don't really like picking things up off the floor -- and my back *really* doesn't like it 😜Like i said, this is the one thing that has given me fits trying to figure out. They're so blasted ugly, but they're necessary.
@@tamaramartin4015 I understand. I immediately think of my back. I’m 58 and my back has had a hard life 😐 My husband is 71 and forgetful about turning off burners and we always have a gas cooktop… not the best combination now. I think I’ll have three fire extinguishers in the kitchen. They should make them cuter; right? What about hanging a shelf next to the garbage can instead of putting it on the floor, that way you can vacuum and mop under it? Jazz it up a little bit and make it cute, maybe with some little dog and fire hydrant stickers on the side or something? 😜 if we’re gonna have to look at it, we might as well make it a conversation conversation piece!😁
@@teresev1435 The shelf isn't a bad idea. i've seen some extinguisher sleeves that are definitely more attractive than the ugly red, but they're not quite my style. i got the idea for putting it in a canister when we were visiting my mother in rehab for her leg and i noticed an oxygen tank in a container. Something pretty like a big crock or a champagne bucket might work and would set fine on a shelf. In my current kitchen, the extinguisher is in the cabinet near the stove, but there's enough space in between that there are no safety risks and we all know where it is. Funny what we can get hung up on, isn't it? 😄
Can bring two peoples attention, the depth of cabinets and how the dishes have gotten bigger over time from our grandma’s plates to now
Excellent point. So many things are bigger now, and it can be really tricky, if not impossible, to fit some things in. Thank you for mentioning that.
We actually want to make our upper cabinets smaller, removing some, since we have tons of things we never use in the back of those cupboards! Most people only use the front "row" of what's in their cupboards. All the rest just sits there. Dishes, put them on open shelves since they're used & washed daily. Pots/pans you probably only use 3 regularly, plus 1 pizza or cookie tray. All the once in awhile pots/dishes can be put in the basement until you need them.
Yes, yes, and yes please…as always reliable, realistic, and relatable…. Can’t believe how long I have watched your channel and still learning new things. Thanks for all you put into your videos and live streams…be so 😇 blessed.Thumbs up all day everyday 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I literally just hit the Pause button and had to go search Toe Kick Step Stool.
Had never heard of or seen one of these before. Genius!
Great only thing missing is if you could give pictures with the points that will be easy to understand what some of the things are
Have outlets. Something that is lacking in most kitchens. Between apartments and now our third home, a lack of outlets is a major issue.
On the one wall of our present kitchen, you have the outlet behind the fridge and the big stove outlet. Nothing else.
We had to replace the stove. Unfortunately, I never even dreamed that a stove would come without an outlet. I never thought to look. It also only came with two racks. It was not a cheap stove.
The last stove we had bought came with one on each side. It was great because I was able to set up a recycling and coffee center I made with an old microwave cart and some doors bought at the re store.
The other wall does have 2 outlets. Both had to be replaced with ones with breakers as they are on each side of the sink. No dishwasher, so the dish rack is in front of the one. I do use it for the light I installed over the sink.
On the other side you need to be careful the cord does not go into the sink when using it.
On the last bit of counter, with the area built in for the microwave, the only outlet is behind the microwave.
My last kitchen had two outlets you could use, other than the stove.
The one in our first home, one. And the stove was on a wall without counter on either side.
I lived in 4 different rented places. Non were any better for outlets.
Our old 1970's kitchen didn't have a lot of outlets. With new building codes in our area, we have double, if not triple, the number.
I agree so much with the outlets. In my house, built in 1945, the kitchen had 4 outlets. One behind the fridge, one in the back wall, one in a side wall, and one that was for all intents and purposes unusable since someone had built cabinetry around it. So only two that were accessible, whether you needed them or not. 🤣 Needles to say extension cords and outlet strips were a part of my life. We remodeled the entire kitchen last year, upgraded the electrical service coming into the house and I now have 7 outlets within easy reach. The stove is plugged into a dedicated outlet, as is the fridge and the microwave is hardwired so those 3 appliances don't count in my total. It's wonderful. Run both dehydrators, no problem. Add the air fryer, yep can do that too. And the toaster oven? Sure, and all simultaneously with 4 or 5 outlets still available to use and within easy reach. The range, microwave, and fridge are always plugged in. I love it.
outlets on the stove are awesome... didn't know that was a thing till my mom bought a stove 20 plus yrs ago... esp in an apt where it had a 60 amp panel... plug in more than a couple of things and blew a fuse, smh... that apt didn't even have a plug on the 1960s stove... it was hard wired to the building... didn't know that was a thing either.
I doubt anyone has said "man I have TOO MANY outlets", lmao.
Another great list of things to consider - thanks, Mark! You've sent me back to the drawing board yet again. 🙂
As a repeat renter now shopping/planning for my forever home in retirement, your best point was defining your ideal kitchen and dream about the house that surrounds that. My greatest frustrations as a renter were struggling with space/function in the kitchen (bath layout was a close second). The kitchen is the workhorse of the house, even if you don't cook.
Soo much to think about! Thanks Mark!
I like the look of side panels on the firdge, but how do you pull the fridge out to clean behind it?
Mark, I LOVED this video. Great advice and shot in multiple locations… is that an MTKD first? You touched on this in a number of ways, but I also think people feel pressured to have “standard” appliances like a dishwasher or a microwave for example, even though they never use them. I’ve been in homes like that where the appliance just occupies space. I think people should be free and design the kitchen how they want regardless of what’s popular or trendy.
Great tips. Only gripe would've been to have a few examples for us to see as reference for some of what you're referring to
An excellent synopsis of how to design a kitchen. Bravo!
I've found it helpful to use a wall oven under counter and a cooktop elsewhere in the room. Has several advantages over a range, although cost is more. Didn't have a place to mount the oven higher.
We only kept 2 things from our old kitchen - window placement and ceiling. We had to keep the ceiling because our attic was recently insulated with spray foam.
we are keeping our ceiling bc its original to the house... tongue n groove... not much original character is left in our house they renoed everything to 1970s.
Wow, so many good tips. Thanks for being the ultimate professional and adding 10 tips from your hotel room, but please take your time off to rejuvenate. We don't want you to burn out. Anyway, I had to go into a rabbit hole about corner pantries. Trying to figure out how to have a built in corner pantry. Might be able to do it. Thanks for always having us thinking. Appreciate you!
Your first video I stumbled upon was Ikea planner for lower kitchen cabinets.... I subscribed and love all your videos ever since ❤
Thanks Mark! Great vid (again!). Going to save this to watch a few times to make sure I’ve got most of the tips covered. I have a few sketches - but want to get a few more. Then I’ll reach out for your time!
Thank God I already know these tips before building my own kitchen. We have a walk in pantry too! Thanks to TH-camrs like you. We now feel powerful! 😆
I like the look of a range, but don't want to clean under it. Think I'll go with a range top and wall oven.
At only 5 feet tall, the toekick stepstool is on my wish list!
Thank you!!! Excellent video!!!
I don't have a triangle. I have work zones: prep, cook, clean, store. They work for me 😊
I have that, too. I prefer it and will keep it that when I redo my kitchen. I have mobility issues, and it seems to work better than the triangle as on my bad days can have my roll8ng walker with seat and not bump 8nto everything
Excellent.
I made what I consider to be a relatively big mistake in my kitchen. I have a nice little pantry. It's on the smaller side and it's next to the fridge. It has 4 pull outs in the bottom. What I did not take into account was the bowed door handles on the freezer. There isn't enough clearance there to open the pantry doors fully so I only have about half the full depth of the pull-outs. I was looking at it today and I'm going to call the place that sold me the cabinets and see what it would cost to buy two new matching doors for the pantry. I think the easiest and cheapest solution would be to hang two new doors and just hinge them to open the other way. That's probably not the "best" solution but anything else really isn't going to be quick, easy, or affordable for the scope of the problem. All in all I still love the kitchen but it annoys me that I made this mistake.
Maybe get the ones that open and slide beside the pantry if you have enough room. Then they’re both out of the way
Perhaps change the handle on the freezer, or a different freezer, would be easier than different cabinet doors.
I'm 5'3" and it's nerve wracking when I have to remove something boiling hot out of the over-the-range microwave because I'm afraid I'll get badly burned if liquid sloshes out onto me. I've had microwaves on the counter in two different homes I've owned and they're so much safer and easier to use.
If you like to home can, a full-sized pressure canner barely fits between the top of the range and the bottom of the built-in microwave oven.
Recommendations for hinge systems?
What relevant tips ! Thank you so much, Mark. Regarding Ikea kitchens, would you recommend also hiring professionals for installation?
Just an FYI, Quartz is now banned in some countries due to the dust it creates during production. This dust is deadly and destroys the lungs of the stoneworkers. Same way asbestos does. So make sure stone is even legal in your area now. If it is, consider the health costs to the people cutting those quartz counters. If quartz or other stone is the type of counter top you desire, go for it, just keep the wider cost in mind.
Did a whole video on this.
Cooktops & sinks require a certain mimimum width of cabinet to be installed below them to accomodate them & to support them (a large sink full of water is very heavy). This needs to be taken into account when doing layout of lower cabinets.
Why is porcelain not good for a clanger and a banger? What are the negatives of porcelain? What are the negatives quartzite? Thanks!😊
NO SIR. I don't care if it's an everyday use item, I am putting it away in the cabinets. My toaster, my blender, my coffee maker all go away when not in use for the sake of clean countertops. I hate visual clutter of stuff.
My brother's brand new very expensive house has a kitchen that doesn't have soft close drawers and cabinets. What a shame.
Your brother is very lucky that his cabinetry was installed by a conscientious builder. Soft close mechanisms are notorious for wearing out prematurely resulting in costly repairs not too far in the future.
Add the small silicon dots in strategic places...helps alot
How about having generative AI actually render functional kitchen layout with standard kitchen room sizes? I liked the AI demo where it just gave advice
Hey Mark! Please help!
We just purchased our first condo (in development) and I have 1 month to give the developers our final kitchen plans. Please help us with our final decision for our kitchen theme!
Floors are grey marble and we’ll have gold accents (faucet, pendant lights, etc). And our top cabinets will be white (small kitchen, will help feel airy).
Question is about the bottom cabinets under the countertop, should they be:
- (a) bluish grey - for modern feel + match with gold, or
- (b) oak wood color to make kitchen feel warm, homie feeling. Also fits with gold accents.
Floors are grey marble ;) please help :)
I have one on one consultations available. Check it out on my website MTKD.ca
pictures as examples would have made this video
I want counter tops for tall people!
I can understand that, but, when you sell your home...it will reduce your pool of buyers, just the same as for counter height being for very short person.
i have everything figured out, storage-wise, in our next kitchen, but the one thing that held me up the most was where do i put the fire extinguisher. They say to not put it near the stove and to have it out where it's visible, so i finally decided that it will go in a small canister of sorts on the floor next to the trash can. Those things are so ugly, but necessary. Anyone have any other ideas?
Wow, quite literally anywhere but sitting in the floor where you have to pick it up to clean and it’s taking up floor space.
Can it be hanging in a nearby closet, but visible if you open the closet door? Or could it be hanging somewhere in the kitchen where you don’t see it right when you walk in the room? I’m just not a fan of having to pick stuff up off the floor every time I clean the floor. Sorry I don’t have a solution, but that’s the best I got.
@@teresev1435 Thank you for your suggestions. The nearest closet we have is too far away from the kitchen, so if a fire broke out, it would take too long to get it. The kitchen is on the small side, so there really isn't anywhere to hang it that you wouldn't see it, and the only wall space with enough height is right by one of the cabinets and by the sink / window. If i put it by the cabinet, i'd have to move it every time we needed to open the door, and i don't think i'd want it right by the window. The other major consideration is that my granddaughter is severely visually impaired. Right now as a teenager, she cooks only with supervision, but when she's an adult, there will be times when she's not supervised and if a fire started, she would need to be able to grab the extinguisher quickly. But, like you, i don't really like picking things up off the floor -- and my back *really* doesn't like it 😜Like i said, this is the one thing that has given me fits trying to figure out. They're so blasted ugly, but they're necessary.
@@tamaramartin4015
I understand.
I immediately think of my back. I’m 58 and my back has had a hard life 😐
My husband is 71 and forgetful about turning off burners and we always have a gas cooktop… not the best combination now. I think I’ll have three fire extinguishers in the kitchen.
They should make them cuter; right?
What about hanging a shelf next to the garbage can instead of putting it on the floor, that way you can vacuum and mop under it? Jazz it up a little bit and make it cute, maybe with some little dog and fire hydrant stickers on the side or something? 😜 if we’re gonna have to look at it, we might as well make it a conversation conversation piece!😁
@@teresev1435 The shelf isn't a bad idea. i've seen some extinguisher sleeves that are definitely more attractive than the ugly red, but they're not quite my style. i got the idea for putting it in a canister when we were visiting my mother in rehab for her leg and i noticed an oxygen tank in a container. Something pretty like a big crock or a champagne bucket might work and would set fine on a shelf. In my current kitchen, the extinguisher is in the cabinet near the stove, but there's enough space in between that there are no safety risks and we all know where it is. Funny what we can get hung up on, isn't it? 😄
@@tamaramartin4015 Yes 👍🏻 and I don’t care for the color red, so I feel ya!
is there a bullet point list so I don't have watch the whole thing
Good idea. I should have that as a downloadable. Thanks.
@@MTKDofficial ohh let me know when that comes Thank you
Very good tips
but what's the point in watching a video that displays the narrator instead the object he's talking about?