I am starting to plan our new kitchen and as we do not have a utility room and will need to have the washing machine and dryer in the kitchen. I think that if I do not go for integrated appliances they will spoil the whole look of the kitchen. However integrated appliances appear to be more restrictive in options and also about ?150 more expensive. Is there another option to make sure I can have the washing machine and the dryer that I like and yet not spoil the whole look of the kitchen? Any ideas?

Hi there,

Good question as there are a lot of people out there who will have the same problem! I know that integrated appliances are all in fashion now, but like you said, they are more expensive and sometimes more difficult to service as well as they have to be removed from their housing. Also, of all the integrated appliances, washers and dryers are the most difficult to install. I've got a couple of suggestions for you, hopefully one of them will suit your kitchen!

1) You can make your appliances a striking feature by buying them all in silver-grey. They will look very stylish and smart and silver-grey goes with a lot of styles.

2) You could paint your appliances in the colours of your cupboards. There are specialist paints available or I suppose you can use car spray paint, as that's very durable. Or, if you have white cupboards, spray them in a completely contrasting colour! Great if your kitchen is also a playroom for the kids.

3) You can build a housing for the washer/dryer that is both practical and decorative. Most of the times you can put the washer and the dryer on top of each other, so they will not take up as much space either. Make sure the appliances are easily accessible for servicing.

4) Or you can just build your worktop over your washing machine and/or dryer and finish it off with a decorative curtain. Especially in the French/ country cottage style kitchens this would work really well. Or, in a more modern kitchen, you can put a blind up and pull it down whenever you don't need the appliances. Blinds come in all sorts of colours and textures, so you can match it easily with your cupboards.

I hope I've given you a few ideas and hope you'll succeed in building your dream kitchen!

aafke

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Click on kitchen-buyers-guide.co.uk for all your kitchen inspiration!

Or you could build a "Stowaway" unit!!
This involves building your own unit with End Support Panels either side of the appliance and using say a 400 and 300 door for each unit. The woktop will need to be a 640 or even better a 900 breakfast bar top with the back ripped down to suit. The depth overall will need to be at least 640 and better at 660. To get the depth for the machine(Washer) put all the plumbing in an adjacent cupboard and NOT at the back of the appliance.



Chris

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"I just hope we can be free and open to each other, as we all have different ideas and will often disagree, but hopefully stay friends.