Kitchen

There are plenty of places to pop your toaster in a new kitchen. It could live on the countertop, or you could store it away in a cupboard. Either way, you’ll just need to make sure it’s near a plug socket when you do fancy a slice of delicious, buttery toast.

A pantry can be the perfect place to store your kettle when it’s not in use. If there’s an electrical socket in there, you could even brew your delicious beverages from there. Just make sure there’s enough space for proper ventilation to protect your pantry from steam coming from the kettle.

Whether it’s on a kitchen island or the side, you need to make sure you find the right place to pop your hob. Firstly, there should be no cupboards hanging over the hob and any cooker hoods should have a hot zone space between the hob and hood. The gap should be 65cm for electric and 75cm for gas with no switches, wallpaper or other flammable items.

The countertop is the best place for your nifty air fryer and while it will typically be safe there, you can take extra precautions. Because the air fryer is essentially a mini oven, it gets hot. This could damage your countertops if they’re not 100% heatproof. To avoid this simply place a heat-proof mat underneath the air fryer.

If you’ve got plenty of kitchen counter space then you could keep your blender out on show, but if you’re working with a more compact kitchen, it can easily be kept in a cupboard or pantry. There are even smaller and portable options available so you can blend tasty smoothies on the go.

If you’re popping a cooker hood in your kitchen, it’ll need to go directly above the hob. You’ll need to make sure there’s at least a 65cm gap between the appliances. And if it’s a vented model, the hood will need to be placed against an external wall.

When you’re placing a dishwasher in your U-shaped kitchen, it will probably need to be close to the sink. This means it can easily be connected to the water main (and you won’t have to go far to pop rinsed dishes inside).

If you’re treating yourself to a new freestanding microwave, it can be popped anywhere on your kitchen counter that has a plug socket. If you’re going for a built-in model, then you’ll need to measure up the space, especially if there’re some sockets or pipes in the area. For more information on microwave installation, check out our handy guide.

There are plenty of places to pop your oven when you’re getting a new kitchen. It could go underneath the kitchen counter, or if you don’t want to bend down to reach your dinner, you can pop a built-in model flush among your kitchen cabinets – just make sure there’s enough ventilation and a power supply nearby.

While a fridge freezer can fit snugly into your kitchen, there are a few areas you should avoid. Make sure it’s not close to appliances which generate heat like a cooker or dishwasher. Avoiding direct sunlight is advised too as it won’t have to work as hard to keep everything cool – helping that motor go further and last longer. The final thing to consider is where your electrical outlets are and, if it has a plumbed water dispenser, where the water line is.