Singapore Expats

Hmmm interesting! And if you're going to do a 'feature wall' decor wise that's a relatively simple yet striking way to go (I'm thinking). Gucci, yes, I'm kinda channelling 1st class lounge somewhere...

I learned a simple 'trick' to make single panel glass kitchen splashbacks. Colour per one's own choice/making. Look like they cost $$$ (they usually do), but you can DIY them for perhaps £200-300. Will post a pic sometime if I can find one.

My daughter had that done in their renovated kitchen in the flat they just moved into. Pretty clean looking I have to admit.

> One of my rentals

Stainless steel sockets and 'the triple oven Bosch stack'. Well this one was my home

Jesus you must be 8 foot tall to get stuff out of the mircowave without it pouring all over yourself?

QRM wrote:Jesus you must be 8 foot tall to get stuff out of the mircowave without it pouring all over yourself?

Never mind that detail, it looks sharp eh? lol ;;

I've also seen the splashbacks done in green/blues, even crimson/puce, and if you want to get pimpy I've seen it done translucent white with LEDs behind...

Joking aside, it's interesting how a statement wow factor can work (and kitchens and bathrooms are the selling point). Those are both plain and simple IKEA kitchens... just dolled up with splashbacks, worktops and the steel sockets, and all Bosch/Neff appliances etc.

p.s. Interesting your response though. Always food for thought. The bottom oven is for roasts/stews etc. The middle one... I only ever used for plate warming and the like. The top/micro was mostly used for M+S ready meals etc. I agree you would not want to be getting dishes of stew etc in and out at that height, but as it was it worked. Most people renting in that part of London don't cook anyway, so it's more wow/aspirational (and yes I am quite tall I suppose so it worked for me. The ergonomics of that space were the subject of muuuuuch thought! There's a full size fridge and freezer, AND dishwasher in there too... plus a 5' high pull out larder unit...).

That's the kitchen that awaits once we're outta here again... damned sight better than anything I've ever had use of here in SG!

Worth noting if you are going down the "cheap glass route" stick a s/s section just behind the hob as the heat from the cooking often cracks the non toughen glass splash back.

I agree with you just get cheap Ikea carcass and fluff it up with nice fittings, and a decent solid worktop, even the "expensive" kitchens cabinets are still made from mdf and chip board.

QRM wrote:Worth noting if you are going down the "cheap glass route" stick a s/s section just behind the hob as the heat from the cooking often cracks the non toughen glass splash back.

I agree with you just get cheap Ikea carcass and fluff it up with nice fittings, and a decent solid worktop, even the "expensive" kitchens cabinets are still made from mdf and chip board.

Funny you say that ...

There was a very cold winter, and the quickest way to heat my voluminous kitchen/lounge was to switch all the burners on full blast for a while. That eventually, despite carefully planned silicone filled expansion gaps, did eventually crack the panel behind the hob. And I did indeed cover it with a panel of brushed stainless steel (using more 'Sticks Like Sh*t'/'No more Nails'). Not ideal, for aesthetics, and also s/s, perhaps counter-intuitively, is a bugger to clean!

I believe the splash-backs in the rental (pictured) fared much better. But the kitchen/rec were smaller there, and they likely never used the hob in place of central heating...


p.s. IKEA kitchens tend to have solid wood doors, and MDF 'carcasses', the latter often veneered, or in plain white melamine. Most kitchens do in fact (IME). To get a completely timber kitchen is $$$...

JR8 wrote:There was a very cold winter, and the quickest way to heat my voluminous kitchen/lounge was to switch all the burners on full blast for a while. That eventually, despite carefully planned silicone filled expansion gaps, did eventually crack the panel behind the hob.

The whole panel expanding - unlikely the reason, likely, the stresses within the glass itself. If the glass is thicker (anything above 1 mm) it will crack easily with even pretty mild thermal-shock treatment. Only some special types of glass can survive this.

Baby oil works a treat on stainless steel, we use it everywhere and coincidentally just about to order a new stainless steel toilet pan and sink combo for out basement toilet London.