What is the orientation of the rooms? Consider the natural light levels in your design. Pocket doors between the two rooms are potentially a good idea to give you maximum versatility, subject to structural support considerations.

Hi Izzi, What a lovely room you have! I am sure your kitchen is going to look gorgeous regardless! Out of the three layouts you have suggested, personally, I feel option 1 is the best. Reason being, the other two are creating more boundaries which will affect the open feel you are after and feel less spacious. With angular rooms like this one, it is best to keep it simple. I f you wanted to make the kitchen bigger (and didn't mind seeing cabinets from the living area) you could extend the long run of cabinets down to the pillar. Then move the dining table closer to where the sideboard current is. This would make the kitchen feel more grand and spacious, rather than it being tucked away. Again this is down to personal preference regarding how open-plan you want to go. I hope this helps! Jessica E Casa Interior Design

Hi Peter, The bifold doors between the kitchen/diner and sitting room sound like a fantastic idea! It’s a smart way to create a flexible, open-plan space while keeping the option to close it off when needed. As for the existing kitchen door, boarding it up is definitely a practical option if it feels awkward next to the bifolds. But if you’re worried about losing that access, here are a few ideas: Feature Wall: Instead of just boarding it up, turn that wall into a design feature with built-in shelves, textured panels, or even a bold paint color. Widen the Hallway Door: If possible, converting the current kitchen door into a wider opening or archway could improve the flow and make the space feel more open. Pocket Door: If you want to keep the hallway access but reduce visual clutter, a pocket door could work well and stay out of the way when open. For the kitchen/diner, with the size of the space, adding a central island or a peninsula could help define the zones while providing extra storage and seating. Also, using the same flooring throughout the kitchen, hallway, and sitting room can really help tie everything together and create a seamless flow. Hope that gives you a few ideas to think about! It’s a great layout with so much potential—excited to see how it turns out! 😊 Good luck with it!

I'm guessing your children are small since you're thinking of a playroom? It's really clever thinking about what you'll do in the future as it helps you spend wisely now. I think Jonathan's plan is the way to go. In the meantime, maybe use the study as the dedicated playroom. Children's needs change quickly, so you probably wouldn't feel the loss of that room when you extend. Then you could take a longer term view on what you need in the front room. Couple of things we've done in different homes that might work for you: - Put a standard double divan in the snug and used it as a sofa. Duvet rolled as a bolster, huge throw over the top to hide it all and loads of cushions over that to make the sofa back. Was convincing enough that some guests asked how the sofa bed pulled out. Cheaper, more comfy and bigger sleeping area than most sofa beds. Plus four of us lounged on it for movie nights. - Used full height sliding doors across one wall and put a desk behind them plus storage. Even number of doors means an opening of almost half the width. If these both worked for you, the front room wall on the right could have the sliding doors (cheaper to go right across than build a side) and the bed/sofa front left.