Layout & fireplace

8 years ago

We are thinking about changing the layout of our house which we have recently bought. The plan is to knock down the wall between the kitchen and dining room and then to build a wall between the dining room and lounge with French doors.

We have mixed thoughts at the moment as to whether we should build the wall at all.

We are also thinking of plastering over some of the bricks on the fireplace as it makes the room quite dark and I think it's too big.

Any thoughts?

Comments (6)

Laura
8 years ago
I don't think you need to put French doors between the lounge and dining room. I think it flows well at the moment. Have you also considered closing the entrance to understairs from the living room and using it as pantry space in the kitchen? If you don't mind using the French doors in the diner I'd also consider knocking the WC and hall into one and house the washer and dryer in there if possible.
betsybov
Original Author
8 years ago
Hey Laura,

So would you consider not knocking down the kitchen wall at all then or just keep it all one big open space? I really like the idea of the space under the stairs and the utility room.

Thanks
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Thanks again man about the house. Appreciate your opinion and it gives me a feel for how others may think, as TBH we never struggle with storage space (although workspace is occasionally an issue)... that being said there is just the two of us... re: the fireplace and woodburner, the structural works is tiny, already had a structural engineer look at it. Anyway, I have had a stab at a layout that could work... its based on Jen P's suggestion. Also a few pictures that inspired me. Could easily make the area to the bottom right of the wider area a pantry/larder for extra storage, but it's a bit away from the food prep... also considered adding another 0.5-1.0m to the island/breakfast bar area to give more prep space and cupboards (although cupboards would be shallower than normal to allow people to sit at stools). Anyway, it could work. As for adding value... yeah, the danger is always what works for one person might not for another... however I would hope that opening up the space and making more of a feature of the rear garden would have an impact.
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In order to future proof the home, can i suggest one of two things:- You have really great size reception rooms, and an extension could be good, although, not strictly necessary. The kitchen is too small, so:- 1.) Knock through from kitchen to dining room and have it open plan, creating a good kitchen/ family / dining room. The above requires no additional extension at all. Or, 2.) Plan for an extension by upgrading to a Utility area, downstairs loo etc. Add a Kitchen that will suffice for the future with a view to extending later. Finally, if you went down that route, have a permitted development 3m extension and get back the Family room and dining area that you wanted. My top tip, is never just design a room then move to another..................look at the whole house and do it in stages. Very few people in reality can have everything at once, however, if you plan it carefully enough, you will not need to undo what you've already done, when you do extend.
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Hello Karen, WOW what a fantastic project and this open plan space looks incredible. I feel the positioning of the living area and dining area works well and makes complete sense from what you have said about the views etc. My concern is the kitchen as I feel the current position/layout is a bit of an obstruction and to me the space does not flow efficiently and effectively. I would switch the island around so it sits the opposite way and then you could potentially have your hob on the island which will sit in front of the tall units where your ovens and fridge will be. This way the kitchen layout will work a lot better. I have attached a quick sketch below so you can see what I mean. Also this way it will give you more room around your dining table meaning the whole space will flow a lot better. You have asked quite a few questions here so I would be more than happy to discuss all of this through an online video design consultation. I provide a personalised design service by working closely with my clients to create a space that reflects their personalities and way of living. I would love to talk in more detail with you about this exciting project, so please do get in touch and we can look at ways to see how I can help to create your dream space. Regards, Hannah
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You need to take into account the depth of the sofa that you're thinking of buying too. You don't want one sofa partly in front of the other, if you know what I mean. I think you can put a table in the corner between the two sofas and a floor lamp, or a table lamp on said table. Do you watch TV in this room? If so, where is it?
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embzop
8 years ago
The brick fireplace does look way too big and dark. Do you need to keep such a large area of brick? I'd guess the original fireplace was much smaller so you could gain a lot of space by removing the extra brickwork. Also, although the room looks dark now, the green carpet sucks alot of light out of the room, remove that and replace it with something lighter and the room will imediately look so much brighter. I'd do that first and then consider whether you still want to knock down and build other walls.
minnie101
8 years ago
Hi. I would remove the bricks above the mantle. Agree with embzop that the carpet is sucking light. I wouldn't put a wall or doors between the lounge and dining area. I'd remove the corner brick (tv unit?) and consider having ŵall to wall dining room doors. If you remove the kitchen wall have you thought about kitchen layout? What are the dimensions for the kitchen and loo? Ideally I'd move the door to the loo to the other end so you can have kitchen units on that wall but I assume that was the original exterior wall?
betsybov
Original Author
8 years ago
The plan is to rip the carpet out once we have completed all the work. We have actually already taken out the TV unit too.

The main thing I'm stuck on is whether to build the wall really, the kitchen wall is not load bearing so it can come straight down and we were hoping to extend a few cabinets into the dining room area and keep it an L shape. We could then put a dresser on the opposite side if there is enough room.

I don't quite get what you mean about wall to wall doors?

Thanks
minnie101
8 years ago
I think the fireplace acts as a divide anyway hence why I wouldn't put a wall up as it will only be the dining table you'll be able to see. It also means blocking light unless you put in glass doors but then you couldn't really use that area for furniture. The kitchen sounds like it will work. Is the lounge ok for furniture placement? Sorry I just meant a wall of doors/windows in the dining room to let in more light but hopefully you'll gain a lot when the kitchen wall comes down as the window looks big

Layout & fireplace

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Laura

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Layout & fireplace

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Laura

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