We were confronted with similar limitations on a project last year. We achieved a layout which I believe optimises the space available. The distance between the kitchen units was 85-90cm. Please see project here. I believe the key area to address with a small kitchen are: storage - favour drawers opposed to doors and explore which internal storage solutions suit your needs lighting - ensure all areas of the kitchen are well-lit worksurface - provide as large an area as possible; induction hobs and undercount sinks with integrated drainer grooves help handleless door/drawer fronts - if a modern kitchen, I'd suggest going for handleless to avoid catching plinth - repeat the same flooring material as plinth to give the illusion that the base units are floating gaps - avoid; build in units wherever possible - cleaning within the tight space will otherwise be cumbersome

Hi - there’s two options for obtaining a kitchen design usually ... Either going to somewhere that sells kitchen and they will do one for you for free, in the hope that you will buy from them. (They make a markup on what you buy to cover their costs and make a profit.) they most likely won’t let you take the design away with you though. Or you can pay for an independent design to be done with you involved at each stage... it means you can approach any shops and ask them to price your layout more like a tradesman might do - so often you can ask for discounts etc and you can easily compare like for like with quotes as they are all the same layout. (If it were us - we’d work on your project over a Monday to Friday time slot, but unlike like most build trades we price per project and not a day rate - so your kitchen would be about the same price as a good dishwasher.) Either way you get a design done to suit your space - the second way it suits your lifestyle and family too as you are involved with the design process. If this house is a long term home it’s probably worth getting it designed specifically for you ( independent route ).... if you are doing up the house to sell then a generic plan will usually be fine ( first option ). Hope that helps !

Hello Sam, Yes, I think you would be right to open these two rooms up. This wouldn't be a problem walking into the space. To visualise it it may be worth booking a concept planner or designer to do some layouts with 3D visalises. I find these are really beneficial to our clients in the early stages like this. There would be a few options the back door, but one would be to move it to the main wall in the kitchen/diner space (or as french doors) and close off the one to the utility room allowing you then to make the most of this space as a closed utility, walk-in pantry or what ever you need. It's hard to tell accurate dimensions from this but I am confident there's plenty you can do - depending on key things like budget etc. Best of luck and hope it helps. Gina

Lovely space and a lot of options! After 4 renovations, and some of them with small children, this is what i would advise: squaring off the back is definitely a good idea but do consider extending further than that if you want a big space enough for a dining area, kitchen and sitting area/playroom, adding skylights and planning the spotlights/lighting according to where the skylights would be. You don’t want a skylight over your dining area while you could have lovely pendants over your dining table or kitchen peninsula. create a small utility and make the toilet accessible from it rather than from the open plan. Or even better, I would squeeze the toilet under the stairs. When you have guests, they would feel uncomfortable going to the bathroom if everyone is socialising in the open plan if you extend further out and the open plan is quite big, I would advise closing off the wall to keep the front room separate as a reception room for adults. If it’s all open, the kids take their toys and messiness everywhere and you wouldn’t want your velvet sofas smudged with Nutella and tomato sauce 😀 you could also extend a bit on the side to make the utility which would free up more space for the open plan The floor looks like nice real wood which you could keep unless it’s too cold in the winter. In our 1930 we had to rip off the floor boards and re-insulate underneath. Then we did underfloor heating. It is a considerable expense but if you’re planning to stay in this house for many years, it might be worth considering. Finally I advise to always have a window ideally over the sink in addition to whatever door you go with whether a bifold, crittal, sliding or french door. It’s nicer to look out to the garden while you’re by the sink rather than a wall. This way you can also let fresh air in without a toddler jumping out into the garden if the only option available is a door. I hope this helps and I wish you all the best in your project xx