Help - new open plan living area layout challenge
R countryside
7 years ago
Hello there,
We seek your advice, ideas, inspirational photos about how we should design the layout of the new extension (rear extension marked in blue)
We have two young kids and would be wonderful if in the living area we can have some space separate for them and their toys. How best to layout things in this open kitchen living area is tricky for us, so we seek your guidance. Thanks for your help. PS - we live in London.
We seek your advice, ideas, inspirational photos about how we should design the layout of the new extension (rear extension marked in blue)
We have two young kids and would be wonderful if in the living area we can have some space separate for them and their toys. How best to layout things in this open kitchen living area is tricky for us, so we seek your guidance. Thanks for your help. PS - we live in London.
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Comments (11)
R countryside
7 years ago
PROOnePlan
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoRelated Discussions
Help with open plan living room/kitchen layout
Comments (1)Congratulations on your new Spanish property purchase! Two suggestions to help you plan your space: 1. mark on your plan exactly where ALL water and gas supplies are, to help with planning your kitchen. It can also be useful to mark the positions of other key services - electrics, boiler / heating, etc. 2. cut out pieces of paper to the same scale and shape as all the items of furniture and kitchen units that you want, and play around with them - take photos each time you reach a result that you like. From my experience of working as an architect in Spain the building regulations and permit requirements are quite different to the UK. Things like gas runs are controlled differently and water, especially drainage, are also dealt with differently. Speak with a local arquitecto or arquitecto tecnico, to help you assess what can and can't be repositioned. It looks to me as though moving your kitchen to the right hand side of the plan where you have "dining room area?" marked may use the space better, but this might not work in relation to the services needed....See MoreOpen plan living room and diner with stairs - layout help!
Comments (5)I think I’d put the tv under the stairs with a small sofa opposite, you should be able to add a small accent chair opposite the sofa. Round dining table by the patio door and I’d get comfy chairs for extra seating for guests. Use a rug, art, lights etc for zoning the areas. I’ve found this pic with the same layout to what you’ve suggested for removing the kitchen wall. I’d probably block off the kitchen door so you can include tall units on that right hand wall (similar to 2nd pic albeit this is bigger). You may be able to extend the peninsula slightly under the stairs. In any case I think I’d contact a concept planner on here such as OnePlan for your kitchen design! I’d also mark out any furniture with boxes or masking tape before ordering anything, good luck with the move!...See MoreOpen Plan Kitchen Living Layout Help
Comments (9)I’ve spent far too long looking at this! I agree with Jonathan and others that incorporating your garage into your living space in this way will always feel separate and I really don’t think it will give you what you want. I would hesitate to change the proportion of existing rooms as you have drawn with cutting the room across the fireplace- I think you always ‘feel’ that in a room. It also increases costs with steels to support the structure. I like Jonathan’s idea of the middle room connecting from the back of an enhanced kitchen area. We did that in our previous house and it worked really well as a kid’s space/ TV room with them right by you. I had great storage so all trace of child could be removed for a relaxing adult evening ( highly recommend).We wished we had installed pocket doors so we could shut away noise sometimes as they got bigger ( TV, noisy board games). I think Jonathan is right about the drainage too so keep your utilities to that side of the house. I also think handyman is right about the garage and access through. I think you could pinch a bit of garage if you did end up moving your utility but ongoing families just have ‘stuff’: bikes - they get bigger, lawn mower, top box for car, body boards, garden chair cushions, Christmas decorations, half used paint pots, tool set....I think you need a decent amount of storage to function well. I like Jonathan’s extension idea coming in front of the garage ( though take note about front/ back access) but wondered if you could utilise the conservatory/ utility space more effectively and perhaps create a slightly longer ‘arm’ on that side of the house to achieve what you want. In summary- don’t quite think that plan works; respect the room proportions that are there and adapt the space; think about longevity of use, flexibility of a space and storage; think about flow of people traffic and lines of sight and visualise yourself in a proposed space. I’m not a professional but have renovated 4 times in 30 years of marriage and family so bringing some experience. Photos below not hugely helpful but wanted to show that existing proportions of rooms retained but opened up and new extension added to create the space we wanted overall. Good luck with an exciting project!...See MoreNew downstairs layout - kitchen, utility, open living area
Comments (8)Personally I think the fireplace is in the way. Because it leaves an area that seems to have no purpose. Furthermore when the hall wall is drawn in I think you will make the island about 90/100 deep so it would then be better to have it longer and again the chimney will be in the way. Given that you have a tv room right next door why not have this as the sitting area, put a bigger opening into this space with a sight line from the main hall and a good sized dining table in the kitchen. Since there is no dining table shown on this part of the plan I assume it is elsewhere- perhaps that area could be an additional sitting area instead. Separately you may decide not to put stools very close to the hob, an American style fridge is ugly and since you are planning such a big sociable space perhaps the desk area could be earmarked as a drinks area....See More
Carolina
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoOr this. I've incorporated loads of storage along the wall on the right. Useful for toy storage if you want a tidy space. The dining table should have been a little bit more down, so it aligns with the kitchen wall, but hey ho...
(As a side note: I can highly recommend OnePlan, she designed our, yet to be installed, kitchen and she came up with some very good ideas.)
Carolina
7 years agoR countryside
7 years agoCarolina
7 years agoSee, that's why I suggested it, in case you hadn't thought of the possibility. Not saying that it would work best for you, that's for you to figure out. I searched for a U-shaped kitchen here on Houzz and this is sort of a mirror image of That last suggestion. Someone like OnePlan can do a 3D image for you, I can't.
Melbourne Kitchen Renovation · More Info
PROCreate Perfect
7 years agoR countryside
7 years ago
Carolina