Kitchen diner living and utility room layout dilemma!
Hello, we are currently extending to make a large rectangular kitchen/dining/seating area with a utility. There are two windows along one side of the room (which get evening sun and are slightly overlooked by neighbours across the road) and a window and bifold doors to the back garden on the other side (which get morning sun).
We have three outline ideas for layout, but are suffering 'paralysis through analysis' as to which to go for, if any. But we need to order our kitchen and settle on a plan! Apologies for the pencil sketches. Door into kitchen from hall is a bottom right of sketch.
Layout 1
- table and seating area at garden side (but will table and dining chairs feel cramped, or will it be strange/cramped having utility as you walk into the room?)
Layout 2 -
kitchen and seating area at garden side, more sociable space, utility handy for kitchen (but we might feel overlooked at table, and no morning sun at table)
Layout 3
- we like this feeling of space, but maybe utility will be useless as so small and not sure how we can layout the kitchen to fit as so much window along this wall!
All ideas/advice appreciated! Thank you.
Comments (16)
A B
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Open plan kitchen/diner/living room layout
Comments (7)I would say first and foremost that as this is a large project, you can't do without a concept planner or someone that can draw up your plans in 3D so that you can 'vitually' walk around what you have in mind. You need to pay attention to your access doorways, they aren't marked on either plan. You will need to have the kitchen on the left and access both the pantry and utility from there. Therefore you will negate the whole of that wall for access to those two rooms. Placement of furniture that you would like / need has to be thought about along with the build. It's just as important. The 1st floor doesn't seem to work as there is no access to the Family Bathroom on the plan. Obviously you know the actual shape of the stairs and there are no dimensions which makes it difficult. However, you may need to create a landing and thus you would, if you use the layout given have to sacrifice one of the bedrooms or change the plan. A planner is essential, one that can give you the rooms sizes that you want and utilise the space available....See MoreHelp needed! Layout dilemma for kitchen diner / space planning
Comments (16)I completely agree with OnePlan. Take your time. Don't settle for less (unless your budget really doesn't allow..). I sell and design kitchens and my boss pays me per hour, not commission. And everyone gets the same lowest possible price. People can come back time and time again, until their kitchen fits their needs perfectly. I hear plenty of stories on people being pushed into a signature or lured in with discounts. Or salesmen without any technical insight/background. Or designers not really listening to someone's needs/wants. It saddens me. A kitchen is not a car you can trade in after a year or so. Always look for something you can live with for 10 years plus (and longer). Your workspace would ideally be 80cm (minimum), that means the area inbetween sink and hob. Every other bit of surface can be used to place other items, make a drink, etc. When you regularly work with two people you could downsize the tall cabinet left of the ovens to a 30cm pullout larder, so a 90cm drawer cabinet could go next to it (for example)....See MoreUnsure on kitchen / diner / living room layout
Comments (8)Hi, I would also keep the utility where it is on the original plan. You could make it slightly narrower so it doesn't eat into the living area as much, just as long as you leave at least 650mm from the back of the units up to the door frame to allow you to fit the units in comfortably. You do look to have a lot of space in the kitchen so you could integrate units in here e.g larder units to give you plenty of storage which means you can just use the utility room for coats/boots and laundry. Hannah...See MoreSmall Kitchen/Diner/Living Room Layout Help!
Comments (6)Consider putting the tv in the alcove with a bench seat in front. A rise and fall table can tradition from a coffee table into a dining table as you need it. Folding dining chairs can be hidden behind the sofa until you need them or consider having an ottoman that can be either extra sitting space in the living room or dining seating as required....See More
Claire Nicholson
6 years agoThe Murphys
6 years agoJonathan
6 years agoJonathan
6 years agoPersonally I prefer this space without a sitting area because I think that the kitchen is more impressive.
Claire Nicholson
6 years agoHi there,
We had exactly the same problem about 6 months ago and despite all the squared scale paper in the world, I just couldn't imagine how it was going to look and went round and round in circles!
Have you considered a concept planner? We used one and despite the fact I was standing in 3 separate rooms with doors, windows and openings in completely different places, she worked off the architect's plans and came up with photo quality 3D renders showing exactly how the different options would look. We even had a YouTube video of the 4 different layouts, so you could see how it would look as you walked around the room.
The pics below show the room I was stood in as our concept planner did the 3D renders, how they actually looked and how the room as turned out. I am a huge fan and find the whole thing quite fascinating- it's like looking i to the future :)
Thanks to using them, we were able to order our kitchen before the building work was done, so didn't have to go without a kitchen for ages!
How the 3 separate rooms looked when the plans were done by our concept planner...
A few of the 3D renders that she did at exactly the same time...
And how it turned out..
It's completely cheating but it makes it a lot more fun and in our experience a lot less stressful :)
Best wishes,
ClaireThe Murphys
6 years agoThe Murphys
6 years agoThe Murphys
6 years agominnie101
6 years agoI agree with Jonathan regarding a sitting area to have a more impressive kitchen. You can always add a banquette to the dining table for comfy seating
A B
6 years agoClaire Nicholson
6 years agoHi again,
It was a lovely lady on here called Gina from Create Perfect; if you search Create Perfect on the Pro page you'll be able to find her and read all her reviews too.
Just drop her a message and she'll send you a simple pricing structure and a few different options to have a think about.
It was hundreds not thousands and she passed on a lot of her trade discounts to us too, so that offset the cost as well.
I love the suggestion above of banquette seating and also think it would give you more flexibility on the space. We actually had built in seating for our dining seating and Gina did all the designs for us, so we were just able to give it to the carpenter to make, as she'd already done all the hard work like the measurements and angles :) our space was a bit tricky so we had built in seating down both sides but in a lovely square room like yours you could just have it against one side.
Hope it all helps!
The Murphys
6 years ago
PROCreate Perfect
6 years agoJonathan
6 years ago
Jonathan