Help needed with downstairs layout
Hello! Ive been going over and over in my head about possible layouts/knock through for the back three rooms of our house. The kitchen, dining room, and conservatory. The dining room (photo with red sofas) is very very dark (although it looks nice and bright on the photo) needs more light from somewhere, and the kitchen as it is isn’t really big enough for what we need (a family kitchen) Do I knock through from kitchen to dining room? From kitchen to conservatory? I would like to keep one of the rooms separate whether it be the kitchen (turning that in to a utility/downstairs toilet) or keep the conservatory separate? Theres also the idea of extending the conservatory out by another meter?! Im just a bit lost at the moment and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Room sizes are:
Conservatory
17' 10" x 7' 7" (5.44m x 2.31m)
Kitchen
13' x 6' 10" (3.96m x 2.08m)
Dining Room
13' 10" x 11' 5" (4.22m x 3.48m)
Comments (7)
SLS
6 years agoRelated Discussions
need help with downstairs floorpan layout
Comments (5)we don't mind carrying out a lot of work over time as this will be our forever hows (at least the next 10 years i expect) we had similar thoughts as i have read on here there are downsides to opening the kitchen area (noise and cooking smells mostly). i really like this idea of having the log burner with the flue exposed as the lounge may look too small if we built a chimney around it. Another dilemma is whether to have the flue continue up through the house or to have it travel upwards outside of the house (from ceiling height upwards). thanks for the advice :)...See MoreHelp please for awkward downstairs layout!
Comments (9)Thank you Eulinea Ltd. Yes the utility is far from the kitchen but I am happy with that as the laundry does not need to be near the kitchen. The architect has had to fit the stairs in there due to existing steels which would be costly to move. His first idea was to move the stairs to the left of the dining room as you mentioned and that would work well as the stairs to the loft will be above that location, however he has since changed the plans as he felt this would take us too far over budget and was trying to scale back the costs for us. I have no idea how much it costs to move a staircase. It is tricky as we can’t get a true idea of costs until the detailed drawings have been done but we don’t want to then have to redo the drawings if the costs are too high!...See MoreExtended 1930’s downstairs layout change needed!
Comments (8)To me this doesn’t need replanning to make it lighter. It’s a decoration issue. Personally I think the floor and brown wood kitchen cabinets and dark work surface are what makes this seem gloomy. I wonder if other Houzzers will agree that pale worksurface and a plain large format tile floor will make the biggest differences. You might also be relying too much on the spotlights at night- having additional light sources at different levels is easier to live with. Consider adding a standard lamp, table lights, above cabinet lighting, plinth lights, lights in plants etc etc. Separately the utility room is small- to avoid unnecessary construction consider treating it as a pantry and put your laundry facilities in your oversized bathroom instead...See MoreCan anyone help improve the layout of our downstairs??
Comments (16)Put in some good task lighting in the kitchen, dining (over the table) and sitting area in the form of pendants, led spots strategically placed in specific areas a few lamps in the sitting area (on a 5amp switch so centrally controlled and all dimmable to manage the mood 🤗) and a few strategically placed mirrors. The floor colour and wall colour will also impact how light the space feels so perhaps lighter finishes would work....See More
Laura Thomas
6 years agoOne of our neighbours had a similar layout to you, only they already had a living/dinner.
They have recently replaced their conservatory with an extension and added a cloakroom where at the end of the hall where the kitchen door previously was.
Maybe you could do similar, but leave your lounge as it is if you want a separate space.
SLS thanked Laura Thomas
whizzywig
6 years agoIt all depends on budget and whether moving drains and services is feasible but is this an option?
SLS thanked whizzywigSLS
6 years ago
PROAndreea De Mirabela Design
6 years ago
This ongoing project at Manchester is also an extension & we can design your house & source materials if you wish. I hope you find some inspiration here.
We also have a wonderful Christmas offer at the moment - Free First Hour Consultation.
Please don't hesitate to contact us at anytime, we would be delighted to be involved.
Much love from Andreea De Mirabela Design
Tel 07814 100108
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