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Before & After Design Dilemma Kitchens

Kitchen layout and connection to garden - advice appreciated!

6 years ago

Trying to design a new kitchen. Have inherited the kitchen which is 12ft long by 9ft wide. Kitchen is housed in small extension to back of house. House is sandstone cottage style. In an ideal world I would demolish and rebuild large kitchen diner but budget will not allow. Therefore trying to make best of the space that I have. Currently kitchen doesn't connect to the garden or the dining room. Doesn't have the high ceilings or features of the rest of the house. I have concentrated on the rest of the house but now kitchen and garden let my house down badly. I'm modern and minimal in style and like the ikea kungsbacka which I will customise but can't get layout right. I can't move the kitchen door which has 4 steps down to garden but I can put window anywhere. So would you put in galley kitchen with large fulll length window at bottom or have L shaped kitchen and maybe put a patio / French door? Struggling to think what would be best. Have no pets or children. Any suggestions welcome please.

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Comments (4)

A B
6 years ago
I can't quite connect the layout of your kitchen to the outside, but my first priority would be to put a large picture window in that ugly wall so you can see the garden. This would look great with the modern kitchen you are planning too. If you post a floor plan too people may be able to comment on kitchen layout a bit more easily.
PRO
Ian Dunn Woodwork & Design
6 years ago
Hi, The current window would work well if it was made smaller and introducing light from the back of the kitchen looking out onto the garden would open the space hugely. Additionally, creating a galley kitchen would allow the storage space you require, All the best.
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So the bit in the light blue circle looks like a cupboard, perhaps with a stacked wachine machine/tumble dryer in it? (good idea if so). But do you mean just past that cupboard, ie along the left hand wall as you come into the kitchen? If so then yes you absolutely could put the fridge there, it’s just going to be a bit bulky as will stick out further than normal units, and you may feel it’s in the way a lot as that’s your main way in and out of the kitchen. Also it wouldn‘t be able to go right in the corner, it would need a slim unit to the left of it so you can open it fully. So that would push it further towards the island and again that means it’s blocking the main walkway more. You could however push the island further towards the garden than shown in the plan, which would mean you have more space in that entrance area, and then it is more feasible to have the fridge along that left hand wall, as people can get past. Anyway, there are certainly options, it’s just worth planning the kitchen layout and checking it all works ergonomically before you commit to the window! As regards kitchen units under side return: you can have wall units or tall units under a side return, it depends how you make the roof. It’s true though that most people prefer to leave that wall clear of wall/tall units, usually that’s where a dining table or sofa goes. Here are some pictures of side returns with tall or wall units under. The first one looks the neatest as they have the roof part glass part solid and have tucked the units under the solid bit, but I suspect they have an unusually wide side return:
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PRO
BetterSpace: The Floor Plan Experts
6 years ago
Hi.

I think that a galley kitchen with the largest possible window in the center of the wall overlooking the garden will do miracles to the space. I would design a breakfast bar attached to the window suspended between the two counter tops so it looks 'floating' in the middle of the window.

I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any further questions, I will be more than happy to help. just drop me a line or visit www.betterspace.co

Good luck, Avi
PRO
Martin McCurdy Architecture Ltd
6 years ago
Hi, a north point on plans would help in giving you detailed advice.

I am intrigued by the door in the blank wall. Is this a storeroom under the kitchen?

The first question is what you really want from the works? Just a new kitchen, direct access to the garden or a kitchen that opens out on the patio at the side? French sliding or bi-folding doors in the side wall would open up the kitchen to the patio, which is a great feature if it's a sunny spot but doors would reduce wall space for units. A window in the end wall would bring in lots of light. If you wanted to create a direct link between the kitchen and the garden, doors in the end wall with steps down to the garden would achieve this. You could link a sitting area outside these doors with the existing patio but it would need planning approval.

Hope this helps.

Martin McCurdy

W: www.mccurdyarchitecture.co.uk

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