Hi- I could have written this post myself! We too are having a partial side return resulting in an L shape layout. Our overall length is a bit shorter (5 vs your 6), but with the side return ours will be wider at 3.1m and 6m wide. Getting the layout right is so hard! We’ve decided to keep our formal dining room as is, and the kitchen in its existing galley type shape. We will have a peninsula come out at the top end to form bar seating for the kids/guests. The “old fence side” of the new area will have a toilet room and a laundry cupboard for the washer and dryer. I’m having the kitchen designed so that anything a guest/kid/non cook might need is towards the front, eg fridge, snack cupboard, window fridge, cutlery, trash receptacle etc. I am hoping that keeps everyone out of the cook’s zone, aka my way! I want to make the peninsula wide enough so it can feel more like a kitchen table, and be a comfortable spot for the kid’s homework too.

Make sure your kitchen design is fully resolved in anticipation of associated appliances lighting etc. Fix your electrical layout well ahead of time to exacting details, consider the specification of your appliances and 'future proofing' your on electrical design, for any additional demands you may have in the future. Consider that the best look may be achieved by an area in the kitchen where some electrical wiring can be hidden to avoid over complicating the design lines of your kitchen. Consider your obligations under Part P and find out what additional accessories may be required to meet compliance which you may not have initially considered; obtain this info. from an advised and detailed elec design and make sure those additional boxes etc. are available in a compliant form which meet your design intent. I think this will look super!

Skimming Stone is Farrow and Ball. Personally I prefer Little Greene paint as the quality is slightly better. They also do a bigger range of useful neutrals that come in varied strengths. Farrow and Ball do a book called 'How to Decorate' which groups neutrals into distinct groups that have associations. For example, 'Traditional Neutrals', Red Based Neutrals and Yellow Based Neutrals are relatively warm and are typically are associated with more traditional homes (think Cotwolds). Contemporary, Easy and Architectural neutrals have been more popular in recent years and are a bit cooler. Interestingly, if you go onto the F&B facebook page, Joa Studholme has done a tour of her home which includes all the colours she has used. Her large lounge is School House White and is much more traditional than I would have expected. Farrow and Ball paint can be replicated by Johnsons I believe, not Dulux. I would do this as I think Johnsons' quality is preferred by painters.

Could the kitchen units at the patio doors end be just base units so a TV could go above them on the wall?? Then you could do banquette seating down most of the left wall to provide some dining seating as well as some lounge seating - all of it would be facing the kitchen and TV. Or just have a couple of small sofas or big armchairs at the patio end of the room where one can be facing TV if required. If you get rid of the big corner pantry unit and have a galley-style kitchen rather than the L-shape, than the island could be moved up a bit and also be longer to create more storage and worktop space.