Kitchen/living layout

5 years ago

Hi, so we're getting there with our kitchen / living space design, but I'd welcome opinions. We already have a large lounge, and this area is at the back of our typical mid terrace victorian house, accessed from the dining room via the orange arrow in the bottom left. There will be bifolds leading to the garden. I hope you appreciate my expert drawing skills! Red is the proposed kitchen layout - the solitary square is the fridge freezer. Green is the hob which is on a peninsula with breakfast stools opposite (there is more clearance between the stoolls and hob than my plan indicates). Blue is the sink. Purple is where the washing machine and tumble dryer will be stacked, and that area has a toilet in too. The kitchen design I've also included imagines you're stood with your back to the bifolds.

As we're keeping our separate dining room, I want this to be a place where me and the kids can come after school, they can sit on the sofa and watch TV (in yellow) while I cook, they can eat at the breakfast bar etc. When the weather is good I want to throw the bifolds open and have a lovely indoor / outdoor space. At the moment, I'm in the kitchen like a billy no mates while they're at the very front of the house in the living room.

I do need to do this on a tight budget though!

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Equilibrando... Space Planning with Feng Shui

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

Hello Sharon, do you have a model of your living room space? I would like to see it. I like very much your kitchen design. As your kitchen space is located deeply into the house I would recommend to built bright countertop and I would make it a little bit round (Feng shui), It will make the kitchen space more cozy

(please see the picture) and I would built a white floor. Black floor will absorb quite a lot of light that come from the garden. Bright colours will make your space more vivid. I love the idea of bifold doors. If there is enough space between the kitchen and sofa I would place a small table and chairs or stools just to have more options for quick breakfast. I like the way you will place the sofa, it separates perfectly your spaces. Please don't forget about plants and art on the walls.

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Comments (15)

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OnePlan
5 years ago
A 1200mm deep top is the depth I’d suggest as a minimum if you have to seat people behind a hob - 1500mm deep would be better. But better still is not to have anyone sitting near a hob at all. Burns are horrible nasty things and I wouldn’t want anyone getting hurt by cooking fat /splashes/ boiling water spills etc etc . Please go to a kitchen designer who puts safety as their number one priority ( like I do)
cornwallsharon thanked OnePlan
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cornwallsharon
Original Author
5 years ago
Safety is obviously paramount so I thank you for your input! I can't imagine anyone sitting at the breakfast bar while I'm actually cooking - I'd dish up and then people would sit down. The reason I requested it that way is because I really really don't want my back to the room while I'm cooking. I'd like to be able to see the tv and chat to the kids, look out to the garden etc. Perhaps some kind of shallow upstand between the hob and seating would be the way to go???
PRO
User
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Karen as always ( OnePlan ) raises a good point...................I feel quite strongly about this hob on an island trend.....................The sink yes, the hob no.............It's been debated so many times on here, and, I think trend / fashion is over taking sense and precaution.

I think the best point that someone raised is how much time you spend stirring and cooking compared to washing up. Mostly, you would stir something occasionally and washing up a lot more. The most time spent in a kitchen usually is on preparation.

Hobs in my opinion should be the most out of the way that they can be, not put in a prominent position where they are likely to be close to anyone.

The preparation should be the most obvious thing carried out on an island, where you have the most room and where you can't spill or knock anything hot or have it spit.

I'd see what Karen can come up with as an alternative.
cornwallsharon thanked User
minnie101
5 years ago
I know people are different depending on what you cook but I personally agree with Hugh, I cook a huge variety of meals and very little time is spent at the hob, it's all in the prep work. It's also quite hard to comment on the plan, we can't see if you have a DW, bin etc and can't see half of the layout, nor the exact dimensions. Do you have any other images to add from your kitchen designer?
cornwallsharon thanked minnie101
cornwallsharon
Original Author
5 years ago
Whilst I agree with you all about getting the safety aspect right, I do disagree with you about the use of hob vs sink. I rarely spend any time at the sink and all my time stood at the hob?? We have a dishwasher so there's only 1 cooking pan that gets washed up by hand. Whereas I can easily spend an hour a night at the hob cooking kid's dinner and then later on the adult meal. I'm worried that putting the hob where the sink is now doesnt allow for a decent prep area to the side. and having it facing away from the rest of the room really isnt what I want at all.

I'm also very very anti having the sink on the peninsula. I just think it looks horrible! There is a window to the dining room in these plans which isnt happening now, so the cabinets can go across where I've crudely drawn them on...

So I guess the challenge is to work out whether there is a way to safely have the hob on the peninsula, by adding a small upstand or something?
PRO
User
5 years ago
Maybe incorporating a splash back to the peninsula and having the seating area slightly higher would be an idea? I do like the two tier approach. It also has the added benefit of hiding the cooking area from view when you look backwards from your bi-folds.
cornwallsharon thanked User
cornwallsharon
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks MATH, thats definetly food for thought - that may give us the best of both worlds! With young children I'm most certainly keeping safety firmly in mind, but this is the kind of creative solution that doesnt compromise my aspirations in using the space either. Its a good point about hiding the dirty pots and pans from the lounging area!
cornwallsharon
Original Author
5 years ago
What do we think about an extractor like this...would this provide enough of a barrier do you think? Its the full width of the hob but can then be lowered into the worktop when not in use...
PRO
User
5 years ago
Hi

I see this as very interesting situation. Firstly lets establish why do you want to have hob on the peninsula. To be able to chat with sitting people on the other side when cooking? Than why would you put massive extractor between them and you? How much time you will actually spend in the front of the hob and how long during preparation , mixing, cutting etc? I have looked into the design and first thing I have seen is the position of the sink. You have placed sink away from natural light. This is extremely bad choice. Why not shifting it under the window and placing the hob where the sink is on the picture at the moment? You will gain daytime light when using sink and you will have hob away from sitting friends/family members on the peninsula but close enough for cooking same time. Making the peninsula 900 mm wide will give enough surface for sitting and for preparation, bah , you can even make them busy helping you on the other side. I few more issues with wall and base unit sizes/positioning but this is easily sorted when you will have proper kitchen designer involved. I understand you have a dream about having the hob on peninsula but few other pros above making points it is not good idea. You will do whatever you like but I understand the reason to post here was to find professional opinion.
cornwallsharon
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks for the reply! I don’t want people sat at the peninsula while I’m cooking. I can’t see that happening on a day to day basis at all. But I do want to be facing the room while I cook (am I the only person who is always stood behind the hob cooking??? Maybe we eat a lot more food that needs constant attention like stir fries, lol. I’m actually stood at the hob right now making a white sauce which cant be left!)

The stools are for the kids to eat their breakfast and lunch at mainly, we have a separate dining room for evening meals.

I really really don’t want the sink on the island. I’m totally open to moving the sink but don’t want it there. I don’t crave natural light for the sink if I’m honest, I use it to fill the kettle and drain saucepans and that’s about it really! I also agree the cabinets need some rejigging but this wasn’t designed by me, it was done by a supposed professional! (I’m going elsewhere before I buy, I don’t like quite a few aspects of the cabinet and drawer placement)
PRO
User
5 years ago
That's an excellent extractor, not seen one like that before, i've been enlightened.
A B
5 years ago
How old are your children? I’d think that as they get older they may be more likely to sit at the breakfast bar chatting or doing homework whilst you are cooking. I’d be too worried having the job there in this situation and would personally leave it free for prep as others have suggested. Even if you have it where the sink is, you won’t have your back to them.
A B
5 years ago
I also personally would have a larger kitchen/smaller sofa space as it sounds like you already have 2 reception rooms?
PRO
User
5 years ago
Can I just check your dimensions ( Total length 6130 )? I'm not sure that there's the room that you're envisaging when you draw up to scale.

I think you may be better off with a bank of units on the back wall, integrate the oven, microwave, fridge freezer. Make the space that you had for the fridge freezer a pantry.

i think you might have another problem at the other end with the bi-folds pushung back and hitting furniture.

You may well be better off with French doors as the space is quite tight.