Lounge/Kitchen/Diner/Basement Layout help please Houzz!

5 years ago

Dear Houzz,

We have dug out an incredible basement space under the kitchen and now I am stumped with what should go where on the whole ground floor (and basement). We don't have room as a lounge. The whole floor will be open plan with doors to section off areas etc...

Here is a plan:

Kitchen Dimensions 7292mm X 3922mm

Ground Floor Plan · More Info

Overall Problems:

Front door opens into the lounge. No front garden so minimal privacy
No hallway space...
Very narrow house 3922mm
3 Floors so quite dark with garden north facing
Will change stairs down to basement so just hugs the corner.
Not happy with the proposed wall in the front room (which creates a hallway) as light will be sucked in (part glass...) Regulations .. i get it
The basement has changed and does not extend into the garden (equal footprint to kitchen)
Washing machine etc in basement? We will have a toilet there.

So builders need a kitchen/flooring ASAP. We have been looking but have been unable to decide on a design. Really need some input. The entire space needs to work in harmony.

Wish List:

Lounge

Fireplace and comfy seating in lounge

Place for piano

Storage for books etc

Where can we put shoes/coats etc?

Kitchen

Ginormous dining table (thought a good idea to have it run along the back of the house). We are splashing out on black Crittell doors :-)

Place for recipe books (i have so many)

Island seating

Really don't want a sink in the island

Massivo fridge (freestanding even?)

Small wine storage cupboard

Small area for laptop

Basement

Utility room and toilet

Comfy sofas, TV, Bar???

I appreciate all comments!

Sandi

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

PRO
User
5 years ago
This is a really complex build and if you want proper advice from someone qualified to tackle it, i'd get in touch with one of the concept planners on here. Karen @ OnePlan comes very well recommended by many on here. You can contact her on her Pro Page OnePlan
Sandi Kalsi thanked User
Jonathan
5 years ago
I think you need to consider the house as a whole. If it were mine I would be thinking about which are the grandest/lightest/ most private spaces and then think about putting your most used rooms like the living room and kitchen there. Then if there are rooms with lower ceilings, less privacy, less light consider if they should be used for rarely used formal dining rooms, guest bedrooms, laundry areas or bathrooms.
You could post a plan of the whole house or speak to a designer or concept planner.
Sandi Kalsi thanked Jonathan
Related Discussions
Need help with ground floor internal layout of kitchen/diner reception
Q
Comments (12)
Thank you for details. In general, location of areas is chosen fine, especially if you want to keep dining and kitchen separately. Although I will have couple of suggestions for you. I would consider more space for your dining/kitchen area. Make it wider and add at least 1m-1,5 m. You have double doors to the garden but you don't leave enough room to walk around table. It can be a nightmare to move chairs if you need to pass, even simply for the reason to open or close windows with curtains or blinds. Looking at lounge areas: two large sofas will look bulky, especially in the area, which you plan to keep neat and clean. It means it should be as functional (when you need it to be) as to be out of your way when you live your life. From here, I will recommend to choose corner sofa for your sitting room and a large footstool. It will allow you to have open look on interior and area will look larger, welcoming and you will have more seats for family hours.If you like armchairs, then have a look at next layout Second area doesn't need large sofa. A set of chairs will look much better and will be more functional. Therefore, you don't need any special dividers between two areas because they will look as two separate complete areas and you will not miss such fact :) If you wonder to place doors or special separation to kitchen + dining area, there are many esthetic options https://alenacdesign.wordpress.com/2016/03/09/room-dividers-and-other-solutions/ I hope it will help you :) Don't hesitate to ask more. Good luck! Alena
...See More
Help with layout and furniture placement in kitchen/diner/family room
Q
Comments (8)
Good morning Hazel, Here's a link to a guide on small extensions under permitted development, if you haven't already looked at. https://interactive.planningportal.co.uk/mini-guide/extensions-single-storey/0 Once you have more idea on the construction of the extension and the exact dimensions, you'll be able to properly assess the internal space you have. You are correct in saying that it wouldn't be ideal to have to walk through the living space into the extension for the dining room. The proposed extension itself may not be ideal for a living/family area once a sofa and TV are in, as this won't leave much space for an external bi-fold/sliding door. Another option to explore is moving the kitchen to the left and having the living/family room to the right hand side (where the kitchen is currently situated). This will then mean the extension will hold the dining space.
...See More
Advice on layout for odd shaped kitchen, lounge, diner
Q
Comments (11)
Thanks again Tani, it's actually the dining room that is the conservatory. It was another 10k to go further out, which we just don't have, and like Carolina we actually quite like the shape. Carolina; we had thought about that, but currently the middle room ('snug') is a playroom and we've created a utility space under the stairs opposite the cloakroom. The front room is the grown up lounge and has the TV in it. We were looking to create a space that would work for when we have friends over to sit, eat, cook etc so we weren't separated. Will have a good look at the link you've posted :)
...See More
Help please. Kitchen and lounge layout
Q
Comments (6)
Hi Amber I can see why you’ve been wrestling with it as it is difficult to figure out the best options with such a long stretch of kitchen and lounge. An extension could make both these rooms appear longer/skinny and maybe darker. My friends added a similar extension with a large window on one half and patio doors on the other, with both the side walls being solid brick. This did make their original rooms darker so if you did decide to go down this route, perhaps consider a design incorporating more glass than brick? I did come up with an idea similar to what you had in mind but i don’t know if it is possible (I have left tiny parts of your dividing wall between your existing kitchen/lounge still in place in case supports are needed). There’s a rough drawing below to help you (and me!) visualise it. the kitchen is moved to the front of the house, the yellow rectangle represents a chair that you could tuck under the counter, or if necessary lose the counter and place an armchair here; alternatively you could place an armchair / swivel chair where yellow circle is? this could be whatever type of glass opening you like or combination window/door (you might be able to reuse part of what you already have?) dining table area this could be whatever you need it to be – a sofa with side tables, a sideboard with wall hung TV above, a floor to ceiling storage wall, etc bi-fold doors to close off the lounge (could go for half glass for added light) again, whatever is needed – another sofa, a media wall, a mix of units/desk and open shelving above this could be a place for a wall hung tv or fire or both! (if you did need to retain part of the original dividing wall to support a beam, you could make a shallow false wall behind 7 which would be great to hide any wiring, sockets, etc) could leave as original window if this works or make it into a glass door patio door to garden/bi-folds - match up with 8 a longer section of wall here may be useful depending on how you intend to use the space At the very least, i hope this offers some inspiration and stops the wrestling! Just consider what your family’s needs are and when you have decided on a layout, I would draw a ‘to scale’ plan with the actual size of your furnishings (incl. 5). This will make sure you are putting walls and sockets in the right place and help to determine what type/size openings work best. Best of luck and would be great to eventually see the final product
...See More
PRO
Kerry Bryan Interiors
5 years ago
Hi Sandi

You have a great space to work with, and a lot of ideas for the space itself which is a great start. Ideally it would be best to sit down with a Designer and really dig into what you want from the space, taking time to really figure out how you want the space to feel as a whole.

However, to get you started it's easy enough to create a concept design plan of the space from plans you have of the home, so if you'd be interested I'd be happy to take a look at the plan for both the basement and lounge, and send you something over to give an idea of how the design could look / be laid out, based upon the information you've posted above. (Free of charge of course)

My email is - Kerrybryaninteriors@outlook.com If you can ping across the detailed plan (with measurements) for the two floors, I can have a basic drawing over to you by the end of the week, to give you some ideas.

Speak soon

- Kerry
Sandi Kalsi
Original Author
5 years ago
Hi Kerry,

Thank you so much for your comments. I am tearing myself apart here I must admit. It is a huge undertaking as the whole house is being renovated. Also if still OK with you i would love to take you up on your offer. I can ping over the architectural plans and some pics.

This would be amazing!

Sandi :-)

Lounge/Kitchen/Diner/Basement Layout help please Houzz!

Comments (4)

User

Jonathan

Related Discussions

Kerry Bryan Interiors

Sandi Kalsi
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Lounge/Kitchen/Diner/Basement Layout help please Houzz!

Comments (4)

User

Jonathan

Related Discussions

Kerry Bryan Interiors

Sandi KalsiOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Sandi Kalsi
Original Author