Move kitchen to back and open up lounge?
HU-921232216
4 years ago
Hi, I’m after some advise please about changing the downstairs layout of my house. I’ve been in my house for a long time and now we have 2 kids we are in need of more space. (Photo shows how it is now). My idea is to move the kitchen to the back (dining room) and then open up the longe and original kitchen to create a bigger room to bring more light into the middle of the house. My problem is that I’m struggling to visualise this and worry that to spend all this money doing something which might not work, so any advise would be greatly appreciated, thanks :)
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Maths Wife
4 years agoYou need to post the sizes of the rooms please.
Also, is this your only bathroom? If not, then great, as opening up in to the kitchen isn't ideal, thus it could be turned in to a downstairs toilet and utility.
Are you envisaging something like this?
HU-921232216
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Not Quite So Open Plan Kitchen + Diner + Lounge
Comments (2)I think I would leave the wall out but have more than one extra quiet extractor to deal with cooking smells. I would also look into increasing the ceiling height to increase the feeling of space....See MoreI'm looking forward to moving my kitchen fro back to front of house
Comments (0)By moving my kitchen to the back of my open plan downstairs I can open up the back of my house to my lovely garden and replace my ---- appliances with miele and keep my miele dishwasher...See MoreLighting Plan for Open Plan Kitchen / Diner / Lounge
Comments (4)If it were me firstly I would have one switch for task lighting- I think your planned 4 spots in the island boxing is enough but would have them in a row. I would have an additional 4 in a row in the ceiling above the walkway between the island and the main run of kitchen cabinets plus an additional two behind the sofa (but put a softer bulb in these). I would have two in the ceiling above the sink as I think it is tidier than having a wall light. Don’t forget to put a few in the laundry cupboard too. Since your extension ceiling is sloped I would have inset spots that you can angle. Personally I think that when you use the desk you switch on a desk light. I would have a ring of 3amp sockets so that you can switch on two table lights in the sitting area and two standard lamps in the dining area (or two table lights on a console table) and the LEDs above the bookcases. In my opinion you specify more than you need as you don’t have to plug something into every socket but the flexibility is useful. Personally I don’t think you need the coving light in the sitting area and think the idea is odd in an area with sloping ceilings. Next I would have additional kitchen lighting - I would have a run of LEDs under the base cabinets near the plinth and around the base of the island- these are nice to have on at night when watching TV as the kitchen is not fully lit but is light enough to navigate. Additionally I would have lights above and below the wall cabinets. I also like your idea of the boxing above the island having a shadow gap to conceal further LED strip lighting. Pendant lights- I agree that you won’t want one in the sitting area. I think it is messy to have pendants over the island with the additional boxing. I would have one over the dining table and choose an oversized fixture later- ensure that this lighting flex is near somewhere strong enough to mount a ceiling light of some size. Additionally I would have walk over lights in the floor near the garden doors. Remember these will reduce the focus of the garden at night- you might prefer to put these on the outside of the door to reverse the effect. Don’t forget to specify at least one socket behind the cabinets/ under island should any of the kitchen cabinets include lighting- this is especially useful in pantry cabinets. Don’t forget that you will likely need additional sockets in the laundry cupboard as you might well have a charger in there for a vacuum or drill. Personally I would have extra sockets around the desk and contain the router, you home answer phone, etc etc all in the same place. Don’t forget you can also get sockets that include a USB charger inlet. Since you are doing a plan for electrics don’t forget tv/ satellite aerial points. You should also take this opportunity to consider outside lights and power- consider sockets outside for garden lights, outdoor heaters, awnings, water features, mowing the lawn etc. LEDs unless you like decorating in very dark colours choose warm white lighting- a lot of strip LEDs can be adjusted to color match other lights in the room. LEDs- Last time I sourced these I was disappointed with the quoted costs from the electrician- do your own research online about price. Pay attention to the lumen levels and consider if you want disable LEDs. Boxing over the island. Choose your extractor before specifying the size of the boxing- I think the shallower extractors are deeper than the 20cm you stated....See Morewhat do you think is the best layout for open plan kitchen/lounge/tv
Comments (23)I definitely like that you’ve gained a clear run from the hall way so you can see out to the back. I don’t think having the dining space diagonally really matters and as you say you gain extra light there. Also depends how much you use the table/living room/kitchen. I often Potter in the kitchen so would want that to be light enough to not always need to turn on lights, and often sit on the sofa and read so the same, but only eat evening meals at the table so it’s less of an issue, but if you use it all day, or have kids drawing there then you’ll have different priorities. I think if you can block off a small corner to create a utility cupboard that might be useful to help reduce noise in the open plan space. I think you could potentially do well discussing with a concept planner for the room. Many people on here have used OnePlan and recommend her. I think there are lots of options and everyone will have opinions of what works better but Presuming you’re doing this for you and not to sell then there’ll be additional considerations of your preferences and how you’d live in the space. :-)...See MoreHU-921232216
4 years agoHU-921232216
4 years agoMaths Wife
4 years agoHU-921232216
4 years ago
PROHouse 2 Home Design
4 years agoHU-921232216
4 years ago
rinked
4 years agoI'd probably keep the kitchen the heart of the house, overlooking both dining and living area.
A quick idea:
Maths Wife