Either a good extractor or open the door. It doesn’t need to be open for long.

Thanks Daisy. Its fine to open a door during the daytime but if you're up late at night and its dark, wet and windy outside, then its impractical to open the door. I think that's what windows were designed for.

Sorry if this sounds stupid, but what's the exact reason for 'fresh air'?

If it's because of cooking smells and smoke etc, then an extractor of some type or cooker hood and the like, should be sufficient for that purpose.

If it's just general air quality, we don't have opening windows in our kitchen - we have a wall of glass doors similar to bi-fold, two further external doors and 2 opening Velux windows, - but in inclement weather or at night (not during the summer) we don't have or need anything open we tend not to need it. If we are cooking in there, we put the cooker hood on. Failing that as Daisy says, we'll open a door for few minutes.

I genuinely don't see what the problem is.

Thanks Ribena Drinker. Your kitchen is exactly what I'm looking to do but don't want to make an expensive mistake as I'll be giving up 4 windows: 2 large and 2 small. I'm not sure why no one understands what a kitchen window is for. I have an extractor and I also have a door but I open the window as a window has a different use. When I had my double glazing done the company installed windows that can open (x4) and I use them. If the windows weren't needed surely they would of installed a large pane of glass instead then I open the kitchen door for air. I can see why this is a problem as I'm getting the same reaction from the designer. Maybe my issue is one that exists for people that cook regularly and may cook high smelling food such as fish and curries, where the window may be open for longer than a few minutes that you want to have a door open for. It sounds like the velux window may be my answer.

I think you'll find that most people understand what an opening window is for, however, with the vagaries of the British weather, most rely on a cooker hood or similar.

A powerful enough cooker hood or other extractor eg. downdraught (as opposed to a simple extractor fan in the wall), should be strong enough to clear cooking smells and smoke. If you're finding you're having to open windows as well, I suspect yours isn't powerful enough.

I‘m with you on the window, I like to feel moving air, unless it’s freezing outside. Plus extractors work best with a small amount of air coming into the room rather than in a completely sealed room.

I have glass doors across 3/4 of the back wall and then an opening window. I also have an opening (motorised) skylight. I often have one or the other open.

We have had a few projects recently that we have put a window seat ( with top opener) and a sliding or bifold door option. This works well for adding in an opening window for fresh air.

I can’t seem to add a link - but look at ‘Kirsty’s kitchen ‘ on my pro page . ( click on my icon or name to go to pro page )

You can get sliding doors that lock open - so you only need them open a touch and you can lock it in place to keep things secure.

Also as others have said - good extract is essential in a kitchen. So do make sure you include for that - this is a building control requirement anyway.

Finally make sure you have trickle vents installed within the frame of the windows. You can then open the vent to give you good background ventilation. This could be enough.

There are lots of other fancy things you can do like MVHR systems, additional vents, etc... but these are probably not what you need.

If you have a really unusual and tricky situation, or a particular health concern, then the best type of professional to advise you on this and design you a system if you need one is a mechanical or electrical engineer.

Same situation as we are in - all huge bifolds across the main outside wall and no windows anywhere as the rest of the rooms are internal.
We are going to have a super extractor put in on the side wall which works two ways ie pulls out stale air and also puts in fresh air. Quote was about £300 for the fan with fitting and remote control. It also can be set on a timer.

Our kitchen extractor has a fresh air setting but it only extracts and doesn’t put in fresh air.

Hi Drayke,

Usually people install extractors, there are different type of extractors from built in, wall extractors, ceiling extractors, featuring extractors, filter ones to venting hobs. That solves the problem of fumes and smells.

DM what you chose or if you any further help :)

Your Schmidt Kitchens Dorking Team

I am in Scotland, not great weather!

I do get what you mean with having a little bit if fresh air. My thinking is that it's likely to be a big space, big spaces with lots of glass generally will be colder, draughtier so you will probably not feel that stuffy way that a smaller room can get!

We will have 3.4m sliding doors, 2 velux above and a bay window which all open.

Thanks to all for your constructive comments. What this has shown me is that many people are happy to go with the latest design but compromise on things that we know work. I’m struggling to understand why so many people are willing to give up kitchen windows for extractor fans. They are completely different things. I’m not convinced that this is the way to go. I understand how a bathroom can exist without a window but not a kitchen. It’s the one room in the house that has smells, steam, smoke (from chargriling) and just in need of some fresh air circulating from time to time. Are you all telling me that you’re happy to exchange your windows for an expensive remodelled open plan kitchen with all doors instead? Someone please convince me. Are there any serious cooks out there that opens a window to let the heat out of the kitchen. I’m not creating a show home, I’m creating a working kitchen. I need convincing. I want a solution as the kitchen I e selected looks fab - but no windows.

Hello, I completely understand where you are coming from! Firstly always go for what works for you and how you will use the kitchen. There is no point in re-modelling your kitchen if it doesn't work for your lifestyle. If you do a lot of cooking as you have explained, it is definitely better to have the cooker extractor fan to duct out to remove the steam ( as a re-circulating extractor only removes grease ) otherwise the grease is removed but the steam is still in the room.

Are you having an extension or just knocking down the back wall and installing doors? Do you have a basic plan/ drawing of where you plan to have your kitchen?

I had an extension last year and although I love my new open plan kitchen/ living area there are a few niggles that I hadn't thought of especially once I started using the kitchen.

Firstly, although I said to my builder I wanted to duct out ( at the early stages ), this was not dealt with until later in the building stage and when the time came, we couldn't duct out so we had to have a re-circulating cooker extractor and install a separate extractor fan in the pitched roof to pass building regs. The position of the extractor fan is a bit useless as it is quite far from the cooking area but that was a best place for it. If you are cooking for a long time on the hob which causes a lot of steam e.g., making pasta, stews etc, a few times the steam just collected at the base of the hood and started dripping back down to the hob and pots! If the hood was ducted out I'm sure this would not be an issue and my hood was not a cheap hood. This is not the fault of the kitchen designer as they stressed the importance of ducting out right at the start.

The location of my kitchen is in the existing part of the house and the extension is the living area with sliding doors across the whole width and 3 velux windows, the problem I have here is that the kitchen area is quite far from the doors and windows, when I open the ovens ( one is a steam oven ) and I also have a hot water tap, so much steam comes out from both, the steam just lingers around that area. With the hot water tap, the steam hits the bottom of the wall cabinets and just travels along the base of the all the wall cabinets. As my hob is on the same side, if my cooker hood ducted out, I could just turn it on and that would help with extracting the steam but it doesn't.

Generally I do open the velux windows and doors for a short while to air the room, even in the winter.

If you are having an extension and having velux windows, if budget allows, I really recommend getting a solar panelled velux window which has a remote control to open and close ( rather than using a stick ), it's so handy, I have 3 velux but only 1 is solar panelled, I always have that one open slighly to air the room, even in the winter and especially when I am cooking.

The best thing is it also has a rain sensor so it automatically closes when it starts raining, I didn't even know it had this function until it started closing when it rained :-).

What this has shown me is that many people are happy to go with the latest design but compromise on things that we know work.

There are always compromises. If you want a window, get a window. Personally I don't feel the need for one in a large kitchen. I use an extractor to help with the grease and cooking smells, and if I want more fresh air I open the door. IMO the smoke from your char-grilling should be going out the extractor fan, not across the kitchen to wherever the window is.

Are you all telling me that you’re happy to exchange your windows for an expensive remodelled open plan kitchen with all doors instead?

I am, but you like to use a window more than I do.

Are there any serious cooks out there that opens a window to let the heat out of the kitchen.

How large is your room? Unless you're running a catering business, I wouldn't expect family cooking to be enough to make a decent sized room hot. Of course if it's summer it can be hot whether you're cooking or not, but then I'd open the doors.

I’m not creating a show home, I’m creating a working kitchen. I need convincing. I want a solution as the kitchen I e selected looks fab - but no windows.

Is this for a new design of your existing kitchen? Will the footprint be the same, or larger? If it's the same, just try cooking without opening a window for a while. Use your extractor fan (do you have one that re-circulates the air, or extracts it to the outside?) and your door. It might feel weird at first, but give it time. If you hate it without using a window, then have a window.

Just to add to my comment above, my open space is 5m x 8m and although I have complained about all the steam ( and I forgot when the dishwasher has finished, lots of steam there too lol ), it never really gets that 'steamy'. If I'm cooking food with big smells, I have the extractor fan on, velux window open and sliding doors slightly open on both sides so air can circulate around :-).

To add to my previous comment - our bifolds are large but we had a catch thing fitted on the traffic door so we could keep it closed then the 4 bifoldinf doors can be opened slightly to let fresh air in. We have had these open even when it’s raining as we have a slight overhang and they go outwards in an upside V shape.
So yes. We gave up an opening window to have a large wall of glass that opens out but it is fairly flexible.
The extractor we might have fitted to bring extra air in is mostly for when we are not at home or have the washer/dryer on and because the dogs also sleep in that utility so it will get rid of wet dog etc, lol. Also our room is south facing and it gets blinking hot and stuffy in here whenever it’s warm!! Ie like today even. October and i was sunbathing behind the glass on the floor ;0)

Drayke, we have a 11m by 5.5 open plan kitchen with a wall of glass from about half way along the long side which includes patio doors, a four pane window with two opening panels on the same wall at the kitchen end of the room, and two velux windows in the roof apex behind the patio doors. We have a cooker hood extractor, and I like to keep the kitchen door closed when cooking as I don’t like cooking smells to pervade the rest of the house. Our room faces north, tho we also have a non opening floor to ceiling window at each end of the east wall. The veluxes allow the heat to chimney out in hot weather when it can still get too hot even tho no glazing faces S. Our patio doors are oak and open outwards so we can’t leave them, or the veluxes open when it rains. We have wet UFH which tho lovely has a response lag to temperature changes from say oven use. I often open the other windows when cooking in winter and summer and would not want to be without that option. So, apart from personal preference, it depends which way your doors face, what they are made of, what type of heating you have in the room, whether you have openable veluxes too, and security considerations.