Unsure on kitchen / diner / living room layout

jadedog2013

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

We live in an Edwardian semi and are having the back of the house (kitchen, dining room including a freezing cold 1980’s extension) renovated and made into one large kitchen / diner / sitting room / playroom. We have had some designs drawn up but I am concerned that the proposed utility room will take too much of the existing living space. Also, might feel strange having the utility room far away from the kitchen units and might be better over the other side where I have marked on the plan. The kitchen is north facing so we do struggle with light at the back. Any thoughts greatly appreciated!

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Comments (8)

pjdklm
3 years ago
My vote would be for keeping the utility as per the original plan. As it opens into the front hallway, and it’s a decent size, it can easily serve as a boot room too, keeping mess out of your large living area. Plus it’s closer to the stairs, so again easier for returning laundry to the bedrooms.
victoriapegg
3 years ago
We did a very similar extension in an Edwardian semi and had the utility room where yours is shown in the original plan. As the house is long and fairly narrow, the utility is in the darkest part of the house. We use it for coats and shoes as well as laundry, which helps the flow in the narrow hallway. It's a personal choice and reflects how you live but it worked for us.
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Hi Chloe, What a lovely space and great shaped room to work with! Having been through something very similar in the last 6 months and very nearly made a few big mistakes (but thankfully didn't!) there's a few things I'd probably mention. I love having your seating area by the doors, we have done something similar and it's a lovely space to sit in and look out. Are you having a TV in there and have you thought about where it might go if you are? I totally agree with Jonathan, probably not enough worktop if you have both your sink and hob on the island. Our island is 2.4m in length (1.2m wide) and there's just enough space to cook and then plate up next to the hob for 8 plates so long as you're tidy! :) We've gone from Gas to induction hob and I do miss being able to take hot things out of the oven and put them directly onto the hob (it's not recommended, although lots of people say it's fine... I haven't quite been brave enough yet!!) Tall units are fab and our double larder cupboard we use to store all pots, pans and glassware- I still can't believe how much you can get in it! We also put it in a position whereby it's accessible from both where I cook and also the 'social' side of the island so friends / hubby can lay the table etc, without having to get right by me cooking. We've ended up with a separate space for the toaster and microwave out of the main work area of the kitchen and I love it as people can make toast and snacks without getting in my way if I'm cooking! Don't go for base unit cupboards if you can help it- drawers are so much better! We only ended up with one in our pantry and I am going to have internal drawers fitted as it's a right pain to see what's at the back! Have you considered banquette seating around one side of the dining table as an alternative? It's super flexible seating if you've got little ones and because one side is up against a wall it gives not only quite a cosy feeling but extra floor space for moving around it. My other bit of advice would be have a think about your lighting super early in the design and get all your electrics sorted- I'd never realised before this project what a huge difference lighting and layered lighting can make to a room that is multi- functional! Have you got someone helping you with the design of the room (layout and aesthetics) or are you going it alone? :) Hope it helps! Best wishes, Claire
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PRO
Hannah Hopkins Interiors
3 years ago
Hi, I would also keep the utility where it is on the original plan. You could make it slightly narrower so it doesn't eat into the living area as much, just as long as you leave at least 650mm from the back of the units up to the door frame to allow you to fit the units in comfortably. You do look to have a lot of space in the kitchen so you could integrate units in here e.g larder units to give you plenty of storage which means you can just use the utility room for coats/boots and laundry. Hannah
jadedog2013
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks for these incredibly constructive comments. A large boot room near the front door will be incredible useful - particularly for stowing away our dog after muddy walks, and storing all her gear. I hadn’t thought how useful it would be having the laundry area closer to the bedrooms either.
pjdklm
3 years ago
Lucky doggie! With the mention of mud, you might want to consider putting in a sink in to wash off wellies and such. And a Dutch door might be nice if you plan on using the utility as a makeshift doggie pen at times.
H A
3 years ago
Agree with all the above comments! If you struggle with light, you might like a full glass door from the hall into the kitchen. Looks fabulous! x
jadedog2013
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks. Great ideas.
Alix W
3 years ago
Hi, just to say my neighbours have something v similar to the layout your architect has proposed and it works really well - and I’m a bit jealous of it! It makes really good use of the difficult, potentially dark, middle room.

Unsure on kitchen / diner / living room layout

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pjdklm

victoriapegg

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Unsure on kitchen / diner / living room layout

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pjdklm

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