Would you create a new hallway for better kitchen access?

3 years ago

We have just finished building a rear extension on our house to create a large family space for living/kitchen/dining and there is one remaining conundrum - should we create a new hallway to provide direct access to the open-plan space?

Our house used to look like this where the kitchen/diner was only accessible via the lounge.

Now it looks like this, but we haven't actually put the new hallway in that is marked by the red box yet. This would allow access direct from the existing small hallway right through to the new main part of the house, but it would reduce the size of the separate lounge.

I really like the idea of not having to go through the lounge and it would make the understairs cupboard much more accessible (currently part of a sofa blocks it). But on the other hand it takes a chunk about 1m wide off the lounge and means the bottom-left corner of the new open-plan space is effectively an entrance so would be difficult to fill it with furniture (we were originally thinking of a TV corner as the dining table is rotated 90 degrees and shifted closer to the bi-fold doors).

Would you put in this new hallway and accept the smaller living room? Or would you leave the access through the lounge but maybe shift furniture around so it doesn't feel like people are traipsing through the lounge to get to the fridge?

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Comments (3)

PRO
My Claybrick Home
3 years ago
Hi Phil

My first reaction is yes, put in the hallway so that you direct access to the kitchen/diner from the main hallway but this does make your living room space very narrow. I work in a 2.5m square office so I know the space would not be big.

I would recommend you having a full floor plan design completing for the living room based on the smaller size and the existing size so that you really understand what you can have in the space and how it could be laid out to maximum affect and flow.

I would be delighted to help you with this.

Check out a lounge design I completed late last summer www.myclaybrickhome.com/post/multi-functional-family-lounge or any of the other features shown on www.myclaybrickhome.com/case-studies

If you wanted to book a free no obligation consultation call drop me a reply.

Rgds

Vicky

vicky@myclaybrickhome.com
Phil Scott
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks Vicky for your advice. I think you’re right about needing to visualise how small it may feel with the new hallway. I might get some big cardboard boxes to make a fake wall and move the furniture around to help as well.
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Hi Phil, I'm no planner but a 15x9 foot ( approx, if I've calculated correctly) living room seems incredibly narrow and out of proportion, even if you were to make it the dining room. Is moving the staircase a possibility? So that it becomes an internal staircase running along the new kitchen diner wall. I think that would still allow for a direct route to the kitchen, leaving your wc where it is and a much better shape /size living room.
If Jonathan sees this post, he can perhaps tell you more about cost implications of moving a staircase. I'm sure I remember him saying it's sometimes not as expensive as you might expect. Good luck.

Would you create a new hallway for better kitchen access?

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Would you create a new hallway for better kitchen access?

Comments (3)

My Claybrick Home

Phil ScottOriginal Author

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Phil Scott
Original Author