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Design Dilemma Gardens Kitchens

Open plan kitchen design

3 years ago

We are starting an rear extension 9.5x4m and hoping to fit kitchen, dining and seating area in. There's a playroom where the current living room is and I've converted the current kitchen into a shower room, utility and pantry. My questions are..

Would you have seating at the kitchen peninsula if there is a table right next to it? Anyone have this layout and still use the bar stools?

Anybody used a venting hob and ducted it out under the cabinets? I'm thinking the duct could come out the front of the extension but in the black engineering brick portion.

Anybody put pendant lighting beneath a roof lantern and how did you do this? I was thinking some sort of metal rod across the roof lantern, it's 2 metres width.

The house is 145cm above garden level so I have made a stepped design down, does anyone have anything similar or inspiration for a patio design?

Would you change anything with the overall layout?

Thank you

Featured Answer

duft5541
Original Author

3 years ago

@Paula North. I used floorplanner.com

Comments (30)

Jonathan
3 years ago
I’m curious.... how many kids do you have that you would give the largest room in the house to toys?

If it were me I would be trying to make the living area and kitchen area bigger. If there is any chance you are going to regularly use the room on the left as a bedroom then I would make the bathroom better.

And as far as roof windows these seem massive- I wonder if you have got too hung up on symmetry and if it is necessary to have both.
duft5541
Original Author
3 years ago
Some good questions there thanks.. we have two kids currently aged 1 and 2 years so maybe feels like more. Was thinking of having the nursery as a flexible area but good place to have their toys and watch them from the living area. Could convert to our living area later.

Currently not planning on living in downstairs room but future-proofing as only one bathroom upstairs and one in an attic room. Any suggestions on how to make shower room bigger without taking space from utility and still being able to enter the doorway? Keen to keep pantry as kitchen otherwise hasn't got cupboard space!

Would there be a downside to having both roof lanterns? It's north facing so possibly got excited about having natural light.
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I actually like this layout. I’m not sure of the practicality of having a hob in the island, food splatters etc... I thought about it then decided against it. We’ve paid about £4.5k for the kitchen, that’s excluding most of the appliances, but did include a built in dishwasher and the sink and taps. Also I need to buy the worktops elsewhere as Homebase don’t do 4m runs and I didn’t want joins... are you living in your place at the mo?
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I prefer the design with the larger island. It looks like you still have plenty of room for a dining table.
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Jonathan
3 years ago
Alternative layout
duft5541
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks, I like your design. I did think about having the bathroom like that but I'm restricted by a big combi boiler where the sink is in you plan.
Zoe Kelly
3 years ago
Your plan looks good in general - do you have a downstairs loo? Cant really tell if there is one in shower room or not.

Re: barstools, I like the ability to eat at the counter and in theory, the ability for people to sit there and chat whilst I cook. Saying that we’ve only had our kitchen finished post lockdown so it’s not had a dinner party trial run yet :) hopefully someone who’s had the layout longer can comment!
duft5541
Original Author
3 years ago
Yes difficult to design an entertaining space when we've been just the four of us for so long! We have a downstairs loo by the front door but couldn't fit one in the shower room space. Thanks for your comment.
Paula North
3 years ago
Hi. Duft5541. Did you do these plans yourself? If yes, what did you use to do them please? Thank you.
Victoria
3 years ago
I think you need a loo directly accessible from the hallway.
carolinep007
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
I have a hob in the island with ducted downdraft extractor which works well (its been there for 11 years so far) but for the kitchen island I would reduce it in length by 200mm and have it central between pantry and back wall so that it is an island which would give you 800mm clearance at both ends. For the island, increase the worktop so that there is a large curved overhand on the dining side for the bar stools (mine are used regularly) and have pop up sockets (with usb) at either end on dining side

my hob ducting goes under concrete floor and ends up outside kitchen window, works really well.

If you haven’t thought about kitchen worktops yet I would recommend the Apollo slab tech solid surface worktop. I subjected an off cut to severe abuse and then had a kitchen table made from it - the best price I could find was from www.solidsurfacekitchens.co.uk , I used the marmo bianco 20mm.
duft5541
Original Author
3 years ago
@Carolinep007 how did you duct out from the island, does your duct go under the floorboards to the outside?
Tani H-S
3 years ago
Morning!
It's v v similar to my layout extension (we have a bungalow so more bedrooms downstairs)

I can't work out what all the other little rooms are at the back end of the plan though or the little rooms to the left side where the kitchen is?

We did an island in the same place as yours but our room was slightly wider so we had enough space either side. We also have a dining table which we move around - sometimes it's by the window or in the centre of the room but always near the island.
We have used the seating - mostly for laptop use (as sockets under the lip) or if I'm cooking and the O/H will sit there as well.
When we had parties (if anyone can remember those days!!) people still did prefer to sit at the island rather than the more formal dining table.

Plus it's extra seating if you have more people over. If you can fit it in then worth having a little overhang for seats.
duft5541
Original Author
3 years ago
Hi Tani H-S. How are you finding living with the design? ie. does it work well! Would love an island but as you say I think the room needs to be wider or the island will be quite small. Opposite the peninsula is a pantry so wanted to leave enough room to open these doors comfortably. Next to that is utility then a shower room off the other room.
Wumi
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Good plan generally!

I would personally put a sliding/pocket door or bifold doors to the utility room and pop a small window (as well as a powerful extractor fan) in there for ventilation and light.

Slightly reduce the size of the pantry and increase the size of shower room then have a smaller walk-in shower with a small sink besides it and pop a toilet where the current sink is (if possible). I’d also add access to the shower room through the utility or from the hall.

As others suggested you could make a better flow in the kitchen by making the peninsular into an island and making it deeper so you could pull up a stool. I’d remove the two wall cabinets a above the sink and replace with some open shelving to make the kitchen less boxy.

Why not keep the original living room and create a smaller play area with a 3 seater sofa in the kitchen? Low built-in storage to hide toys when the kids are asleep which could double as a long bench for sitting and playing. Tv above. Or maybe make the window in that area larger and create a window seat and have a wall of cabinets around the TV where with those pivot and slide-away doors.
duft5541
Original Author
3 years ago
I've made some changes based on some of the kind suggestions above... what do you think? Have I made it better or worse?
Wumi
3 years ago
Like the added seating . Quick question where would you place your toaster, kettle, microwave, coffee pot etc. Will they be in the pantry?

Another option could be to lose the pantry altogether and have the double cooker and a tall 60cm wide pantry cupboard built into the space. Gives you even more space for the shower room plus about a 1m more countertop.
duft5541
Original Author
3 years ago
I like that idea I'd have to ask the architect re steels as that's the current wall of the house where the pantry and utility doors are. It's a combi m/w oven. Toaster and coffee machine going in the pantry. Kettle next to oven on worktop.
carolinep007
3 years ago
Hi duft5541,

hob vented under floor - still works really well
Jonathan
3 years ago
Since stools are generally 450mm wide and people are wider still I don’t think that 900mm space is big enough for two stools.
Wumi
3 years ago
Sorry, that was meant to have read “leave the double oven and have the fridge and a tall 60cm pantry cupboard built into the space...” Great to have a built in microwave and an architect on board. :-)
Tani H-S
3 years ago
@duft5541 Yes I love it. We have a full run overhang to fit 3-4 stools but only 2 ever get used anyway, haha.

Idea for pantry - sliding door would take up less space so don't need to fully open out. Or we have bifolds in. As you are facing the island, our utility is to the left side and we house the washer/dryer and sink in there and are adding cupboards &shelving (it's just been plastered) for extra storage. We don't have any wall cupboards - just 2 tall units to the left which is the F/F and the oven housing with storage above and below.

The room which is your nursery/playroom is our lounge but we opened it up (so got rid of the original back house wall) so now there is no separation and where your corridor entrance is into the kitchen, that wall is gone as well so you walk into a fully open plan area. We don't have children though so we don't need that privacy ;o)
duft5541
Original Author
3 years ago
Your renovations sound amazing Tani H-S! Must be great to be in the finishing stages. I would like a sliding door on the pantry but theirs not enough wall space either side of door! I was worried that a bifold when open would block some of the pantry if it was folded on one edge and tucked into pantry.

I would like to re-claim the living room eventually but over lockdown my husband built the kids a huge wooden playhouse with a slide attached in the current living room... so now they can have that room.

Jonathan I have now made the peninsula 2.8m wide and the seating area is 1.2m for 2 seats (2 children or one guest) Not sure I could cope with any more people than that If I was cooking!
Kat Comer
3 years ago
My kitchen isn’t a million miles away from this (@fellows_home on instagram). We have an open plan living/dining/kitchen and to be honest we really don’t ever sit on the stools, preferring the dining table or sofa but they are good when entertaining and we’re cooking. I have the Ikea Fordelaktig which is basically the same as the Bora hob at half the price and it’s fab, definitely check this out, we only had to give up the top drawer. I also wanted pendants above my kitchen and we have them now but feel it competes a bit with the lighting over the kitchen table and we don’t have any pendant lighting in the living room so looks a bit unbalanced. I would say get an amazing light over the dining table instead to balance out the space.
duft5541
Original Author
3 years ago
Great tips thanks @Kat Comer, just checked your kitchen out it's stunning!!
ceannain
3 years ago
Can I ask about the glass on the outside wall between the kitchen wall and the peninsula? Of that could be turned into a window you could run worktop under it giving you more space - like a U shape ? You have lots of light from above and access to outdoors already . We also have a peninsula and use the stools at it a lot . Kids sit up doing their colouring / school work ( they feel more connected if I’m in the kitchen part ) or we sit there reading / having a glass of wine etc . We have an overhang on the counter to allow the stools , and knees under .
duft5541
Original Author
3 years ago
Hi Ceannain, the choice to have two straight ones was mostly aesthetic. I'm also not a fan of corner cabinets and wanted to fill it with pan drawers. We have kids and I think they may use the island seating as you say so have included a 120cm space with overhang for them.
duft5541
Original Author
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
I have re-designed the kitchen again and would appreciate opinions on which design you would prefer... the big rectangle box is the extension. Currently only big knock through is the area from the hall into new extension and a small door knocked in for the pantry.

Plan 1: concrete lintel to old house rear wall with an inbuilt large pantry that would house toaster and coffee machine

Plan 2: increase width of steel and knock down area of wall that makes up pantry and place fridge and oven in that spot and have a cupboard pantry along the wall

Please see pictures

The only issue is the SVP (soil vent pipe) from the upstairs bathroomruns down at the edge of the pantry and gets in the way, does anyone have good solutions for the SVP placement?

Option 2

Option 2

Option 1

Option 1

Option 1

Option 2
Barbara McDonough
3 years ago
We built an extension a few years ago with a similar kitchen to option one, including a peninsula. The layout works well and I’m really pleased with the functionality of the design. We have a cupboard either end on the lounge side of the island and stools sit in the middle, plus a dining table close by. I agree with all the comments above about stools, they are used regularly. One thing I would change is our light switches are the on the lounge side of the peninsular and that means walking round to put a light on when working in the kitchen. Ideally, it would be best to have the switch on the kitchen side. We have pendant light over the island, which looks good and again are functional. Final, thing to say is it’s worth every penny! Open plan living, extra space, lots of light from roof lantern and bifold doors into garden are all brilliant. 4 years on I still love it and appreciate it every day.
duft5541
Original Author
2 years ago
Thought I'd update the finished result. Thanks for

all suggestions
KXD
last year
Hi duft5541,your kitchen looks lovely! Do you wish you had put in a free standing island instead of attaching it to the wall? Wondering whether it is a pain navigating round the island - I am mulling over a similar layout. thanks.

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