Hi, without having any budget constraints here, one option I can see straight away is moving the kitchen cupboards and utilities on the opposite wall, which gives you the opportunity to glaze the corner between the existing conservatory and where the dining would be. This way we would create a cohesive space and bring in light and inviting the exterior space more towards the centre of the house.

The design solution would depend on your budget and we are happy to discuss the details in case you are ready to move forward.

Which side of the garden has the best views? Patio? Where is the North?

And are the walls you intend to remove loadbearing?

Alternative

This time with the pic

Similar idea as Jonathan. Because i don't think opening up the left whilst closing up the right will make it grand, as you end up with a long livingroom and a long kitchen with small-ish orangerie (and if the dining goes in there it will be around a corner from the kitchen).

Besides, i wouldn't want to live without my own utility/mudroom anymore, so i'd advise keeping yours. By moving the wc and closing up the niche on the left, there's room for a side entrance, with short traffic lines to laundry, garage and wc. By closing off the kitchen doorway, there's room for a large C-shaped kitchen (ok, G with peninsula). And the garden room could either be open verandah or closed orangerie, either way with an translucent roof. And a wide open sightline from front to rear of the house, to add to that grand feel.

Thanks so much all - Hugely appreciated!

So we were thinking of extending into the garage for a utility room, hence knocking through into there as per below plan.

And we’re also really keen to have a separate lounge, and the lounge is long but would be too small if you were to cut an area from it.

What do you guys think? How can we work it all in do you think?

You mean something like this? What type of kitchen layout do you have in mind?

Yes like that! But going to knock through into the the conservatory as an orangery / dining room, what do you think? Also keen to put an island in the kitchen but not sure if we’ll have space looking at that?

Something different. Moved the kitchen to the long room. Opened up the rear wall and added a 2m extension to create a large lounge (with wood burner?).

Your idea with island:

Reduce the utility to 1.7m and an island with tall units on the side would fit.

And without enlarging the orangerie it would look something like the above.

Thank you so much - so useful to visualise! And how about if we put the utility into the garage and extended the kitchen longer, how do you think we could best utilise the kitchen space?

I'd say it wouldn't add much useful space with this kitchen layout, the island here is 320x100cm.

Neither do i, Jonathan. I'm curious to how the plot is layed out, garden views :)

Thank you and I totally understand - here’s a link to a walkthrough of the house! The garden is wide (also needs a lot of work)! And is north facing

https://app.immoviewer.com/portal/tour/3034533?accessKey=65d0

Other than the shocking use of lime green in the kitchen I think this is a super house. I think the builder made a narrow lounge feel wide by having the extra part that leads to the conservatory and if you chop that off and have a separate lounge you won’t like your lounge as much. Personally I don’t think that knocking down the wall to the utility gains you useable space and just creates an extra job of converting the garage.

If there is money for building work then extending slightly into the garden behind the kitchen and where the conservatory is will make the biggest difference as you will make the kitchen wide enough for an island and a wall run.

The upstairs looks great- I really like the big landing and think this level only needs decorating.

The garden will have some area of sun- most likely where the previous owners put the shed. I would build a new patio where ever the best sun is and plant strategically to give some height and therefore make the garden feel bigger. Staining the fences a pale colour such as a stone colour will also brighten up the back garden.

The utility area would make a great dining/seating area with a lantern roof ….

A dining table in what is currently the utility would only have 70cm all the way around which is insufficient

True but this is where the light is so i would develop around this area…following the afternoon sun

The orange are upstairs walls resting on those below. These need support, either from rsj or wall.

Have you ever considered extending the front? A sunny 3.8x4.2 lounge seems lovely. And then behind it could go the kitchen, former kitchen+utility could be a bedroom with ensuite. Garage makeover with rsj to create one good sized garage, 1.8m wide office and utility (with rooflight) on the side. Toilet moved over to allow some daylight into the hallway through a side entrance (perhaps extend to close gap). I'd possibly remove the conservatory, but left it in the drawing. Either way had fun trying what could work in your home.

And here i added 4.5x7m to the rear (partitioned the front reception at 4.9m), creating a spacious kitchen with dining and lounge, which hopefully gets some late afternoon sun.

Wonderful house, so many options!

Oh wow amazing! Thank you so much for all your help on this to you all. So many ideas ☺️

Hi Emilly,

would you consider a completely open plan?

Hi!, as a furniture/kitchen designer for over 30 years I try to come to the clients with a complete open mind. I ask the question that I need to understand how you live and want to live 10 years from now 15 years from now and so on. It's vital to open the time conversations as often families consider that as it is, is how we plan and build. When in reality we all age together and we all keep moving, of we are lucky to be healthy and able.

So! Starting from that prospective I'll build a picture based on first the practicals....

1. How many people living in the house ?

2. Age profile?

3. Special food needs?

4. How do you like to cook

Range or oven & hob?

6.Have you a preference of sinks? ie Belfast sink or undermounted sink?

7. Have you a thought on boiling water taps?

8. What's your opinion on worktops? Quartz, Granite, wood, Corian, laminate?

After that it down to the nicer things. What colours, textures and layout work best. After that it's lighting and that's a life if its own.

Hi all - thank you SO much for all your design help. So much inspo! Myself and my partner have been discussing extending into the garden to make the kitchen a larger space rather than converting into the garage. We’d essentially keep the utility where it is, knock the conservatory down and push back into the garden to where the conservatory was. What do you guys think? Very rough design (not my forte!)

It’s unusual for someone who has just moved to have an addition £50k available for an extension plus £50k to replace kitchens, flooring, decorate and garden. I think your starting point should be available budget before planning to increase the downstairs square footage by 25%.

If however there are funds then I’m sure contributors on this site will be all over a design for you.

Hi Jonathan - We have a long term plan (about 4 years) before we’d like the extension and kitchens etc to all be finalised, but it’s seeing the future vision so we can plan accordingly and make amends if necessary. We have a decent sum to give us a head start on extension, kitchen, flooring etc. but garden, bathrooms etc are lower on the priority list for now.

Given your north facing plot consider if a different shaped extension would allow better light into principal rooms.

Hi Emily,

I think it's very sensible to start exploring your options as early as you can, especially if you want to do some bits straight away, you don't want to be throwing money at something that you will end up destroying in a few years for a better layout.

A big extension might seem like a great idea when just looking at floor plans, but the problem is getting natural light in the spaces.

How I would approach this is by having a list of things you want from your home:

Must-have, non-negotiables, and things you would be willing to compromise on.

also, think of the house as a whole.

House positioning and surrounding area is also something important to consider.

And while we all enjoy floor planning exercises like this getting it right requires considering all the above and more.

Bump