Urgent help about layout please. Need to submit drawings to council.

last month

We recently bought a mid-terraced home in south London. It's a typical mid-terrace: narrow hallway, stairs to the right, a decent-sized living room/lounge to the left, and an upstairs cloakroom. Further up, there's a kitchen and diner area. The kitchen has been extended a little, so it protrudes on the deck. There's a wall between the diner and the kitchen, but it does not go through.

Due to a lack of space, we will have to break down this wall and plan to extend the kitchen/diner to 4 meters/5 meters (if all goes as planned). We are also planning an arch opening between the living room and the diner that can be closed with bi-folds.

However, we have never lived in an open-plan area, and I am already anxious about what it would be like. My suggestion was to go further into the deck and extend everything to 4 meters (please keep in mind since the kitchen is already protruding, this means the kitchen goes further 2 meters and not 4) and then have a meter-shaped as an L area that extends just the kitchen and close it off and make it a separate kitchen with laundry in it. I have seen this in homes, and it works for them. We make a lot of spicy food, and kitchens are usually messy. We also do a lot of large (30 or more people), only women gatherings wth speakers giving lectures / only men/ children only, etc., which will provide me with a place to go and cook/heat the food, etc., without disturbing the gathering. When we have such gatherings we are going to need one huge chunk of space so everyone can sit.

The garden is very long but narrow (about 100 feet long). At the end of the garden is a summer house, another deck area and a 2 car garage which we plan to convert to a room later when we can afford it. This can be used to rent out or as a studio for parents/guests when they visit etc. This garage opens to an unadopted road and no car can pass through the road to get to this garage so will be useless for cars.

Please advice

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Comments (3)

Oraanj Interior design
9 days ago
Hi Sayada,

Congratulations on your new home! It sounds like a lovely space with a lot of potential for both functionality and flexibility. It’s great that you’re thinking through the layout carefully, especially with the unique needs of your gatherings and the practical considerations like cooking and privacy. Here are some suggestions that might help:

1. Open Plan vs. Semi-Open Plan:

Since you’re concerned about the open-plan layout and the mess/noise from cooking, a semi-open plan could be the perfect compromise. Your idea of extending the kitchen/diner and creating an L-shaped extension sounds ideal. You could:
- Close off the kitchen: Use a combination of glass partitions or sliding pocket doors. This allows you to visually separate the kitchen when needed but still lets natural light flow through.
- Dedicated Laundry Space: If space allows, include a small laundry or utility area within the kitchen or tucked into the L-extension. This keeps everything organised and hidden from the main entertaining space.
2. Archway with Bi-Fold Doors:

The arch opening between the living room and diner sounds like a great way to create flow while maintaining the option to separate the spaces. Bi-fold doors are perfect for this—they can open fully for large gatherings but close off the space for smaller, cosier settings or when you want to reduce noise from one area to another.

3. Kitchen Layout for Large Gatherings:

Since you frequently host large gatherings, consider:
- A Large Island or Peninsula: This could act as a serving area or buffet station, separating the cooking zone from the dining/entertaining area.
- Double Ovens and Extra Storage: If space permits, incorporating double ovens and additional storage for serving dishes and cookware will be a game-changer for hosting large groups.
- Separate Prep Area: If possible, extend the kitchen further (as you suggested) to create a dedicated prep or catering area. This will allow you to manage cooking without disturbing guests.
4. Garden Utilisation:

With a 100-foot-long garden, you have ample space to extend without losing much outdoor functionality. Consider:
- Decking: Retain or extend your deck area near the house as an additional seating area or outdoor dining spot for gatherings.
- Flow to Summer House: Since you already have a summer house and garage at the end of the garden, think about creating a pathway or covered pergola for a seamless connection between the house and these spaces. This could be especially useful if you plan to convert the garage into a guest studio later.
5. Future Garage Conversion:

When you're ready to convert the garage into a studio or guest space, it could serve multiple functions—such as a rental, guest room, or even a separate space for hosting smaller events. Since cars can’t access it, using it for living or recreational space is a great idea. Ensure proper insulation and consider adding plumbing if you’ll need a small kitchenette or bathroom for long-term use.

6. Ventilation and Odor Control:

Since you cook a lot of spicy food, good ventilation is key to prevent odors from spreading through the open areas. You might want to:
- Invest in a high-powered extractor hood.
- Consider ducted systems that vent outside rather than recirculating air inside.
- Ensure good airflow by incorporating windows, skylights, or even a small ventilation system in the L-extension.
7. Long-Term Flexibility:

It’s smart to design with future flexibility in mind. If your needs change, having spaces that can serve multiple purposes (e.g., living room for family use and formal gatherings, kitchen as a prep zone and social hub) will ensure your home adapts with you.

Hope this helps clarify things and gives you a few options to consider! It sounds like you’re creating a beautiful, functional space that will work well for both daily life and your larger gatherings. Best of luck with the council submission—fingers crossed everything goes smoothly! 😊
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Isla Cherry
8 days ago
WIthout floorplans it is not possible to give specific advice or make suggestions.
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I like Option 2 honestly. Obviously you are finding it hard to visalize what the space will look like but honestly that is a huge space so I would recommend putting in the utility considering what you gain from it. You gain a space where you can block out the sound of the washing machine- who wants that sound when your eating dinner? Also washing is unsightly- do you wants piles of clothes in your nice brand spanking new kitchen? In terms of the corridor you are going to have lots of light coming through from the new extension. When you enter the front door and can see straight through to the garden spaces feel much bigger than they actually are anyway. Also who says it has to be boring. Have some fun wallpaper or colourful art hanging. Also if you want to make something more spacious use sliding doors for utility and wc. Less items infringing on corridor space. And lastly, the reception is purely personal preference based upon how your family function. Personally I prefer two rooms. Allows for more space to get away from the open plan area. Mini adults room and a kids room/study. Hope this helps
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I do have several comments/suggestions for you. It is worth planning where your table is going and lighting appropriately. If this is your main dining area, or you plan to entertain you will definitely want to be able to dim the lights. I'm not sure how serious a cook you are, but you might prefer to have spotlights over the island for task lighting and pendants over the table. Height of the lights and bulb brightness would affect this decision. Speaking totally as a layperson, it looks like you would need some lighting between the island and the right hand side of the room. LED spotlights do not light laterally as far as you think they might and you could end up with a dull area. Finally, you will be asked if you want warm or white spotlights, so be sure you know how your choice will affect the colour of things like the floor and cupboard surfaces. Good luck with your project.
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In defense of my plan it is all about find a way to have stairs that rise all the way to the attic level and creating a slightly larger footprint so that there is enough space to justify extending upwards in the future while giving you 5 bedrooms now. The stairwell has a planned new window so would have light. The proposed plan to put a room on stilts above the garage sounds like you will be paying for engineering that could be spent adding square footage instead if you build out in another direction. In any case the garage is smaller than your current main bedroom and ensuite so seems like a master suite here would be a backwards step and you certainly wouldn't create a 5th bedroom in this space. I also think that my suggestion can be done in stages with the removal of the wall between the kitchen and dining room and the extension above now. When you have done this and bought a new kitchen and redecorated you will have used a lot of your current budget and will have a lovely four bedroomed house although it could be made into five by splitting the space across two of the biggest bedrooms to make three
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I’ve had a play with this - please feel free to use any elements you like ! But obviously where I’ve removed /moved walls a SE will need to be involved ! This is just a rough idea … I’ve expanded on your great idea for sight line and created a study nook with window over desk area to give that view out, as you enter the home.. I’ve reduced the bathroom to a shower room with laundry appliance cupboard too … also stolen some space from master bedroom for hall storage - moving the entrance door to that bedroom, and the wall, in the process … I’ve kept the lounge with fire place and added book shelving to reduce noises from lounge to bedroom. I’ve worked with your current kitchen space to put in a USA ff ( but can’t be in the corner as the doors wouldn’t open well - so moved the hob to accommodate it) You mentioned moving a cupboard and existing int FF to get the USA in - if the cupboard is 600mm could you simply buy another int FF and have it next to the original instead ? I added a window seat at the end of the kitchen … you mentioned taking down the top part of the internal wall to dining - so I’ve run with that too. It’s just tweaking what’s there really . But as I say - just some ideas to get you thinking - and to add to the other ideas on this thread. Oh - and I opened up the area below the kitchen to a seating area and added sofas and tv too. Hope you like some bits !! Although I do appreciate its now significantly open plan - and although that suits some - not everyone likes it !
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Sonia
8 days ago
Rather than a long description (sorry!) could you share a floor plan and photos to help us envisage it. Thank you.
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Urgent help about layout please. Need to submit drawings to council.

Comments (3)

Oraanj Interior design

Isla Cherry

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