Hi Jess, Firstly it looks like a lovely house you are going to be moving to! In regards to layout, have you thought about having your dining area on the back left wall? Potentially a bench style seating on the back wall could be lovely! Couple of examples of what I mean below. Then I would have some arm chairs on either side of the french doors with some nested tables. That way you can sit and have a coffee in the morning looking out into the garden. It would also open up the space so you can be chatting to guests and family at the same time as making a meal. Style wise, I think scandi style would work if that is your preferred, but you can easily mix Scandinavian elements with more traditional pieces for an eclectic and cosy feel. I offer a number of online interior design packages which might be useful to you! More information on my profile :) Good luck!

Thanks for your comments so far; it’s really helpful to get other points of view. Maths Wife, I’m with you on the pantry idea! In fact, I spent a long time trying to work out if we could put one there by getting decent-width access to the garden via another route. But coming through from the front door involves a narrow hallway and getting through several internal doors, and coming via the utility room would involve losing washing space to add a door, and a sharp right-hand turn. Apart from the fact that we’ll ultimately re-landscape our entire garden, which will all need to come through the house, I also sometimes use a mobility scooter, and although I don’t intend to take it into the house, I’d rather be safe than sorry in terms of access. We’re compensating for the lack of pantry by planning on turning the area outside those doors into a little shaded patio with small table/chairs. So in theory we could have those doors wide open in the summer, and have garden views from both ends of the kitchen. minnie101, I didn’t explain the meals for 30 very well . We set up another table in the playroom in those cases, so about half the people in each room. So in the kitchen I just want to make sure that we can have table fully extended whenever we need it, which seats about 14. For the drinks area, yes we’re debating having bifold doors so there is max countertop space for a small sink, kettle etc. As you say, it makes sense and saves the countertop space elsewhere, just makes for an expensive cupboard The roof lantern size is indeed limited by the fact that’s the only area of the kitchen that isn’t double storey. Other than squaring out a corner, we are keeping to the current footprint, as it’s just about on maximum extension already. That area, in a bizarre design choice by the previous owners, is currently the utility room, which just about blocks any view onto the garden - we need the lights on even in summer, despite that being a south facing view. I’ve spent most of the last 6 years trying to understand WHY someone would choose that layout as part of a fairly substantial extension, even going so far as to move the kitchen, which was south facing, to the other end of the room. I’ve yet to think of a sensible explanation…. We are going for a fairly timeless/modern country look, hence the orangery rather than bifolds, and also want to maximise the light as it’s a long room. Fingers crossed, it will look something like this, although with a lot more planting around it and step-free patio.

Regarding the fireplace, what type of fire are you thinking of having? If its a real wood fire of gas fire, then you may need to take into account a chimney/flue system. It looks like both options you have suggested have the fireplace in the original house and not in the planned extension, which means any flue/chimney would likely need to to run up through the house and may cause issues with the space above. There are some great options available when it comes to fires and stoves that might allow you to position the stove away from the wall and perhaps more central in the room. Double sided stoves with glass on opposite sides are good options when you have bi-folding doors as you can enjoy the ambience of the fire from both inside or outside.

Hi @Laura G Please could you tell me how much clearance space you have from the wall to the dining table? I have a similar layout to yourself that I am building. I was considering a different orinentation but structural engineer/architect wouldnt allow once knocked through so decided it was best to sacrafice the side porch in favour of 1 wall kitchen. I'm going through a bit of a design dilemma at the moment preventing me from finishing the project, but actually everything seems to fit nicely for yourself. Do you have a floor plan you could share please? Here's where mine is currently at Thanks :)