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Renovating Design Dilemma Kitchens

Extension design advice - where to put the kitchen!

indecisivecreative

7 days ago

We've had the below plans approved and have a builder lined up. BUT, I'm getting increasingly worried about the layout of the space, especially the kitchen placement.

We have been to Wren and IKEA and while I like the L-shaped wall run, the island is feeling too big and blocky.

Our kitchen is currently where the toilet and utility room will be - which is an open plan kitchen/diner at the moment and always feels way too cluttered. We have two young children.

The idea of the extension was to take advantage of our amazing views and south-facing rear garden. Hence a bifold window (which I am not wedded to either - I hate bifolds and am trying to persaude OH to consider other options!). The extension roof will have two velux on either side.

I want a seating area at the back by the bifolds, so we can curl up with coffee and a book and look at the view, somewhere the kids can hang out etc. I also want the dining table to be a focal point, where we do homework and crafts and host dinners. The island or penisula makes the space feel more cluttered?

We're now wondering if we put the kitchen in the space marked 'dining room', leaving the rectangle extension as an open flexible space for living, dining table and small play area? Our front living room is already a library/TV room, more like a snug where we have out desk as well.

The wall I've marked in blue has to stay as it is loadbearing and we asked to keep it to save costs.

Would we be mad to put a kitchen in the central room? It'd need a good extractor obviously. And I imagine running utilities through might increase the costs?

I'm open to ideas on how to better design the space.

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Comments (4)

Sarah L
5 days ago
indecisivecreative thanked Sarah L
Sarah L
4 days ago
Might be easier to swap sink and hob
indecisivecreative thanked Sarah L
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once you draw it to scale and position the kitchen and island there isn't enough space for a sitting area ( where you have dining) also it would be too tight to have the sitting area where the kitchen is on the plans. you need walking round space and you would have to have a sofa that is max 2,5 m wide and it would still feel a bit tight. I have actually tested it. Since a first glance yes the idea of a kitchen island looks good. But when you put everything in, you see that it just doesn't work well. I used to be a kitchen designer back in the day and I always hated that most designers didn't consider all elements of the space and how everything works together, but only cared that the kitchen is as big as possible since they get paid commission on the % of the price. Just in case if the kitchen designer was trying to convince you to have the kitchen there with big island. you could have a peninsula if you wanted I don't see an issue with that. If you want send me a DM and I can schedule a complementary 30 min zoom and show you in 3d what do I mean.
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minnie101
4 days ago
Just personal preference but I’d also think about resell, the majority of people prefer the kitchen in the extension. You mention hosting dinners so i assume a larger kitchen is a priority and i assume you spend a lot of time in it?

i can’t get AI to behave and it keeps wasting renders so…

i assume the dining table fits in the dining room? Move the roof lights close to the existing back wall for light in the dining area.

I’d consider getting rid of the kitchen door on the left and place the FF next to the fridge (not where Ai has put it!). Instead, have the loo on the left of the utility you’ve created and a utility cupboard on the right. Remove the doors to the utility so it’s a continuation of the hall with views to the garden from the front door (and an easier route for unloading food shopping). i also added toy storage next to the sofa but it’s not meant to block the route to the dining room! i hope that makes sense! Obviously it’s personal preference though
indecisivecreative thanked minnie101
Jonathan
3 days ago
Personally I don’t think your current plan gains you much over the original house. Your kitchen will have about the same number of cabinets, the new dining space is far too small, the current dining room becomes a nothing room that’s really only a corridor and any sofa in the kitchen is just in the way of the garden doors.

I prefer Minnie’s plan although I still feel the dining room is tight- it’s probably 2.7m with which means 800mm all the way around a 900mm wide table- that’s not a lot of circulation space.

Personally I think the washer needs to go in the kitchen the bathroom or the garage- there isn’t room for a utility and a WC. I think you should put the kitchen in the former dining room use the space behind the stairs for either a laundry cupboard or a WC and then make the back extension into a living dining space.

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