Kitchen extension - critique please

[iwantabreakfastpantry]

Aargh! Wrote a long post and it didn’t save!
Now third time I am trying to post this.

Name changed.

We see having a side extension (bit in pink brackets) to house a utility, pantry and boot room.
Is the utility big enough to house a washing machine and have space for a clothes horse or two? I would like to have a broom cupboard and recycling in there if poss.

What do you think of the L-shapes kitchen area? Is the “L” too small? Will we have enough counter space either side to put things that we are using while we cook, e.g. seasoning, spoons etc?

We have a larder fridge and larder freezer - so wider than an American freezer. Is the “L” too small to house them both as well as the oven?

Not sure the glazed doors need to be so big. If standard size it would give us more room along the wall for cupboards.
Would these cupboards be too far from the island/kitchen to be really part of the kitchen? Would it be a PITA to have the fridge/freezer there? Or a breakfast pantry (would love one of those).

Not sure about the fixed low furniture - idea is to zone the area on the other side as a living area (or dining room). Would a breakfast bar & associated coffee machine be too noisy so close to living area?

I have wandered round with a tape measure but I just can’t visualise it!

Any other comments welcome. This is our first time doing anything like this and scared of making costly mistakes or having major regrets.
Thank you!

[MerryMarigold]

Not nearly enough cupboard space for me. I have a little galley kitchen but cupboards along both sides. Not sure if the island is necessary. I think they are a massive waste of storage unless massive kitchen.

I would make it a square kitchen and dump the island, put worktop and base cupboards along the join with the next room, leaving the upper bit open and a door sized walk through. I'd dump the huge doors so the kitchen base units could go round a corner. You don't need a seated island if you have a dining table next door. If you don't have any table to eat at then disregard comments!

[iwantabreakfastpantry]

Thanks - appreciate the comments.
Not sure I follow the part about putting the worktop and base cupboards along the join - do you mean the one in front of the kitchen or to the right? If the upper bit is open then wouldn’t it be just like an island?

Re: island - plan was to have large drawers underneath plus a wine fridge. Yes, we will have a separate dining table.

[tentative3]

I'm not sure there is enough worksurface around the hob, with the oven on one side and the sink effectively on the other. What is going to the right of the island? And what's happening the other side of the island - I assume it's open to another room? Is it possible to see a full downstairs floor plan?

[cloudtree]

You won't get a couple of clothes horses in that utility. Its small. You have a door width and then half a door width and then your sink. You should lose the corridor between the utility and the cloakroom.

[cloudtree]

Neither are you going to fit coats in that cloakroom very well. It looks too narrow to have anything but hooks on the wall.

[iwantabreakfastpantry]

@tentative3

I'm not sure there is enough worksurface around the hob, with the oven on one side and the sink effectively on the other. What is going to the right of the island? And what's happening the other side of the island - I assume it's open to another room? Is it possible to see a full downstairs floor plan?

Other side of the island is a dining room and family living room, which together span the length of the kitchen.
Will have a think about posting the full plan, not sure if it will be too obvious to those that know me.

Right of the island is a “circulating area” (architect speak)

[Flitter123]

I have a very similar size and shape utility to you and honestly it’s fine. It’s helps to have either fold down from the wall clothes horse, or one that can fold down to get smaller ( especially if it has wheels to move it out when need be)

[coatofmanycolors]

I would forego the pantry and incorporate that space into your utility room. You could hand a pulley in there so only need space for one airer?

I would also rotate your island 90deg to make a peninsula rather with a dropped seating area nearer the living space then you can create a bank of floor to ceiling cupboards down that back wall. You don't have enough storage in your kitchen and the separate pantry would be a pain going back and forth which is why I would do away with it.

Alternatively you could create your pantry space in your cellar if you really wanted?

Make sure your boot room is deep enough when you consider how much volume jackets take up when hung up on top of each other.

What type of house are you extending?

[iwantabreakfastpantry]

Was thinking about maybe a sliding door? Good thought re: losing the corridor but would it be too noisy with the washing machine?

[Flitter123]

My door opens outwards tho!

[iknowimcoming]

I'd make the pantry/utility/cloakroom one big room

[iwantabreakfastpantry]

We have coats in a narrower area than that at the moment - with an IKEA cube storage unit thing under the coats for bags etc.

[cloudtree]

Good thought re: losing the corridor but would it be too noisy with the washing machine?

Use a barn door or pocket door between the kitchen and the utility space.

[iwantabreakfastpantry]

@coatofmanycolors

I would forego the pantry and incorporate that space into your utility room. You could hand a pulley in there so only need space for one airer?

I would also rotate your island 90deg to make a peninsula rather with a dropped seating area nearer the living space then you can create a bank of floor to ceiling cupboards down that back wall. You don't have enough storage in your kitchen and the separate pantry would be a pain going back and forth which is why I would do away with it.

Alternatively you could create your pantry space in your cellar if you really wanted?

Make sure your boot room is deep enough when you consider how much volume jackets take up when hung up on top of each other.

What type of house are you extending?

Victorian
Unfortunately, the cellar is awkward to access - houses our hot water tank and some space for crap.
Was thinking of floor to ceiling cupboards against the wall on the right (keeping the door standard size rather than the wide glazed doors suggested on the diagram)

Also will have space for a sideboard or dresser against the opposite wall (one of rooms I have chopped of the plan).

Apologies for the drip feed of info - difficult to know what would be useful to know versus having a ridiculously long opening post.

[iwantabreakfastpantry]

@cloudtree

Good thought re: losing the corridor but would it be too noisy with the washing machine?

Use a barn door or pocket door between the kitchen and the utility space.

Yes! Had to Google pocket door

[tentative3]

I'm not brilliant at envisaging space I have to admit but I feel like that's a lot of circulating space compared to kitchen and the small utility and boot room. I'm happy to be set straight on that if others see it differently though.

[iwantabreakfastpantry]

Would that lead to loss of wall space to put shelves & appliances against? Plus I want to keep the pantry cool & utility warmish for drying clothes.

I had a look in our cupboards - most of it is filled with things we use infrequently e.g tins, jars, baking ingredients so thinking that can all in the pantry.

In kitchen storage for pots, pans, cutlery, utensils, regular use crockery (all extra crockery for when guests come over can be in the sideboard)

[Africa2go]

Yes, have a pocket door into the utility, absolute best use of space, doesn't have to be an ugly door, we have a standard oak panelled door. Yes to clothes dryers / racks that fold from the wall. I can't make much sense of the rest of the drawing - sorry!

[iwantabreakfastpantry]

@tentative3

I'm not brilliant at envisaging space I have to admit but I feel like that's a lot of circulating space compared to kitchen and the small utility and boot room. I'm happy to be set straight on that if others see it differently though.

I agree but it’s difficult to move that door further along that wall.

[cloudtree]

have you considered the light in the dining part of the kitchen. It looks like it could be dark.

[iwantabreakfastpantry]

Here’s a slightly less cropped version of the plan

[cloudtree]

ok well its obviously a large house. I can't really see the plan properly but I think a large house needs a larger kitchen. Can't the kitchen units extend further out towards the dining area? I don't rally understand what is wall and what is not.

[Resilience]

Best thing we did with our extension was measure everything, draw the plans to scale and then cut out shapes of the furniture also to scale and move them round. This way we worked out we could fit coats and shoes along one side of our utility and a sink, cupboard and washing machine and dryer on the other (hidden behind sliding doors to maximise space). We found it would only work one way if we wanted all that in and it also led to us moving the doorway by a few cm which made a huge difference.

[iwantabreakfastpantry]

@Resilience

Best thing we did with our extension was measure everything, draw the plans to scale and then cut out shapes of the furniture also to scale and move them round. This way we worked out we could fit coats and shoes along one side of our utility and a sink, cupboard and washing machine and dryer on the other (hidden behind sliding doors to maximise space). We found it would only work one way if we wanted all that in and it also led to us moving the doorway by a few cm which made a huge difference.

Oh wow! That’s quite a task but can see how that would help

[Calmdown14]

I don't really understand the low fixed furniture. Is the level different? How do you envisage using that space?

It seems to be compromising your kitchen. Is there a reason it couldn't start that end? Where is your garden?

The rest of the space is bigger than I expected and the proportions just don't seem quite right