Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Separate kitchen and dining room or kitchen-diner

48 replies

AliceRR · 06/04/2019 22:07

I have just moved into a new house with my DH. It’s a spacious 3 bedroom detached house in a really nice area (60s / 70s built?) Well looked after but dated decor. Needs new kitchen and bathroom.

Downstairs there is a large hallway, living room, dining room and kitchen. Upstairs three bedrooms and the bathrooms (separate rooms with toilet 🚽 in one and sink and shower 🚿 in the other). We plan to knock the bathroom into one. Rooms are good sizes.

Can’t decide whether to knock through the kitchen to make a large kitchen diner. The kitchen is a decent size (not huge) and the dining room is fairly small / average size. The back garden is really nice and overlooks a park so it could be a really nice, bright space overlooking a nice view.

DH now isn’t sure whether to knock through as he likes the idea of three rooms downstairs instead of just two. I can understand that but think a dining kitchen is more versatile.

Any advice? How do you use your dining rooms or dining kitchens? Anyone done this / not done this and what were your reasons.

I have just had Howdens measure up to do a plan and it is based on knocking through so that might help. Maybe I can get them to do a plan based on not knocking through as well.

TIA

OP posts:
whitehalleve · 07/04/2019 07:29

I'd definitely knock through.

Lunaballoon · 07/04/2019 07:46

We knocked through our tiny galley kitchen with a decent sized dining room and I don’t regret it all.

Like you, we have a nice view, so installing large glazed folding doors was a must and has really made the room.

If we had the space, I still would have liked a separate dining room for entertaining. It feels awkward to me having guests sitting in the kitchen when I’m flapping around cooking surrounded by mess, but it doesn’t happen that often, thankfully!

FiveLittlePigs · 07/04/2019 07:57

Separate dining room. Means you can leave cooking mess in the kitchen while you relax over a meal. Otherwise you're sitting there and the dirty pots are shouting at you to be washed.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Home improvement
RaffertyFair · 07/04/2019 08:26

I would knock through. A kitchen without a table and chairs is a 'workroom' in my view. It's function is solely about the process of cooking. When people can sit and chat and eat it becomes the proverbial heart of the home.

KnittingSister · 07/04/2019 08:41

I would suggest stick with your current design for a while to see what you think, before making a decision.
We had a decent kitchen and a pokey dining room, knocked them through and now its fab, much brighter. Flowers

Kpo58 · 07/04/2019 08:57

I much prefer them separate. It's nice to get away from visitors, especially when cooking.

You will also find that the dining room gets taken over for hours if you get children who are into Warhammer, dungeons and/or dragons or boardgames.

taybert · 07/04/2019 09:11

I’m so sorry to hear about your little girl, I can’t imagine how sad you must feel Flowers

On the kitchen front, we’re just about to do this. We’ve been in our house for 5 years and our dining room has been used as a dining room (unused dumping ground) and a playroom (more used but really just a massive toy cupboard, they bring the toys they’re playing with to wherever we are in the house!) I guess it really depends what your other space is like. If we have guests and I don’t want them in the kitchen whilst I’m cooking then they’ll be having drinks in the living room anyway, it’s a much better space for that than the dining room would be. The knocked through room will be big enough that the dining table is far enough away from the kitchen bit that we won’t be sitting right in the middle of a messy kitchen. I think it’s going to work really well for us. Now I just need a builder to actually get back to us.

Good luck with everything.

emelsie · 07/04/2019 09:14

Definitely knock through , we are just starting the process , we have a separate living room so won't be completely open plan downstairs. I have 2 kids and have lived with it as separate kitchen and dining rooms for almost 2 years and even then it's a walk through rather than completely separate rooms and I cannot wait to have to have it knocked through , I find everyone congregates in the kitchen whilst I'm in there or I need to keep popping out to keep an eye on the kids.
I'm having the kitchen/dining space divided by a breakfast bar so really it's the benefit of 2 rooms with the convenience of 1!

junebirthdaygirl · 07/04/2019 09:18

I'm really sorry about your baby. That's so tough.
I would breakthrough and put lots of glass and sliding doors out to the garden so you get the light and the garden becomes part of the house. Be a beautiful room. Keep the living room darker and cosier for winter nights.

fromwesttoeast · 07/04/2019 09:26

I’m another who prefers separate mainly due to the noise a kitchen makes - washing machine, cooker hood, microwave etc - but also the cooking smells and the mess. My dining room is the most used room in tne house as it’s a multi purpose room. Kitchen pollution would spoil that!

DisgraceToTheYChromosome · 07/04/2019 09:30

We had a three room downstairs at our last house, with a dining room that was far too small. Now we have a large kitchen and a very large living room/diner. Much better.

GaraMedouar · 07/04/2019 09:33

I prefer separate. I have a separate loo to bathroom. Very handy. Also small kitchen and separate lounge and dining room. The lounge is 'my' telly room and youngest DC. The dining room is the eldest two DC 's telly room, plus PlayStation, plus a dining table for meals. Kitchen is small, but with a small table where2 people can eat.

Snog · 07/04/2019 09:50

For young children a kitchen diner would work the best but for older children separate rooms are better imo.

formerbabe · 07/04/2019 10:01

I definitely think a kitchen diner can become the heart of a home.

Original poster
AliceRR · 07/04/2019 10:34

Thanks everyone

I have attached a floor plan. I couldn’t find the one for our house (from Rightmove) but found the one from a house two doors down which is v similar if not identical layout and dimensions.

I really am a bit back and forth and obviously there are advantages to both. Opening up seems the more modern way but I can see the point about kitchen noise and smells. I think now, as we’d been talking about knocking through before we moved in, the idea of keeping the kitchen as I’d make me feel like it would be really small. And I can’t even picture how I’d want the dining room if it’s not knocked theoifhZ But it is a decent sized kitchen, not small.

Not knocking through the bathroom is an interesting idea. I was thinking we could just put a small sink in with the toilet (not sure why they put the sink in with the shower and not with the toilet anyway?!) and then just have a nice bath and maybe a shower cubicle in the other room. I’ve never seen anyone else do that though.

We have thought about a downstairs toilet but not sure we’ll do that immediately.

OP posts:
Original poster
AliceRR · 07/04/2019 10:34

Floorplan

Separate kitchen and dining room or kitchen-diner
OP posts:
GreenTulips · 07/04/2019 10:39

One of the best ones I’ve seen is a low wall type arrangement - imagine kitchen cabinets height - with the cabinate extending into a breakfast bar - so it’s open plan but not? I’ll see if o can find a picture

Original poster
AliceRR · 07/04/2019 10:39

We’ve only been here two weeks so probably an idea not to rush into anything and see how we feel.

I will see if I can get Howdens to do a plan for separate as well so I have an idea and can compare.

OP posts:
GreenTulips · 07/04/2019 10:45

Something like this? So it’s open, bit not, you still have work space and a dining table the other side

Separate kitchen and dining room or kitchen-diner
Separate kitchen and dining room or kitchen-diner
Rockbird · 07/04/2019 10:47

So sorry about your daughter Flowers

I have a separate kitchen and dining room and would much prefer a kitchen diner if I could.

That aside, my main concern is your plan to knock the bathrooms into one. We only have one bathroom and I could afford to buy a nice big house if I had a pound for every time I was in the shower and someone banged on the door wanting the loo. Fit a tiny sink into the toilet room and keep them separate if you value your sanity!

Original poster
AliceRR · 07/04/2019 11:17

@GreenTulips Thanks for the pics. Yes that’s what I’d had in mind if we knocked through - a worktop or breakfast bar separation do there would be some separation

@Rockbird Thank you. A couple of PP have said that and it has given me some food for thought. In our last house we only had one bsthroom and we managed as it’s mostly just the two of us. So I assumed we’d be fine here. I’ll consider keeping them separate but maybe that’s all the more reason to get a downstairs loo 🤔

OP posts:
MrsCasares · 07/04/2019 11:28

So sorry for your loss.

We moved from a house with separate dining room to a house with large kitchen/diner/family room. We love it. So much more sociable. I worked out that we used our dining room for approx 45 minutes per day- what a waste.

ScreamingValenta · 07/04/2019 11:34

I was going to suggest the same sort of thing as GreenTulips - an open space but separated. That gives you the best of both worlds.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page