To ask if any of you are interior designers or estate agents?

[Ilovegeorgeclark]

Ok. I know I am not BU but DH has no taste! I have had to name change for this!

We are having our kitchen extended knocked through to make a big open plan kitchen diner.
Architect has come up with a gorgeous scheme with L shaped kitchen, large island and a whole wall of glass sliding doors looking out onto the garden! I love it!!

Problem is DH, who is easily influenced by his parents, is unsure.

They have said, 'why on earth do you want an island, it just gets in the way.' And 'think of the money you'd spend on curtains with all those windows' 😫🤣

So, DH is now faltering (I know... apron strings...)

How can I convince him that a modern, beautiful open kitchen (think ugly house to lovely house) is the way fwd and to ignore his parents.

I'm asking if any of you are estate agents as I'm sure it will increase the value of the house and cold hard cash might bring him to his sense.
Thanks

PS I know I am very fortunate to be in this position.

Don't even get me started on their suggestions for baths with doors!!

Unless they are funding the work, tell the in laws to keep their beaks out.
I am a viewing rep for an estate agent and the open plan kitchen /dining /family room is what everyone wants these days....it will definitely add value and increase saleability. Not that you are thinking of selling , I’m sure

Cool cool.. he won't, I've tried to get him to watch but he thinks it's dull! He's so irritating as he has an opinion based on very little. He closes ideas down but has no real thought of his own.

Oh that's annoying, especially given he's taking his parents views over yours, and not having any thoughts himself..

Magazines? Renovation instagram accounts with before/after pictures? Does he not like George Clarke specifically haha? Maybe try Grand Designs

Thanks for all the replies. We'll discuss it tonight so I'll share your wise MN opinions!

verticality our inlaws should never be allowed to meet

Please do not even consider curtains with your option.
If you are not overlooked leave the glazing as it is.
Alternatively, you can get glazing with integral blinds slats (they sit between the glass inside the double or triple glazed unit and you move them up and down with a cord or magnet depending on the product you choose. You can get remote control options as well. You’d need to consider the power source. Not the cheapest option but absolutely worth it if privacy is a concern or you want to block out daylight.
Retro fit blinds are not great especially if you have aluminium frames as opposed to UPVC.
Top whack would be special glazing which goes clear and opaque. It is a technology whereby current passes through a special coating so when you switch it on it is clear and when you switch it off it stay opaque. Extra consideration for power source as well.
Be mindful if placing a TV screen near the large expanse of glass, any sunshine (direct or reflected) will make it impossible to watch the screen (unless there’s a magic screen I’ve never heard off and it came out last few weeks, not sure if projector screen makes any difference).
Have an island if you end up with enough space for comfortable movement on at least three sides of it, fourth can be just comfortable standard walking past gap. Great for extra storage and gathering around and simply dumping ground in the evening when you all return home.
Good luck with your project!

Wow Branster I feel an evening of glass and blinds researching coming on. FWIW I have no intention of putting up curtains.
Thank you so much.

The space is going to be around 4.5m by7.5m so I think it should be big enough.

I’ve worked in interiors most of my career and never would choose an island or curtains for myself

Every one that a client has ended up deciding they must have gets in the way unless a ginormous mansion.

A table that can be moved is a better more useful option

No real advice re bringing your husband round but your plans sound lovely.

IloveGeorgeClark just do a mock up with newspapers and move around it. Can you comfortably bend down to open drawers, can the kids pretend to skate around it without banging their heads on anything, would there be plenty of room for chairs to be moved (you know how sometimes kids lean back on chairs, can they do that without scraping the wall or units behind), is there room for the dog to walk through without you tripping over it with a knife in your hand and so on.
I have to admit the best kitchen island I ever saw in a domestic setting was incredibly long and the proportions of the room could take it, it was surrounded by units (high and low level) on 3 sides and there was a very nice large gap between the island and the units (for example a little child could easily drive a ride on toy all the way).
It belonged there, it didn’t look like an add-on, or something plonked in the middle, it wasn’t in the way, it was part of the kitchen.
A lot of islands can look a bit like they are not part of the overall scheme.
I’m sure you’ll get a fabulous result. Just enjoy the planning process and keep a close and careful watch on the budget.

I hate islands. The kitchens I’ve had with them made me swear a lot. I’m looking to move at the moment and when I see kitchens with islands I factor in the cost of a whole new kitchen because I’m not prepared to tolerate one again

3 metre island here. Knocked through two rooms to install it. It houses the hob, the sink, the dish washer, it seats four people plus has drawers and cupboards.

We love it, it doesn't get in the way and is probably one of my favourite things about our house renovation. We do lots of cooking and baking so the space is bliss. We also tend to hang around in the kitchen a lot so it comes in handy. Parties it turns into a great bar. NO REGRETS.

We also have lots of windows in the kitchen but no curtains or blinds - my MIL called me an exhibitionist for my willful curtain avoidance.

Your kitchen sounds great.

Dsis and her husband are interior designers and have a dedicated kitchen design business. They also develop properties. The type of kitchen you are describing is slways put in high end properties by them.some can be over 100k but don't have to be. This type of kitchen is always the selling point for their houses. It's usually the key feature in the estate agency blurb with lots of pics. Their kitchens add a LOT of value to the sale prices of their houses. They've never added blinds or curtains to the bifolds In any of their properties. The windows are a lovely feature in themselves and are attractive in themselves as a frame to The outside world. It's definitely worth trying to live with them bare for a while and see if you can get along with them like that so as not to detract from their simplicity and minimal styling which sets everuthing else off so well before opting for window dressing. Tell DH and PIL you're not having curtains. Islands are fine if you have a large enough space to walk arpund them. They are only a problem if they are squashed in. Are you considering one with seating at it on a cpuple of nice bar stools ? You could select something very sophisticated for those of you are.

I’m an estate agent. Do it. It will add value and take less time to sell the house, should you ever wish to.

I'm an architect and would say curtains / blinds depends not just on overlooking but orientation. Massive expanses of glass can be a pain in terms of heat gain within a room.

If your room faces north it will be fine, east and you will have lots of morning sun, west and south you will have a potential issue.

However, get the work done and then live in it for a while. Curtains can be added whenever.

In terms of kitchens, flat blocks tend to have islands still however our high end clients do not opt for island units and tend to design kitchens as a built in piece of furniture rather than expressed as a kitchen.

Well perhaps your husband is a bit like me.. I like country style kitchens, all cosy and nice, with a lovely view of the garden if you have one, with some chickens clucking about outside ha ha. I am not into all these fantastic kitchen styles, they all look pretty much the same,and seem to be what people need these days.

But it's sad that you and your husband can't agree with all things, but maybe you will get your way,and then he might like things eventually.!

My daughter,who lives down south,is moving soon,to a bigger house, sent my a photo of the some of the house, and the kitchen, she said it's got an island in the kitchen,, so I had to reply saying,, what's an island in the kitchen ha ha.

Another island here, no curtains in sight! Kitchen is back of house and not overlooked so no window coverings required.

People have different tastes and your husband’s preferences aren’t any less valid than yours.

Our kitchen is a bit smaller than yours (4 x 6.5m) and we do have an island. The placement of the island, windows, doors etc makes it a very practical space. The island itself adds tons of storage and workspace.
Your space sounds plenty big enough for one + a large dining table.

We also have curtains. The style of our interiors is not modern as it’s an older property. The curtains suit it very well and come in handy as it’s a very sunny space.
Growing up, we had those blinds build-in between the window panes with a magnet. They’re definitely good for not-cleaning but it’s a very modern, utilitarian look so not everyone’s cup of tea.

I adore our electric blinds. Best decision ever. We have 2 per window, a lighter type to allow in lots of light but still provide daytime privacy and a heavier block out type to provide evening privacy or block out sunlight on hot days (talking Australian summer here).

We had a massive island in our kitchen and I didn't like it. It made the kitchen feel like a corridor and the hob on it splashed onto it. Also I'm messy and there was always masses of non kitchen related stuff on it. Which felt a bit unhygienic with the tendency for the hob to splash.
We've now changed it round to have a peninsula with a low wall round it which the hob is on and a table on the other side of the room and I much prefer it. I can look out and chat while cooking but it's a bit separate.
That said I do love sitting at islands chatting to friends at their house and it is really sociable. I think if you are tidy it provides lots of work space. I would think carefully about having a hob on it.

Re blinds, I'd definitely echo what pp said about orientation of the room, if you are south or west facing I'd definitely get integral blinds, it can just be really dazzling. Our bifolds are only 3m so not across the whole room but it does get hot,

Omg of course you don’t have curtains! Or blinds if you want it to look sleek and modern. Islands are great, my kid goes round and round my island on his little push bike. You do need a fairly big room to have one though.

The reason islands divide people is that it depends so much on the space. They will act like a roadblock in some spaces, making them feel cramped and annoying, and will be an utter joy in others. It really depends on the layout and space you have.

Similarly blinds/curtains depends not just on orientation but on surrounding features. I have a large expanse of low U-value glass on a north-facing room and it's great - it lets in a lot of slightly blue-tinged light which I find a godsend in winter as I have SAD. If you're southfacing, it might be more of an issue- but on a steep rising hill, or surrounded by trees, you may not get much sun in through that anyway.

Oh, and I don't have curtains on that window either. We are slightly overlooked but I think people who worry about that drastically overestimate how interesting their lives are to others. None of the neighbours will be riveted watching me read a book or cook a risotto.

Is your island housing anything, or is it just for seating?