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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To want a sofa in my kitchen?

51 replies

Rexthesnail · 29/12/2021 16:57

Or an egg chair?

I have a very large kitchen diner, one side is the kitchen and the other side is for dining. We don't often use the table, so im thinking of getting a drop leaf table that can stay in the corner, then getting a sofa, or more ideally an egg chair, and a couple of house plants. Both me and my DC have additional needs so the idea would be to put fluffy blankets and I'd make some curtains of tulle curtains for the egg chair so that when needed, we can enclose ourselves in there and calm down/take a minute.

Is this a stupid idea? Will it look daft? We hardly use the space as it is so it would be nice to make use of this space.

OP posts:
deadlanguage · 29/12/2021 20:24

A lot of people seem to do this but I don't see the point personally. You can only sit on one sofa at a time and presumably you already have one in your living room! Also surely the fabric would take on cooking smells.

Bellafrenum · 29/12/2021 20:27

Sounds awesome!

TabithaTittlemouse · 29/12/2021 20:28

@deadlanguage

A lot of people seem to do this but I don't see the point personally. You can only sit on one sofa at a time and presumably you already have one in your living room! Also surely the fabric would take on cooking smells.
I love that we can sit comfortably and talk with whoever is cooking or washing up. I can sit and read if Dh is listening to music in the front room.
TabithaTittlemouse · 29/12/2021 20:29

Oh and you would think our third sofa in the spare room is also a waste but it’s where I go to hide.

Aurorie11 · 29/12/2021 20:32

We have a sofa in the kitchen instead of a table as dining area through archway off kitchen with a 8 seater table, so seemed daft to have a table.
There is space for a table, so if we move in the future a table could go in and dining area repurposed

deadlanguage · 29/12/2021 20:36

I love that we can sit comfortably and talk with whoever is cooking or washing up.

Isn't it too noisy to talk? Washing up seems to make lots of noise when I do it, and there's the extractor fan/oven/boiling pan noises when cooking...

Aurorie11 · 29/12/2021 20:37

@deadlanguage I researched quiet dishwashers you can barely tell its on. Extractor if it's on full blast is noisy but low setting ok

TabithaTittlemouse · 29/12/2021 20:38

@deadlanguage not at all! Maybe we are loud Grin

Thehop · 29/12/2021 20:39

@Freelady I LOVE your home style

Thehop · 29/12/2021 20:41

We have a big squishy chair in the kitchen diner and we love it.

Thinkbiglittleone · 29/12/2021 20:44

Without seeing a photo of the layout it's hard to say.

But a sofa in a kitchen diner area doesn't sound silly unless it's all squashed up

GlassHalfFullView · 29/12/2021 20:59

We had our kitchen fitted last year and took a partial wall out. Part of the reason is that we didn’t use the table in the kitchen and often sat in the adjoining room on a sofa but with a obscured view into the kitchen. We now have a breakfast bar for meals and a lazy area for hanging out in

To want a sofa in my kitchen?
YourWinter · 29/12/2021 21:01

My DD has just had a new kitchen, knocked through to the dining room so it's now an L-shaped room with a lovely light breakfast room at one end. She has put a dark green velvet sofa at the end and it looks wonderful. It does tend to be a bit of a dumping ground for DGS(5) to drop stuff, but he can actually play with things, or just chill with the cats, while DD is cooking or working at the centre island. I love it.

KohlaParasaurus · 29/12/2021 21:03

I have a small sofabed in the kitchen. It's a sociable spot for other people to sit out of the way and chat with the person who's cooking, and if we have all the children visiting it gets pulled out and used as a bed.

Neverunderstood · 29/12/2021 21:04

Sounds perfect but make sure that if you can that covers are removable/washable. Over time grease and cooking smells will accumulate and it will be easier all around if they can be readily cleaned.

botanicalseverywhere · 29/12/2021 21:10

I've done this, big L shaped kitchen. I presume that the bit by the French doors was intended for a dining table but I've put one in the main kitchen bit and have got a lovely sofa, footstool, rug, occasional table and lamp by the doors with thick curtains. I love it.

sansucre · 29/12/2021 21:15

Sofa and an Egg chair are two very different things although either would be lovely in a kitchen. One thing I will warn you about is that if there is anything spilt on the Egg chair and it needs to be cleaned, the fabric can bubble (and detach from the shell) if too much liquid is applied, so be careful around it. However, opting for a leather Egg chair will probably be far more hard wearing and won't absorb any cooking smells either.

GTAlogic · 29/12/2021 21:22

Sounds lovely and cosy.

We're planning on doing similar in our dining room: get rid of the toys, the play kitchen, the knackered bookcase and the buggered computer desk and then put in one or two swizzly chairs and an entertainment unit - bookcase - tech base.

Lifeonashoestring · 29/12/2021 21:26

We have one, which one of us sits on whilst feeding the two in highchairs, whilst the other one cooks. Dining room has carpet whilst kitchen has wooden floor so far easier to clean when someone decides to see what happens when they drop spaghetti... Plus it's so much easier than running backwards and forwards to get yet another spoon/fork/knife/chunk of cucumber etc. Heck yes to washable covers though!
Got it when we started weaning and have never looked back. Husband was skeptical but was instantly won over. So much easier than reaching around table and chair legs to retrieve a stray piece of veg.

Rexthesnail · 29/12/2021 21:27

Thanks for all the advice, my main reasonings are that we hardly use the dining table, and it's such a great space that could be used for something really beneficial. When either of the children have a meltdown they can sit in there where I can keep an eye, potter in the kitchen rather than going up to bedrooms. Also I'd love to have a space I can keep an eye on dinner and be comfy.

Im swaying more towards an egg chair rather than a sofa, being able to put curtains on it so we can shut ourselves away would be really useful.

OP posts:
User135792468 · 29/12/2021 21:29

A great idea. Use the space in a way that works best for your family.

Slowdownandsee · 29/12/2021 21:32

Go for it, we have sofa in kitchen and it’s always used, by pets or a teen or tween, they love lounging on it whilst I cook and even though usually glued to their phones there’s a surprising amount of conversation that wouldn’t happen if the sofa wasn’t there and they were in tv room or bedrooms, for that reason alone I wouldn’t take it out again, only just put it there a few weeks ago, don’t know why I didn’t sooner! It does have washable covers, just a squashy comfy two seater.

HeadNorth · 29/12/2021 21:32

@Freelady

We only have a small.kir hen but we have squezed two.chairs in and rhey are used daily for cofee.n a natter
Off topic but I love your style - the Ercol furniture, standard lamp & curtains are fab.
FlamingoQueen · 29/12/2021 21:39

I have a double egg chair in the garden. If I could have it in my house - I would.

Thinkbiglittleone · 30/12/2021 19:06

@GlassHalfFullView that looks lovely, our extension will include something similar and I can now visualise one option, it looks nice 👍