To ask you how you'd design my kitchen?

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We moved into a new house two years ago. Downstairs has a front room; which we use as an office, and then an open-plan kitchen and living room, in an extension.

There's a step down between the end of the "old" house and the new extension, which we need to get levelled; and the kitchen is an old IKEA freestanding one from 1992, which REALLY needs changing. The boiler and oven are pretty broken.

But we cannot decide how to lay it out. DH really likes the idea of having a sitting area with sofas; then the kitchen down one side of the kitchen space; and an island; and room at the end for more of a chill-out space near the garden...

I'm on the fence. It's not very wide. Any suggestions?

We need a floor plan!

Helps if the image uploads...

I think if you're still going to use the lounge as an office I agree some comfy soft seating in the dining room/kitchen is needed.
I'm assuming all your plumbing/electrics are stuck in the kitchen area at the end? If you can budget to move all that stuff I think I'd be tempted to put the "working heart" of the kitchen up in the dining room area as that'll be the darkest bit and you can use lighting in a kitchen very effectively.

Personally then I'd keep the change in levels and have the eating/sitting area down where the kitchen now is. depends if you have the budget to move the plumbing/electrics.

I'm with @OlderandwiserMaybe I'd put the kitchen up in the dining area otherwise you have a constant walk way through where the family room/tv area is

My layout sounds similar to yours. I have a space that is about 23 * 13. I have a peninsula about 2/3 of the way up and in the smaller side I have two sofas. Then tv etc. One backs to the peninsula.

At the other end in the kitchen by the patio door I have a table.

We do have a separate living room - I spend most of my time in the kitchen living area though.

Happy to pm pics of the layout but rather not post on here as it's prob a bit outing if anyone knows me!

Mines an extended Victorian mid terrace.

As the space is long and thin, what about a breakfast bar coming out across the room, say about a third of the way from the back?

Also, how many people in the household? Is it likely to change? How many are you likely to want to seat for a meal? How long do you envisage staying in the house?

An island in a room 11ft wide???

a peninsula is the best you’ll manage

We've had a few kitchen companies draw us plans with an island - but my understanding is the opposite wall needs to be totally bare, which is workable, I suppose!

Three people in the house, me, my husband and our toddler. Potential for one more at some point; maybe. We don't really host here. I'd imagine we'd move before they were teenagers, as we'd run out of room - that or we'd extend upstairs and potentially then be able to change downstairs.

Absolutely open to moving electrics/water. Both seems to be installed on both sides of the kitchen anyway; the washing machine and dishwashers are on opposite sides of the room.

@Fluffycloudsfloatinginthesky If you wouldn't mind, that'd be amazing!

I think my biggest issue is that I struggle to visualise what things will look like 🫣

I would move the kitchen to where the dining room is, so you come into it at the back of the long room, and on the wall where the stars are and the fireplace which I would have removed/blocked up, and yes an island in the middle, then a dining table and where the kitchen is now as the seating area, and change the window/door into patio doors

I'd move the kitchen into the middle of the house where the dining area is. Have a penisula coming out at right angles across the room to make a division. Then the dining table after that and then a seating area closest to the door and make those french doors if possible. Is the black "box" the chimney breast? I'm remove that if possible.

Yeah the black box is a chimney breast; which now has a log fire in it (fitted by the old owner, not us).

There's no radiators in the whole of the big room, just the log fire; but it worries me! So I'm thinking kickboard heaters and long radiators up the alcoves?

Thank you both!

If you could remove the chimney breast I’d do something like this…..

actually, I wouldn't put the oven in a tower on the end as people could walk round the corner and into the open oven. Make it a big cupboard and put the oven under the hob!

My husband is adamant a kitchen would not work in the top bit, because of all the doors. He’s also not keen on removing the log burner - he thinks we’d want to pay to get all the chimney breasts removed then, and I don’t know if we can do that because I think it’s a shared chimney with next door? Although they don’t have any log burners/fires anymore.

He’s keen that the kitchen is in the middle section, with two sofas, the TV and the coffee table in the first bit, and then a dining table towards the patio doors (which I’d really like to make into bifold, whole-width doors).

Do you think that’d feel too weird and cramped?

I agree with your husband about leaving the fireplace in especially as it isn’t a long term home. you won’t get the money back on that work.

his design sounds fine IF you have the right furniture (living room sofa, armchairs and dining table)

Here is an example of how a peninsula could work. It zones the room and Under the Four skylights is where the dining table would go.

it will give you more counter top vs the island and honestly the island is a bad idea for that room.