Kitchen dilemma. Need ideas re seating please.

[mrsnec]

I am not in the UK. We are a family of four and we live in a 3 bedroom bungalow in the med. My dc are a boy and a girl who are preschool age. We have frequent visitors. When people stay the dc share a room. The bungalow is a strange layout. The kitchen is at one end of the house and then a lounge diner at the opposite end. Two of the bedrooms are off the kitchen and both the kitchen and master bedroom open out on to the garden.

The kitchen is quite large and we don't use it very often and it currently has no seating at all. We had a breakfast bar but the stools were uncomfortable and I didn't like looking at the wall.

I have space for either a sofa, or an island or a nice table and chairs but I can't decide which. I wondered about a sofa bed but is it odd to put up guests in the kitchen? And DH can't get his head around a sofa in the kitchen. We both want the room to be more like the heart of the home like it is in most houses and don't want to spend too much.

I wouldn't want to sleep in the kitchen, for no other reason that it's a bit strange and student house party like. I'd definitely put a table and chairs in, somewhere for little folk to do their homework when they start to get it, eating without carrying food to the other end of the house etc, but would put a sofa bed in the lounge diner if that would work

We weren't ready to replace the furniture in the lounge yet and don't have enough room for a sofa bed in addition to the furniture that's already in there.

The dc already have homework. I have one of those plastic mini table and chairs sets from Ikea in the garden that I bring in for them sometimes but no idea when they usually get too big for those.

I just kept seeing people on property programmes wanting kitchens big enough for a sofa and started to like the idea of a sofa where the breakfast bar was but a proper table and chairs would probably be more sensible! It's just deciding how big to not make the room too crowded.

I think sofas in kitchens are great. Most people I know have one. It’s then more like a kitchen-living room-diner. Definitely helps me it the heart of a home. Depends on size of room though!

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.idealhome.co.uk/kitchen/kitchen-ideas/open-plan-kitchen-design-ideas-88066/amp

Thanks Alanna. Room is about 20x20ft. Don't want to do any remodelling and can't afford new units yet either so it needs to fit in with what we have. Thanks for the link. It's exactly what I was trying to explain to DH but couldn't find anywhere!

I'd go with table and chairs. Sitting properly aids digestion. And I think any soft furnishings in a kitchen will absorb some of the smells and moisture from cooking.

we have a central island (cupboards and doors) but nothing on the surface with bar stool seating around it and then a small two seater sofa in the corner of the kitchen - both work really well - laptop watching done at island, reading etc on sofa and its really sociable meaning we can all be in the kitchen together. Considered a table and chairs but glad we pumped for the island/sofa combo....

My kitchen is approx 23x13. I have a sofa and one end and I love it. I'm actually about to redo it to make that area more defined as a living area. When you are cooking you can have a comfy place to sit down in between checking on the food! Never noticed smells attaching to sofa. Only think I would say is you need to choose your sofa carefully as a lot are a bit to 'flouncy' for a kitchen. I have a very Square plain one with thin arms. It's also large so has been used to sleep on.

I also have a dining table at the other end.