Has anyone put a kitchen in what would typically be the sitting room with bay window?

[Stclements115]

Hello, we moved into our house a few months ago and we are starting the long project of updating it (the last owner moved in in 1981 and didn’t redecorate!). We have a classic Georgian (?) house with a bay window at the front, in what would normally be the sitting room. It has been knocked through at some point to the room behind it so it’s a nice big ‘through space’. Then the small kitchen is currently behind the dining room. We were discussing extending the small kitchen out towards the garden, but then my partner suggested making the front room the kitchen. I have to agree it would make a gorgeous kitchen diner space but for some reason I feel weird about making a front room with bay window the kitchen😆 I don’t know why! Has anyone done it and if so what are your positive/negative stories? The middle room will also be a lovely sitting room, it even has a wood burner 😍 and what is currently the small kitchen at the back we would probably make into an office with a guest bed… would love to hear your thoughts!

Your main issue will be how easy it is to connect that area to the water supply & drains. I’d get a builder in to take a look.

Husband is the builder 😌 the extractor can go directly into chimney and the water supply is right there, couldn’t be more conveniently placed. It’s more about whether it would just be.. weird…

about a year ago a woman posted her new kitchen on here and it was in the front with a bay window - it was amazing. You can also see examples on Pinterest and Houzz. It’s a great idea. I know someone who is about to do this in a listed Georgian house as the front has a sea view.

I think it would be great! I might put dining bit in the bay and kitchen behind. Come to think of it friends have a small sofa in the bay, then dining table, then kitchen with island behind that. Works very well

We did this a few years ago - our dinning table is in the bay (round table) kitchen and island in the middle and sitting area to the side. The room is a big L shape. It really works well for us but I would say our front garden/drive are very private. I'm not sure how I would feel if it was less so.

We thought about doing this but didn’t in the end because we don’t really have a view. However I think it’s a great idea.

We did this (although our house is older - 1600s - and the front window isn't a bay but does have rural views and as our property is elevated it's very private) but we had to incorporate the front and middle rooms.

We now have a kitchen with three windows and one large chimney breast with wood burner where we have a sofa. There's an island with seating near the front end but no table as we decided we didn't need both island and table when we've a table elsewhere.

In the former kitchen - which had already been extended but not knocked through - we've now opened it up into one bigger space with table one end and seating/tv at the other.

Our property had to have a borehole drilled anyway when we purchased, but the drainage (to a septic tank) was fairly close to where the new kitchen sink etc was going. My DH was the builder too 😉

We'd previously had the kitchen at the front in another period house and loved it so wanted to create something similar here. Imho it can be a great idea but not everyone agrees, I think, as they prefer the kitchen to open onto the garden.

We did it and I love it. It means that the sitting room is actually quieter as it faces the back. The kitchen is lovely and light. The small bit at the back that used to be a tiny kitchen is now a boot room. What are your concerns?

Our house us raised though, so no matter what the kitchen was never going to open directly to the garden.

Oh and to add, out the front is a tree which gives us jsut enough privacy so we don't feel watch but plenty of light too.

Great idea - does it get morning sun? It''s always nice to eat breakfast in a sunny room.

If I am still living in this house in my dotage I will turn my bay window sitting room into my bedroom.

Complete with hotel style wet bar and kitchenette to enable me to fix drinks and snacks.

One of the George Clarke episodes put the kitchen in the front room and it looked really nice. I was dubious but GC was all for it, and it turned out great.

Sounds good to me -

Is there a way you could get the sitting room opening onto the garden with French doors though? given how hot it’s getting.

I've seen something similar in one of the house types on a huge expensive estate in Windsor. Traditional style housing but very new/ energy efficient etc.
There was a lovely round dining table in the bay window area with a long run of [sleek] kitchen units to one side of the room (double glass doors in from the hall on the opposite wall).
Was very nice indeed.

'Magna Carta Park' it was.. can't remember the house type but will add it if I can find.

We have this in our house. Our sitting room backs on to the garden with bifold doors. The kitchen diner is at the front. I have a small sofa in the bay window with a dining table and dresser in the dining "bit" then the kitchen is in the other half of the room, with its own window at the side.

It isn't what I'd have chosen but it actually works really well. You don't have to carry heavy bags of food shopping through the house, and the bay window makes the room lovely and light. We're planning to refurb the kitchen in a few years and will probably keep it at the front.

It's very common in the Netherlands and a great use of the space and light.

I've often thought about reversing my kitchen and living room in the same manner and don't think it would be weird.

I'd put the dining table in/across the bay window (if your configuration allows, you could build a bench seat for the table into the window).

As others have said, privacy could be a consideration. I'm not always up for using the living room with people walking past and looking in the window (e.g. when I'm in my dressing gown with hair scraped back etc!) but can easily avoid that... in contrast the kitchen is the first room I head to in the morning in order to make a cup of tea/breakfast etc. If it's private and/or can easily be screened (shutters?) it would be OK.

@Hillrunning i guess my concerns are that it will feel wrong/back to front having the kitchen at the front of the house. I have no idea why I have this idea that the kitchen belongs at the back! Maybe as someone else mentioned it’s because most people have their kitchen opening onto the garden if they have one.

@Bramblejoos yes it does get the morning light actually, that’s a great point! ☀️

Re privacy, our house is on a residential road, just a few passersby each day but I was thinking about getting some reeded glass just for the bottom half of window, as I love the look of it and it would stop nosy people looking in.

Does anyone have an opinion on if it would affect the house value? I mean obviously it’d be an improvement on the current, small, mdf, chip-papered extravaganza 😆 but just the unusual-ness of having the kitchen in what would traditionally be the front room.
Urgh maybe I’m just overthinking!!

Thanks everyone for your opinions by the way, I love Mumsnet for this! 🥰

The "don't have to carry heavy bags of food shopping through the house" was one of our main reasons for doing it 😄

It worked so well in our previous house, I knew it was just what was needed here!

I think it would be great.

I would put your readed glass elsewhere in the kitchen. To screen the windows I would use something like cafe curtains or blinds that pull up from the bottom of the window.

The glass would look odd from the front of the house

I'm never going to do this, but I've fantasised about it. For me i think a nice table in the bay window with units either side would be just lovely.

I don't necessarily think that reeded glass would look odd from the front of the house, but then when we did this (putting the kitchen at the front) at a previous house we applied frosted film to the lower half of the windows.

We also had original internal shutters that we could close at night for additional privacy but that would've made it too dark in daytime. That property fronted directly onto the village street with no front garden so passers-by could look straight in.

In our current house there are no such issues as the property is elevated from the road with an undercroft beneath as well as an area of garden in-between, so no chance of anyone seeing into the kitchen. We don't even have curtains at the kitchen front window.