Please dissuade/reassure me about our new kitchen diner!

[notasize10yetbutoneday]

Ok,I am at the crazy lady, can't sleep for thinking about worktops and pan drawers so please bear with my sleep-addled brain as I try to explain!

DH and I moved into our 'forever' house 6 months ago. The kitchen is at the front of the house. Immediately behind is the dining room and behind that is a junk room study, which has huge windows over the garden.

Our plan is to knock down the dining room and study walls to make one large kitchen diner. This room will be 9m long by 2.8m wide- so quite long and narrow.

The plan is to make the front of the house, where the existing kitchen is now, a utility area and build an arch way between the utility area and the main kitchen area. there will then be a breakfast bar seperating the kitchen from the main dining area at the bottom overlooking the garden.

The rationale for having the utility at the front is that we do not want to waste the large window at the back by having it there. the rationale for having an arch way rather than a seperate door is that we don't want to lose the light from the front window. House is east-facing and the kitchen seems dark at present, but that may be due to there being wall units on both walls.

So my (one of many)question is, do you think its wierd to have a utility area at the front of the house? A couple of people i've discussed it with have been a bit . I should say though its not like you would walk into it, you would have to choose to go in there IYSWIM.

Anyway, my other question is (if anyone is still with me at this point!), the room as i've said is fairly long and narrow. All along we have been planning oak units with black quartz or granite worktops. But now I'm getting the heebie-jeebies because a) will black work tops make it too dark and b) I don';t know what flooring we would go for that doesn't look matchy-matchy with the units (see other thread) so c) would dark flooring and dark worktops be too much?

I am in a complete tizz over the whole thing TBH, I've never done anyhting like this before, its a huge amount of money (to us) and I'm so scared of getting it wrong.

Ok so your frontage faces East and the back West - you get evening sun in the dining room?

I think it is madness to have one sink in a room of around 9m length, which is nowhere near the hob or fridge.

Most kitchen design is based around a working triangle of hob, fridge, sink and I do think this is worth trying to achieve.

notasize10 - I've private messaged you.

I think having the sink in the utility room would be a big mistake - you use the sink constantly...hopefully Lala has come up with some innovative ideas.

Hi lala- thank yo so much for taking the time to do this. I can't see a message from you thoigh- it says my inbox is empty? I haven't had a PM before so do i need to do anyhting special?

Tried again.

We've just placed our order for our kitchen - so I understand the crazy ladyness it involves!!! So many decisions especially when you're talking about pots of cash! Such a weight off mine and DH's shoulders actually getting the whole thing finalised.

The only thoughts about the design you've got was that like others, not keen on the utility room at front. And wondering about whether just to keep the kitchen at the front and knock through to the kitchen diner. Make sure that you think through the electrical lighting to maximise the light feel. And maybe light coloured gloss doors for reflection. A big mirror in the dining area to reflect the light and maybe things like a glass table. I think I read somewhere that to increase the size of a kitchen have free-standing units.

A friend of mine is a kitchen designer - he did an initial outlay for me - he's in West Sussex if you want his number (he's more the bespoke end...altho' our kitchen is Wickes).

Oh and the reason I think knock through kithen and diner is to keep the office/study area as is. Maybe knock that through to the lounge or have an arch. Makes the kitchen area less of a corridor and you say you don't have kids yet? Well....when you do you might be veeery pleased of a little room that could be used as a playroom/toy storage. Plus, it'd be a lot cheaper I'd imagine as you wouldn't be needing to move plumbing/electrics all over the shop. And in the future may you could think of adding a conservatory on the end of the playroom so that it becomes more of an in/outside kiddy/adult room? Erm....maybe I'm getting carried away!

Good Luck....I think sometimes too many options just makes it harder doesn't it?!

You need a sink in the kitchen as well as utility. Are you having a dishwasher?

I still think it would be better to keep a downstairs study. A 9m kitchen/diner seems too big really - it looks rather empty on the plans - and I dont think it makes sense to lose a reception room when you dont need to. Am sure you can work in a utility cupboard somewhere, is there room in the loo or upstairs bathroom?

Looking at your floor plan again, why dont you convert the current kitchen which is a bit dark and overlooked, into the study/playroom and convert the dining room/study into your kitchen diner, taking advantage of the privacy and light?

Also, this would mean you dont need an upstairs study (which you might need as a bedroom once you have DCs) and the same would apply to another family when it comes to selling on.
As a mother of 2 young boys I'd love to have a small playroom/den just off the kitchen where I could store the kids clobber/DVDs/ride ons etc etc. I suppose you could make the current kitchen a study cum utility if you build in the appliances so they are quiet.

Sorry Id dont have time to work out a floorplan, DS1 has chicken pox, but in your shoes I'd go to another kitchen designer or two or even speak to a local architect/architectural technician and re-think the plans.

Hello everyone! Thanks again for all your input which has been invaluable. Especially thanks to Lalalonglegs for your design and taking the time to come up with it.

We have completely abondoned the idea of a utility room and will be going for a utility cupboard much like Goosey's/Wynken's/Pannacotta's link.

Have contacted a local company who redesigned the kitchen of a friend of a friend so will keep you posted!