How to use the space in our new house? WWYD

[Rogerthatmummy]

We are moving from a 2 reception room, 3 bed semi to a 4 bed, three reception room house in ten days (bed four downstairs) and I am struggling to think of how to use the new space.

pic of the floorplan attached

My first thought was to have separate dining room (which would be what is called lounge on plan), long living room with sofa, TV, easy chairs etc (dining room on plan) and then use the reception part of the kitchen (it is a galley kitchen that has been extended to the side, with a breakfast bar between the kitchen and dining spaces) as a sitting area/ play space for DDs (aged 18mo and 4.5yrs)

I have just got a new job which will involve working at home most days so need an office space. I had factored this into the above plan by thinking of setting up a desk in the downstairs bedroom so I would work there.

Now though I am wondering about kitchen's diner bit having the dining table, long living room with TV, easy chairs, and accept this is space for kid play etc, spare room as just spare room (probably where we would hang washing to dry on clothes horses when needed realistically) and then front reception as a 'grown up', tidy kid free sitting room/ study with desk for me to work from.

Suffering from a lack of inspiration for the use of rooms (I have the decor covered via Pinterest though!!!)

What would you do with this house to build in:
Eating space
Work space
Play space
TV space
Tidy, grown up, pretend-we-don't-live-in-a-pigsty space?

Help!

the kitchen is extremely big. IMO it would make a better family room, and the existing dining room is big enough for a kitchen.

If you keep that huge kitchen I think it needs a good table in it to eat at when you are not doing posh dinners.

The downstairs bedroom would make a good office, but with that shower room is also ideal for guests.

Thanks PigletJohn (oh how I feel I have now truly been accepted on MN with a response from Piglet John!)

I should have said - spare bedroom has to remain with spare bedroom functionality (although could go for single bed with pull out bed, rather than set up with double bed) as we live miles from family so we need a comfortable space to put up family (including relatives with long term health issues) this is why the house appealed, esp with en suite....

I think the office is definitely going to have to be a shared space, so either office/ dining room, office/ grown up lounge, office/ spare room...

I really like the idea of having a separate 'formal' dining room, but realistically we wouldn't use it very often so at least while kids are small I wonder if I shouldn't be so precious! I don't really want to have two separate dining tables kicking around at it would take up so much room and seems a bit excessive...?

One option might be to have office paperwork storage in a separate dining room and to work (with a laptop) at the dining table from day to day.

Too many choices and not enough imagination!

I think you should go for office / spare bedroom so that you can offer guests the downstairs shower room. If you can also make your work as portable as possible, this would help if you have to relocate for guests.

Wrt to the other rooms, it depends on the size of your furniture. And your dining needs. That kitchen is big enough for a decent size table but if you want a separate dining room, I would use the existing one.

Personally, I would have a table in the kitchen and use the dining room as a playroom/ family room but then my dc are quite young. I would then use the lounge as a more adult room (no toys allowed!).

Without reading the other replies first, I would have the table in the kitchen as it is huge, the long room as a living room, the lounge as a proper playroom and bedroom 4 as an office and maybe somewhere to put washing and other storage.

Oh just saw what you said about spare room, office with paperwork storage etc and a sofa bed for guests.

Thanks all.... I am also thinking maybe we start off with d table in kitchen and see how we go....

Making me shift my mind round as this house purchase has taken so long that I have been think a more traditional layout for months

No suggestions but just wanted to say how wonderful your new house looks. That's a wonderfully sized kitchen. Hope you're very happy in your new home.

Kitchen-Diner
Dining Room as a playroom
bedroom 4 as your office but with a sofa bed

Dining rooms become dumping grounds ime, they just aren't used enough. Kitchens with dining tables are good because people enjoy sitting at a table chatting whilst you potter, meals and clean up are easy and it just feels homely.

Sharing an office and bedroom makes sense because you'll be unlikely to be working whilst having visitors so it's easy to split the rooms use. Maybe consider the beds like the ikea day bed that are single but pull out to a proper, solid double rather than a put up bed?

Finally, an adult only front room is an indulgent use of space that is massively underrated. Being able to shut the door on the family life and spend some time being a couple without several hours of cleaning, tidying and de-cluttering is priceless

Unless you are dead set on a formal dining room I would do the following:

Keep the lounge as a 'grown up' room - somewhere you can retreat in the evenings and also keep tidy.

Use the dining room as a 'family room' - lots of storage for toys, comfy sofas, TV/DVD player. It will be lovely if it opens onto the garden. Bear in mind that the children only have big, plastic toys for a short length of time - eventually it could be a room for the children to have their friends round, relax, watch TV, play computer games etc.

Put a dining table into the kitchen and make that a kitchen-diner. It looks like a nice space for cooking, homework, hanging out.

Use the 4th bedroom as an office/bedroom. It depends how often you have family to stay but unless they are going to be there every month it seems that you would get most use for it as somewhere to work.

If it was me I'd go through the wall between kitchen/diner and make a big living/cooking/dining space. Lounge as a playroom. Alternatively, lounge as 'adult space', withor without a dining table (I'd go without, but I like having dinner parties in view of the kitchen) and kids stuff in the big room, which is maybe better in that you'll be able to keep an eye on them. Keep the bedroom as a spare/office, and cloakroom as it is.

I'd go through the wall into the dining room and have a big kitchen diner.

Ideally I'd move the wall between the lounge and dining room to make the front lounge a bit bigger. Have that as the adult sitting room.

Another option rather than move the wall is to add another wall and make a thin utility room between the dining room and lounge. I love having my washing machine, tumble dryer, laundry out of the kitchen.

I'd have the other room as a kids room. Loads of storage for toys and a sofa bed so you can pack the toys away and pull out a bed for guests easily.

I would definitely turn that downstairs shower room into a utility room.

And I would also turn that front reception room (lounge) into a No Kids Allowed, This Is My Tastefully Decorated Room For Me And Onlly Me room.

Then I would knock through kitchen into dining room, if you never entertain. If you do, keep as is.

Front bedroom to be a comfortable office with double sofa bed.

Nicely proportioned house. Congrats!

Dining table in kitchen
Combined spare bedroom and office
Front living room as formal grown up living room
'Dining room' as informal living room/play room- nice to have access straight to the garden.

If you're worried about losing a formal dining room, don't forget that you can move furniture. If you have Christmas lunch for 20 you can move tables about and set up a lovely dining room, but you won't need to keep the dead space for the other 364 days.

Dining table in kitchen
Doors between kitchen and old dining room
Old dining room as playroom/family room
Lounge as lounge
Bedroom 4 as study. With a Hemnes daybed as they fold out into a big double.

I would do exactly what Primalass says, even down to the actual day bed. They are good as its a big double when open and also has storage drawers.

I'd have double doors from the kitchen into the what was the dining room and have that as the family room. I'd take a slice off that new family room and make it into a utility room- just that first alcove as far as the chimney breast wall would be enough for your washing machine, tumble dryer and hooks for coats, bags etc. And then downstairs room as office/spare bedroom. Great idea about the Hemnes daybed, I'd go with that.

Here's what I would do. Add a wall to give yourself an exclusive office space. Add glazed double doors from kitchen to dining room and use this as a playroom with intention of swapping back to a dining room when the kids are older.

Tin the front keep a formal lounge and have a shared dining room/ guest. As the kids get older this could become their chill out zone.

How about spare room/office in the bedroom. Playroom/kids tv in front lounge. Kitchen with dining table for most meals/kids painting etc...and use the dining room as a grown up space, a few arm chairs or small sofa, and keep an extendable dining table in there so you could push the sofa out of the way and use it as a dining room for more formal occasions.

Thanks everyone - lots of food for thought! Will show DH this thread to let him think through too...

My aim with this house is to have each room have a function (even if the function is 'shared') ... Current house is just child overspill in every room, one way or another, which is frustrating... Made worse by being in 'just-about-to-exchange-limbo' for about two months so we're surrounded by boxes

Am thinking new house will be a collection of Pinterest rooms, though more likely will be just like this house but without boxes!

Really appreciate your ideas

Is the long dining room big enough to house a smart seating area plus dining table? So you could have pre and post dinner comfortable seating etc, with maybe a TV in there for you to relax in the evenings? Then the front lounge could be a self contained playroom, with the big kitchen to have a diningtable and sofa for day to day living?

(No idea why so many question marks...)

Lovely house! I think that as your children are very young, it would be better to have a dining table in the kitchen and knock through to the current dining room and have that as a playroom. Even better, as Pinkje suggests, put a doorway in, so you can just close that area off when you're entertaining.

That would also mean that you can keep an eye on the children and keep them out of the kitchen while you're cooking. That would also be a good arrangement for when the children are much older, and (mostly!) confining their stuff to their bedrooms, as you can convert the playroom back to a formal dining room.

There's a single door to the outside in the left kitchen wall. Is that necessary, given there's a double door out to the garden? You could block that off, which would give a better run of units from the shower room wall through to the first window onto the garden.

I think keeping the front lounge as a child-free zone is a good idea. No matter how much we love our children, it's lovely when they're all tucked in bed asleep, and there's a calm, uncluttered room for some down-time and a wine (or whine!)