Kitchen design

[5amisnotmorning]

DH and I just cannot agree so help please mumsnet.

Here are some pictures of our kitchen / diner / family room. We had the walls taken out last year to see how we use the space but still can't decide and I want a new kitchen!

I want to keep the oven inside the (fake) chimney and have a big island and move the table in front of the doors. The problem is that we then don't have space for separate seating area except the conservatory which is currently a playroom with 1 sofa. We do have a separate large sitting room though.

DH wants to put the kitchen in the smaller end down where the Belfast sink is. That used to be our utility room but we needed the light and the view from the large window so we are going to move the washer and dryer to some other place. He wants the whole kitchen down there and a wood burner in the current fireplace / cooker site and keep the extra seating area.

Help!!!

Which doors would you put the dining table in front of? And is that the conservatory at the end? If so, where is your current seating area? Are you talking about the dining table & chairs? Sorry, just a bit confused! I do like the idea of shifting the kitchen down to the current utility end & putting your island in front...then you'd have defined kitchen/dining/family areas & a lovely wood burner :)

I'm with your dh on this. What I'd also do is make a breakfast bar going across the room at the point where the wall goes back on the rhs in the second photo. We've done this, it's a breakfast bar from the dining room part of the room but it does have cupboard which are accessible from the kitchen side.

Sorry I know it is a bit confusing. Basically you walk in from the hallway to look at the two sofas and the French doors. To the right is currently the table and to the right of the l shape is the old utility. To the left is the conservatory which is open to the kitchen.

And if you did move everything in the kitchen to the utility end, how would you lay out the kitchen? I just can't envisage it!

And a floor plan might help!

Sorry that was the old floor plan. This is it with the walls down.

I'm rubbish at floor plan ideas I'm afraid - got an issue with our house currently. But I love the pic of your floor plan. How did you do that?

It's a floor plan pro app on my iPad - has been quite helpful but not quite enough to make a decision!

I'd agree with your husband that the old utility end lends itself really well to a kitchen area. It is the right width for a u-shape that will give you a good ability to move around the space. You can have additional dresser-like storage in the dining area.

Your current kitchen is a long strip - I can't imagine it is that nice to cook in because you have to walk up and down the whole time.

Use the standard rules to plan: magic triangle between hob, sink and fridge; don't get trapped in the corners with critical stuff there; no high cupboards above your prep space; think about the flow of food from the front door to the cupboard/fridge to the prep space to the oven to the table to the dishwasher and sink.

Sorry, I'm afraid I'd agree with DH too - plenty of space in the old utility for a U-shaped, or even slightly more closed off kitchen (so you'd go about half-way across the open end with cupboard/shelving) and then you can have a nice run-through of dining/seating where your current cooker is now - I'd even be tempted to take out the fake chimney-breast and look at how to better use that too.

Now I understand, there wasn't a photo of the seating area before :) I still think the kitchen where your DH suggests would work really well, with either an island or breakfast bar. Great use of useable space!

What is the name of the iPad floorplan app? Have been looking for something to draw mine. Thanks!!