When did all kitchens in London/property mags start looking like this?

[AsparagusFern]

I'm a bit slow so bear with me but do all kitchens now suddenly seem to look like this?

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-52431113.html

Huge knocked through kitchen, velux windows, bifold doors, kitchen island.

Nothing wrong with the look - I just suddenly realised that they seem to be everywhere.

I guess there does also seem to be a slight conformity to the look though, too. Just musing. Slow Sunday

Sorry - it's pic 3 in the link.

Also - this is another 'this house is so immaculate, do we think somebody actually lives there'.

Mine is a bit like that but no island.

Did it 10 years ago

I'm not an architect but I think many aspects are to do with trying to fit a modern extension onto that period of property while getting light in and not looking too incongruous.
I'm sure some architects can think of a more original way to do it but most folk can't afford original architects or design and go for "proven" solutions.
They are a bit "everywhere" in London but then so is that style of house (and they mostly need extended for how people want to live these days.

It works really well for the constraints of those houses, of which there are many. What do you think would be better?

That's a not very nice kitchen, IMO. Looks like an office.

It started happening more than ten years ago, now it's ubiquitous and tiresome.

1.75 million

I know Original!

Yes, I guess I'm just thinking it's starting to look a bit samey, but I'm not an architect and couldn't tell you what alternatives might be.

Have just had that style done including everything mentioned apart from an island, (on much smaller budget and not in London), all I can say is it the best decision we made. I really don't care if it an old style now or conforms to so many others. And tiresome??? not if you are living in it. So much more light, feeling of space and openness, more socialable. Totally changed the way we live together. Our family (4 of us) can now sit down together at a big table to eat instead of one of us standing as our old kitchen was too small. Moving too expensive, not many other options to get what we wanted.

As musuemum says it is now a proven solution to a standard house type hence why it is so popular.

What I find tiresome is the blocky featurelessness, the lack of interest.

The practical living solution side of extensions and big French doors works beautifully and of course is not and cannot be tiresome.

The design decision to paint everything Drear and hide all signs of life behind a monolithic frontage is , to me, tiresome.

I'm not a fan of huge open plan rooms, though.

It's the fashion. Same with bathrooms all having those massive creamy tiles.

the dining table and chairs are to grand to share a room with the cooker and sink.

I can see it's sociable but you can create sociable spaces without the blocky featurelessness (I agree with BelleView about that).

I guess I'm just wondering that, if it is just a fashion, will there come a time when we regret making such huge alterations to the inside (and back) of period houses?

There's not much alternative if you want more space at the back of a typical house - though we went for French doors and no bifolds mainly as bifolds would show how small our garden is!

Most people want easy-to-clean surfaces in their kitchen, ie not much out on display and all behind doors, so not that much difference between 80s varnished pine, 90s pale wood or 00s high gloss and 10s painted wood plus granite.

Going open-plan all through, I think people will regret, but a kitchen-diner will keep most people happy.

I think people just need more space and the look of cube/ non fussy is just a contemporary trend.

A couple of friends bought victorian/1930s in our university town within the last 10 years and the previous owners removed so much: fireplaces/doors/mouldings etc. The only thing that makes it period os the exterior.

The house you linked to looks stunning. I think it looks very easy to live in and a calm, beautiful palette. That said, it needs some house plants!!!

It wouldnt be £1.7 million in my area, more like £700k.

Yes, loads of those around here too.

Bit like living in a warehouse I think...

Agree with you Belleview it's ugly, characterless, corporate and boring.

Bland and disappointing. Can't believe they've done that to what looks like quite a pleasant house inside.

I love the bathroom in that house. And yes the palette is very restful, though the bedrooms did make me wonder if this was just a very high end renovation and no-one lives there yet! (With no attic, I'm wondering where they've hidden all their stuff!)

With a slightly less fancy interior that house would be between £200-£250k where I live (oop North!).

That look is ubiquitous, I agree, and just awful - so soulless.

Looks quite pleasant from the *outside. Inside is a grey box.

Scarlet my feeling when I see these extensions is a bit kind of 'Oh, another one'. Not wishing to be rude, honestly, but it feels a bit Keeping up with the Jones to me.

I guess I just hanker after a bit more diversity, character?

When I was young, "modern box" was a disparaging term for houses on modern developments. Nowadays original features are swept away to make everything look like a "modern box"

I think its horrible. All those knocked through all big rooms look shit too.
Who wants to entertain in a kitchen/ diner? It also looks too sterile.
I like lots of rooms where you can shut the door and have peace and quiet

Bog standard looking house from the outside but extremely spacious feel on the inside. I don't like that style of kitchen but it wouldn't put me off buying, although I expect you pay more for it. Round here probably looking at £600k for the same. However, looking at the school checker, what a situation to be in! Only likely to get a catholic school state option, the rest unlikely even within a mile of so many schools! Now THAT would put me off!

Agreed NewLife what I dislike more than the kitchen diners are the knocked through living room/dining rooms. You can't work at the dining table if someone is watching TV, difficult to heat, no escape from kids, no room to feel cosy in.

Kitchen diners I can see has some pros, but also cons eg. nowhere to hide dishes, no where to have breather if holding a dinner party.