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Original poster

Kitchen diner or separate dining room?

28 replies

MrsBarlow · 25/09/2015 19:35

We've just exchanged on a house which needs updating including a new kitchen. There's the option to knock through into the separate dining room and make it a large kitchen diner. Just wondered what everyone's opinions/experiences are with kitchen diners - I keep switching between thinking it'll be nice to have one big room to thinking it'll be nice having a separate dining room and a kitchen where I can close the door on the washing up!!

OP posts:
lalalonglegs · 25/09/2015 19:50

It depends on your family and the way you live. I used to have a small kitchen and dining-room/living room but we have now reconfigured to give a living room and kitchen-diner as I prefer having a table in the kitchen - I found I could feel a bit cut off when we only had the little kitchen. I would always want a separate living room on top of a kitchen-diner though otherwise you are just constantly bombarded by noise from the television/children playing/music etc.

LumelaMme · 25/09/2015 19:57

Kitchen-diner. Otherwise you find yourself slaving away in internal exile while everybody else has fun in the other room - especially galling at Christmas! If they're in the same room, it's so much easier to delegate.

wowfudge · 25/09/2015 20:05

I think it depends on the size of the kitchen. If we were going to stay in our house,we'd knock through to the dining room. When we moved in, I loved having a separate dining room so didn't want a kitchen/diner. Kitchen is small though and I wish we'd done the work.

Cel982 · 25/09/2015 20:16

Unless you have household staff , then kitchen-diner all the way.

00100001 · 25/09/2015 20:24

Kitchen diner is my preference :)

00100001 · 25/09/2015 20:25

I had a dining room, and it got used only for board games every week or so, and Christmas!

We ate at the kitchen table most of the time

WhoTheFIsJeff · 25/09/2015 20:29

Kitchen diner definitely!

TheNumberfaker · 25/09/2015 20:41

If you have children or entertain a lot then definitely go kitchen-diner. I have a separate dining room and it annoys the bejeezuz out of me now. Was fine before kids though!

Millymollymama · 25/09/2015 21:17

I have both, but we don't use the dining room much. I think it could be a home office but I like my dining furniture too much to get rid of it. We live in the kitchen/diner/lounge. Love it though.

Amethyst24 · 25/09/2015 23:26

I'm not mad about the idea of a living room, dining room and kitchen all in one, because then there really is no way to escape the mess/noise/smells of cooking, washing up and laundry. But on the other hand, having those things confined to one room makes the person doing them feel like a solitary drudge. Therefore kitchen-diner and separate sitting room/snug is the way to go imo. Ideally with a separate utility room as well.

YesOfCourseAlways · 25/09/2015 23:32

We had an open plan kitchen/diner/living room when the dc were young and it was perfect at that time, I could keep an eye and chat as I got on with cooking, etc. As they got older it became less appealing and when we moved we opted to keep the kitchen and living space separate, it just suits better with noisy teenagers.

WhoAteMyToast · 25/09/2015 23:54

Hmm -with secondary school children, I think it's an extra room to have as a homework room too. They can feel cut off in their rooms doing homework, but the use of that extra door means they don't feel lonely, but can concentrate a bit more.

BackforGood · 26/09/2015 00:02

Far better IME to have separate rooms if you have a growing family.
Having a separate room someone can be doing their music practice in, whilst someone else is watching TV. Or someone wants to play on the x-box and the other needs to concentrate on some homework. etc.

A large kitchen / diner sounds nice, and can work if you also have things like a separate utility, but I wouldn't want my washing machine effectively in my dining room - let alone the buckets of stuff soaking, waiting for a wash.

Another thing to think about with noise, is dishwasher noise impinging on the living space when I sat down in the evening - that would get on your wick if you couldn't shut the door to the kitchen, surely ?

hackedoffnow · 26/09/2015 00:11

Why should you feel like a drudge just because you are alone in the kitchen Amethyst? Confused I love shutting the door on the chaos and cooking and listening to the radio is so relaxing. I luffs being on my own for an hour. I then like to shut the door on the smells and mess and let my dinner go down.

SmellTheGlove · 26/09/2015 07:22

If you have a separate sitting room then kitchen-diner would be my choice. We had a separate kitchen in my last house then a big through room (dining/sitting room) and I didn't like being stuck away in the kitchen. Now we have a kitchen-diner (although technically it's a dining room with a kitchen off it with just a widened doorway, not one whole big room) and a separate sitting room and I love it. We don't exactly entertain but I just like being able to tidy up the kitchen etc while DS eats his dinner and still be chatting to him not yelling from another room!

Amethyst24 · 26/09/2015 11:19

Hacked, I also love a quiet potter in the kitchen with the radio on Smile But I hate that when we have guests I can't be part of the conversation while cooking and that DP can't sit and chat while I cook for the two of us. If you have a separate sitting room you can do the sit and chill after dinner thing anyway.

Mellifera · 26/09/2015 13:36

We had a kitchen diner and separate dining room in the rental before we bought. In 18 months we never ate once in the dining room.

So when we moved into our own house we knocked through the wall between kitchen and dining room. Never regretted it.

We have a separate lounge where the dc can play their instruments, watch TV and play.
We have 3 dc from teens to 6 yo. This use of space is ideal for us and we spend most of our time in the kitchen diner.

The only thing that we would have liked to do differently when we moved in was extend the whole back outwards, to make a huge kitchen dining room. Sadly, we lacked funds.

LikeASoulWithoutAMind · 26/09/2015 13:45

I would always want to be able to eat in the kitchen. And I'd like a separate sitting room ideally too.

At the moment we have a small kitchen and then a lounge diner and it's really inflexible compared to a kitchen diner and separate sitting room and much less practical with kids.

In our last house we were a bit spoilt and had room for a breakfast table in the kitchen plus a proper dining table in a separate dining room. We didn't use the dining room very much at all.

Original poster
MrsBarlow · 27/09/2015 09:56

Thanks everyone - this is the layout (hope it attaches) I like the idea of a nice big room (we're going to put doors between the dining room and living room) but also like the idea of a separate room, especially when the children are older - keep going round in circles!! Smile

Kitchen diner or separate dining room?
OP posts:
LikeASoulWithoutAMind · 27/09/2015 10:20

I think kitchen diner and separate living room would be fab in that layout.

hollyisalovelyname · 27/09/2015 10:26

Kitchen diner.
If you have room put in a sofa too.
It's just very convivial.
We have a separate 'good' room for the very rare days we entertain.

Sallyhasleftthebuilding · 27/09/2015 10:31

Just knock out the wall above the cooker... so kitchen has the same footprint, add a breakfast bar there, so you have the best of both. I also like the half wall with a big sofa under, and table further away style. You have lots of space on the other kitchen wall to add/ reconfigure the kitchen.

We have this and the kids sit at the bar for a chat and homework.

Lasize · 27/09/2015 15:20

Put the utility in the back of the garage. Knock wall down between kitchen and utility to create kitchen diner. That way you can have it all!

Mellifera · 27/09/2015 18:29

I'd put doors between dining and living room and knock through the wall from kitchen to dining room.
And leave utility where it is. If the floor plan is accurate, the living room looks big enough on its own, but the dining room looks a bit too small to have a big table and chairs . Our dining room table sits 7 because it is pushed up to the (closed up) chimney breast. We have a small sofa in the corner as well.

If you knock the utility room wall through you will always have your laundry on show. I shove lots of stuff in there if people come round. Very useful.

Our teens are 14 and 16, why should we have a separate dining room now? They sometimes still like to do their work at the dining room table, and have a chat while I cook/bake.

Mellifera · 27/09/2015 18:30

Oh sorry, didn't see the back of garage bit. That would be another option, knock both sides down, to make kitchen diner even bigger.