Kitchen diner or separate dining room?

[MrsBarlow]

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!!

That's a very similar layout to our new house. Ours is all open plan and I thought I'd hate it and want a wall between the dining room and living room, but actually I've grown to like it. I have small dc so it's great to be able to keep an eye on them and chat to them whilst I cook.

It also helps that our garage has been converted into a room that we use as a playroom. That keeps all their mess in there and we can shut the door on it, so we can keep the kitchen/diner/lounge mostly tidy.

In future i think the playroom will become a second lounge/snug with a TV and games console for our then teens to hang out.

Ps- we have a separate utility so washing mess and noise is kept out of the living areas.

So I know two people in the same housing estate, both houses originally that layout! But one had knocked out the hallway (for a larger living room) and knocked through the wall between the kitchen and dining room. It was sooooo much nicer. In your case I would add a door between the dining and living areas - i would want double doors that open right up but that's just me! The second house flowed so much better. The dining/living combo felt much more old fashioned than a kitchen/dining room with a separate living room.

But I would make sure your living room can be closed off entirely with doors, for all the reasons above and especially if you want to have people to stay on a sofa bed regularly.