Kitchen diner layout - what would you do?

[runningLou]

Posted about this before and got some great ideas, am basically down to 2 competing layouts now (see my sketchy plans!). We are having a new extension to back of kitchen and unsure how to make best use of space ... DC are 8 and 4 so we will have toys around for a while yet.
Currently have French windows in left-hand room at back but considering getting rid of those when we have new back door in extension to increase wall space.
Have also had to kiss goodbye to my dream of a kitchen island so if you can see a way to squeeze one in let me know!
New extended kitchen will be 5.5m long and 4.5m wide.

You have three doors in the kitchen. This make it difficult to use the space effectively. You seem to want a settee and chairs in there too - as well as dining and the lounge. Your second drawing shows just one line of kitchen units. This just is not enough for a family home.

So, access the utility via the hall, as you will the cloakroom. You do not need it off the kitchen. Use that wall for more kitchen cabinets. Put in french windows at the end of the kitchen, (no back door in the side position - they are ugly anyway) and put the table down that end for an eat in kitchen with a view of the garden. You could get an island up the top end or window end of the kitchen if you forgo the table. You have little work surface, so this could work. Islands do take a lot of space and I am not sure what the dimensions are. You need 1.2m each side of an island for movement. You can build in a breakast bar to an island. Build toy storage into the wall where the back door was envisaged.

I would have the dining and study area in the adjacent space. Children may need access to a computer and a table, so this works better in my view. Do not have a setteee in the kitchen or a comfy chair Just not needed and takes u valueable kitcehn space which is better used as a kitchen (and an island!!!).

I used to have a kitchen exactly as your design 1. It was useless!!! You will keep having to run around the end of the worksurface. It looks to tight against the openinginto the dining room and it will drive you mad when you need to get into the toy zone quickly. Children can play in a kitchen or at a table. No-one will thank you for layout 1.

I know ... multiple doors in kitchen situation is annoying, but utility and downstairs loo are in a small side extension done by previous owner, so there is a formal external wall separating them from hallway, which includes soil pipe/water stop tap etc, due to this and position of stairs in hallway I don't think we can access them from the hall, unless maybe from just by front door? But would it be even more odd to get into utility via a door by the front door, through the downstairs loo??

Yes. I agree that may be odd. It is possible to use and rsj to support a load bearing wall, but if the stairs are in the way, it is difficult. If the stairs clear the door at this point, I would open up the wall. It would make a big difference to the kitchen. If not, I would think about having the laundry equipment in the kitchen and make the utility the toy storage. Or even having toy storage cupboards and the utility in the same room! Out of sight, out of mind. I would try and make the kitchen feel really spacious. It is the hub of a family house.

I have a laundry room with the dryer in a cupboard on top of the washer. Much better use of space. So glad we did it. There is a sink with a wine fridge below the drainer (decadent, I know!) and on the other side of the room a work surface with a rail above for hanging. Ironing or coats. At one end is a tall cupboard for the ironing board and a mop. Below the work surface is an open space. We use it for shoe/welly storage and paper storage for recycling. You could have cupboards for toy storage.

Overall of your options, I think I'd pick option 2. Any value in turning the bottom corner with the cabinets? Would the new back door be better further away from the corner so the sofa doesn't foul it?

But to chuck some constructive criticism in, bearing in mind it's so much easier to shoot down other people's ideas than come up with decent ones of my own...

My main issue with option 1 is you have toy storage and sofa squeezed next to each other. It looks to me that it would be hard to play with the toys near the toy storage, which is a big negative for me. Traipsing toys from one area to another... just annoying. And where would they even traipse them to? Not much room to actually play.

Option 2, toys next to the study area also seems not ideal. Of all the areas to keep separate, those 2 would be the pick of them for me. Switching sofa and study area would be one option, but if you did that, I might be tempted to scrap the study area completely in favour of a bigger kitchen table (to use flexibly as study/dining/food prep) and consider using the bottom-most wall for more units & surfaces. You could create a "command centre" type paper/filing system in the corner of the kitchen, so paperwork is easily got out & cleared away. Our small kitchen table often has 3 things at once happening on it, while our other, bigger table sits empty.

I think access to the utility via downstairs loo would not be that weird, and worth it if the payoff is a whole extra wall of kitchen cupboards and surfaces. But swinging baskets of laundry in and out through turns and doors could be very fiddly through small spaces, so you might have to plan it carefully so it's not really annoying in practice.

Ooh I like the idea of a 'command centre' for paperwork in the kitchen! That's where I spend all my time (never sit on sofa in current front living room) so I think some of my confusion stems from wanting to create a kitchen where I can do every possible activity, hence the slightly cluttered concepts...

Who is going to use the study area? Are you talking a laptop space, or do you need shelving for files / books etc? Do you envisage the children using it (desk space etc). It seems like you are committing quite alot of space to it - can't remember how young your children area?

I'm thinking a table with space for a laptop, and yes some shelving with space for paper, files, craft bits. It would be for children too, as and when (they are 8 and 4). If it was in the same room as the dining table I guess the table could double up as the desk and we could just have some shelves nearby?

In that case, I would have the dining table / table for study where you have it in Option 1, and I would put shelving / maybe a built in cupboard to the right to that as you look at the plan. I don't think you need 2 tables - one for study and one for dining.

I'd have a sofa & storage along the left hand wall of that room, with the sofa opposite the knock through into the kitchen with maybe a big footstool that can double as toy storage. Maybe a shelving unit behind the sofa and an armchair just at the top right of that knockthrough.

I'd then have your kitchen as in Option 2 - a long run of cabinets along the right hand wall with a long island unit (with stools) in front of it (instead of the dining table).

Am confused - how do you get to the toilet ?

Through the door in the top right hand corner of kitchen, then through the utility ... Apologies for my crappy plan!!

Really liking your suggestions namechanged ... but do you think as well as a long island unit with stools (love!) I could squeeze a sofa, or even just an armchair, somewhere into the kitchen, on the bottom wall maybe, overlooking the garden? I really want somewhere comfy to sit in the kitchen (my room!!) In a room 5.5m long with an island in the middle I think there should be space for a seating area?

What would be the distance from the peninsular to the back wall in option 1. Based on your measurements I would imagine you'd be left with an odd sized space that would be difficult to do much with?

B. Definitely not A.

Also do you actually need a back door? Or is there any scope to move the 'back' door to the side near to the utility, and access to the back garden via the dining area?

The distance from the peninsular to back wall in option 1 would be approx. 2.5m.
We definitely need a back door - at the moment though we have 2 back doors - French windows on left of house onto decking, and a door with steps down into garden on right. Would rather access back garden from kitchen than dining room though - I always have back door in kitchen open in warmer weather, whereas we barely use French windows onto decking.

Yes I thought that originally but it's odd (imo) to block the back door. I agree with previous poster that I'd do away with back door (maybe have a vertical narrow window in its place) and stick with the french doors in the dining room. Then you'd get your armchair ☺