Avoiding a long narrow corridor from front to back of house

[MILdesperandum]

Please help! The layout of our house following our planned extension is driving me crazy! However I plan it I end up with a long corridor running from the front door through the house to the big kitchen/diner area across the back. The current kitchen is becoming the utility (left hand side) and whilst I'm happy with the spaces we'd end up to I'm worried that the long corridor is going to feel really odd... anyone got an bright ideas?

I have thought of putting the utility into the back of the garage (we never keep a car in there and have plenty of off road parking) but that leaves us instead with an unusable space where the utility was with doors coming off each wall.

You could move the wall to be flush with the stairs in the lounge. So you open out the hallway at the end and have a rectangular lounge iykwim. Where will you keep coats bags and shoes?

Thanks for replying!
I've drawn out your suggestion to see if I've understood... Planning to use the understairs cupboard which is currently a larder in the existing kitchen as a coat cupboard.

What do the white bits in internal walls represent?

So I'd have the lounge wall as marked in purple, then maybe double pocket doors to kitchen space

I think that's how the doors are shown (if I'm looking at the right thing!)

Your first plan has door from new utility into garage which rather limits use of that wall in utility.
I would move access door to garage to right hand wall of garage leading into hall corridor. Thus breaks up the expanse of blank wall and enables you to to put a whole wall of storage into bottom wall of utility

monsieurpoirot - so it would make like a bit of an internal room in the middle of the house?

I can see doors ok. It's the bit between lounge and family room /diner

How about moving the utility to the back of the garage, then knocking out the wall for the utility space and having the dining area across the gap that is left there. That would make your seating area bigger at the back of the house and give more room for dining too?

Too small for an internal room. Just a more luxurious hallway. Space for a table and armchair possibly

Squiffany - that's an idea, I've also thought about moving the utility room door to come off the kitchen so creating an uninterrupted run of untis

Squiffanys - I think I was toying with the idea of some kind of sliding door - not sure I want a wall there but I think I'd want to be able to have the 2 big rooms separate-able

Afromom - like this? I had thought of this a while back, I think I discounted it because I thought the dining space would be a bit dark and with doors/entrances on all 4 sides it could be a bit of a thoroughfare

I like the idea of a luxurious hallway... maybe I could make it like the US "boot rooms" I've seen on Pinterest

Could you reduce the size of the utility room by moving the wall to the left - opening up the hall at the end. You could put a nice unit against the wall. Also reduce the size of the lounge by bringing the wall between it and the seating are down a bit. That way you'd get a more spacious casual seating area at the back.

CloudNinetyNine I think the utility room wall could move quite easily but the wall at the end of the lounge is holding up the back of the house so less simple to move. Agree that reducing the utility room size might be a price worth paying for a wider hall...

Ah, yes - fairly obvious now!

... About the lounge wall, I mean.

I think you should keep the garage intact if you can. Even if you don't park the car in there, I think for resale, having a garage is a plus.

I know what you mean but we're not planning on moving anytime soon and really want the house to work for us so I don't mind losing some garage if that's the best answer.... I feel like there are too many options and obviously there has to be a compromise somewhere. Good to have some new ideas though

Do you have children? My kids love riding their scooters up our corridor 😁

haha m0therofdragons! yes I can imagine that being popular here!

Off topic, but what programme are you using to draw the plans? I'm trying to design our extension!

haha - its roomsketcher, free if you just want the basic version. It also lets you take 3D "pictures" with a little camera which is nice.

This is Afromom's suggestion in 3D