Kitchen plans with pic!

[Fourmagpies]

We're finalising our kitchen plans. I think we're pretty much there though I have a couple of minor changes and wanted the MNers opinions to spot any obvious mistakes! It's Howdens. The bit next to the breakfast bar is a built in cupboard. We'll also have a utility. The appliances are all built in.

The bare corner bothers me - is it not possible to get some sort of corner unit in that alcove? The breakfast bar looks very tight, I'm not sure how useful it will be.

What is bottom left?
Door? Window?

Do you really need/want a breakfast bar? If you're going to use it then fine, but if not then it's a waste.

I thought the chimney breast was the built-in cupboard the OP mentioned. I'd be tempted to can that and have more dining space (if it is a cupboard and not a chimney breast).It looks a bit odd stuck in the middle of the wall.

The breakfast bar looks a waste of space. So little can be accessed by seating and a large wasted worktop space asking to house clutter.

The bottom left hand corner is odd. It looks like a gap not filled. Something needs to be reconfigured there , I think.

What about filling the bottom with a corner cupboard and have floating shelves above it to add a feature.
Great place to show nice bits and bobs. To soften the kitchen.

The gap in the bottom left corner will be a door to the utility room. The built in cupboard is an original feature so not keen to get rid of it (though DH would!). The next room is the dining room so not any need for a table and don't think there is really room. The breakfast bar was a compromise as though it'd be nice to have somewhere for people to perch whilst I cook. We will add shelves behind the breakfast bar to soften that bit. And yes it probably will be a dumping area - it'll make a change from them the end of the worktops!

The breakfast bar looks too deep to me - it restricts access through the door next to it and around the oven. It's basically a square table with three useless sides on the plans and takes up a lot of space. I'd halve the depth of it if you are wedded to having it. I'm also not overly keen on the tall units right next to the other door (FF?) but at least on the other side things are broken up by the wall units and worktop.

I'd switch it around. I'd have the back wall opposite the window as a bank of storage units incorporating the fridge freezer.

I'd then move the sink to the right hand end of the units in front of the window and have the hob and ovens on the wall to the left of the window. (This might make the extract system better as the run from the hood to the outside would be shorter??? ). I would then not have any other high cupboards above the unit with the ovens and hob. This would help keep the kitchen light and 'open'.

I'd have a tall storage cupboard, possible with some open shelves in the spot where you have put the table and chairs. I'd run this in line with the chimney breast - this would end up as a shallow cupboard but it would still be useful.

I would then have a combined worksurface and breakfast bar where the fridge freezer is meant to be. You would have to look at the size properly. I can't quite tell how feasible it is on my phone.

I think something similar to what I'm suggesting would make the room have a less cluttered feel.

It would help if the units went all the way up to the ceiling although this would depend on the height of the ceiling.

I'm not sure the way the door swings would work with my suggestion. A pocket door might work better.

I guess my suggestion might be totally impractical but I'm at the hairdressers and it's a fun way to pass the time 😂😂😂

Sorry for typos. It's tricky to proof read on my phone.

I've done a quick plan on Ikea planner based on Its idea - excuse the gaps. I'm not sure the breakfast bar will work behind the door so left it out. Not sure what to put in that corner at the end of the tall cabinets.

I would have the hob on the wall to the right of the sink unit to make it easy to strain pasta/veg etc at the sink when you are cooking, otherwise you are carrying hot pans right across the kitchen.

What the gap like in the bottom left corner? Looks very narrow as a walk way through to the utility room, I think I'd constantly be catching myself on the corner of the unit (might just be me) and would be tricky to carry laundry baskets, etc, through.

The look is lovely but I see some key issues/problems.

1. You have a very, very long way to carry your pan of pasta/potatoes/veggies/stuff to drain/etc to the sink - all the way across the kitchen - past several doorways and the breakfast bar. You will either be calling "Boiling water coming through" continually and/or have a spilt boiling water issue. Ditto with topping up pans with water from the tap....either carrying pans back and forth or jugs of water.
2. Bottom left - if that is a doorway it looks very tight. You will have constant bruises on your hip/waist from the corner of the unit next to the sink. It could just be the drawings - but check it out with some paper/cardboard boxes in the space. You will curse if you have to turn sideways every time you go in or out of the utility room. With a washing basket.
   3)1) AM a bit unclear if the bottom right double doors in the cupboard or a doorway to the dining room or something. If it is a walkway when you walk through the bottom right door and someone is cooking...clash.
3. Where will your bin and tea-towels go?

Oh, x-posted.

That's much better.

X-Post. Your newer design looks much better for the sink/hob placement and like the big bank on the wall opposite the window.

The gap to the doorway to the utility is tight though the plan doesn't show it very well. It's an existing doorway and currently, the worktop goes further along so it'll actually better than it is now. It is doable with a basket. Anyway, that bit can't be changed.

I quite like the new design. I'd been thinking about putting a big bank of units on that wall. My only concern is that the fridge will be next to the ovens.

I was thinking a bit like ItsNot, although I have doubts about having the hob next to the doorway, but I still think it's a better layout.

Your latest version looks better, but why not have the ovens under the hob? I know crouching down might not be ideal, but it's probably better than having the ovens next to the fridge. Or maybe put the fridge where the breakfast bar was on your original plan?

Also, (although I'm sure you've thought of it) on your second plan you need to sort out the corner to the left of the wall opposite the window. Cupboards all the way looks the best option.

Make sure the hinge on the microwave is on the right

How about the following. The whole of the back wall with cabinets, fridge freezer and possibly ovens. Then the sink at the far right end in front of the window and the hob at the other end(but with some work surface either side. You could have a smaller but deeper sink.

Then have a large squarish island with storage units underneath attached to the wall where the chimney breast is - it could extend around the chimney breast. You could have the worktop over hang the units on one side to provide a breakfast bar.

I can't work out sizes on my phone so don't know if this would provide the same amount of storage as your original plan or not

The orange is floor and the blue is an island and base cabinets

You could also, maybe, have the hob o the island. I tried drawing it on the plan. I'm thinking the island would be @120- 150 from front to back which would fit two back to back rows of base cabinets.

You could also have the ovens in the island beneath the hob. I have my ovens in my base cabinets and don't find it a problem. I have racks in them that safely pull right out.

Like I said you can't really judge how things will look unless you have a proper scale.

There are units under the breakfast bar in the original plan, you just can't see them. The chimney breast is actually a built in cupboard so it won't work quite like that (where the breakfast bar is, is where the chimney breast was originally).
I don't think there is enough room for the hob where I've put it in the second plan, there isn't much room either side and it's too close to the door. I could put it the other side of the door as there is more worktop space though I will be crossing the kitchen with hot pans again but not as far. The dishwasher is in the run where the sink is so the hob can't go there and we need plenty of worktops, it's one of the bugbears of our existing kitchen - or there is lots of workspace but it's all bitty, no decent space to spread out.

Oops I was forgetting the bit about the cupboards in the chimney breast. 😂

You definitely want lots of room around the hob so I can see that it wouldn't work in the second plan. I'm also not sure it would be ok to have the hob in the same run as the sink as I think you aren't meant to have gas jobs in front of windows as it's hard to see the flame and it could be a safety hazard... (but PLEASE check that if it's important as I might be wrong 🤦🏻‍♀️)

 It tricky isn't it.

It is tricky. It's an awkward room. I'm going to go back to my Howdens designer and ask him for any suggestions. I'm going to send him this one and see if he can come up with a solution for the awkward corner. DH is on board with having the bank of tall units on the far wall and the shallow larder unit next to the built in cupboard. I'm not sure if Howdens do a shallow larder unit but DIY do and we can mix and match a bit without it looking odd as it's an older property with quirky bits.