Cunning ideas to tweak my kitchen, please!

[PimpMyKitchen]

(Name change, obv).

I can't afford to have a new kitchen at the moment (although I do have more radical ideas for the long term) but I do have a few thousand to throw at improving this one. Plan attached - the kitchen end is roughly 12 ft by 6 ft but then it's half knocked through into the dining room end, which has a big table and an enormous dresser which holds a lot of kitchen stuff. Luckily, Howdens still make this kitchen, so we can get more/different units if wanted. Things that don't work well:

1. There isn't enough worktop space. I think this one probably can't be solved without the more radical idea of knocking down the wall betwen the two rooms completely, but any ideas very welcome.

2. There isn't enough storage (as the photos I'll post next show! I have had a good declutter, although you wouldn't think so...)

3. Some particular problem areas, which I'll post photos of next.

So far I have in my sights; replacing the worktop (the laminate's chipped), getting a couple of doors replaced where the foil's come off (it is 12 years old, so I don't feel it owes me anything), new cooker without the eye-level grill, kick drawers under the units (no idea how much these cost though), some kind of boxing in of the boiler, maybe an appliance garage in that area?

image

Thanks YourD - lovely pictures again! I think it's lovely and homely too, although it looks much nicer when it's tidy, which is hard when there's so little storage...

Unfortunately the enormous dresser is so enormous that there's no room for anything else on that wall. But I love it and had it made bespoke for the space so am not going to change it - it's not as space inefficient as I think people are imagining (it has two large cupboards in the top bit and deep shelves with baskets and things, so not just a plate-storage kind of top) although of course it's not as capacious as cupboards.

I think kick drawers will help (the worktops are set a little higher than usual to match the window sills so the drawers can be a little deeper than usual) and boxing in the boiler and squeezing in a small cupboard next to it. Maybe also replacing the wall cupboard with shelves.

Longer term, I think maybe knocking down the wall and having a thin peninsula where the wall used to be - that would keep the kitchen/scullery distinction that I like, and be fine to have different flooring whilst letting a lot more light into the dining room end and creating a bit more storage and worktop.

Anyway, thanks all for useful suggestions and reactions!

My comment regarding the radiator would be if you want some 300 deep units there for storage then change to a plinth heater.

Thanks Johnd. That radiator doesn't actually work at the moment anyway but yes if we were hoping to not freeze in the future, that would be a good idea!

How about floor to ceiling cupboards and a built in fridge freezer on the wall with no windows and a fold down table above the radiator for extra work surface space?

Which wall, Genetics, the one with the cooker in? We'd have to move the gas supply in that case, which I think would be very pricey (not prepared to give up a gas hob!). And I'm not sure it's even possible without digging up the floor.

I'm also not sure there's room for a fold down table over the radiator without blocking the passage to the rest of the kitchen - it's only a 4 ft gap and when the dishwasher is open that fills most of the gap (the layout isn't quite as bad as on the plan as we've since moved the washing machine out into a utility room, swapped the DW into its place and gained a full-size food cupboard).

Thanks for the suggestions though!

Sorry. My sense of space obviously isn't that good! I am out of ideas. Move house?

You could use the diving wall to hand things like sauspans. It also looks like you have a bit of room to the left of the cooker for a wall unit. If your main problem is a lack of space I would strongly encourage at reconsidering how you use the space inside the units. You can hang lids on the inside of doors, buy mini pull out shelves to fee up more space and get stackable cooking bowls/measuring spoons cups etc. You can also switch any gadgets you may have for more compact models (e.g. Swapping blender for s bullet or old fashioned scales for a flat digital one).