Advice on kitchen/diner please

[Thiscantreallybehappening]

We are planning on replacing our kitchen this year and we are in a real dilemma over whether to keep the kitchen separate or knock through to the dining room.

Downstairs we have a lounge, family room, separate dining room, kitchen (which is a good size and I have a table in there that can seat 6 people) we also have a utility room.

This is my dilemma - my DC and DH do not want to knock through and have one big kitchen diner. They like the separate dining room. DH probably more so because of the actual cost of knocking through and disruption. I think there are pros and cons to both.

If I keep the set up the same, I would not have a central island in the new kitchen with a breakfast bar coming off it, I would keep a stand alone table. My thinking is that if/when we sold the house it would give new house owners options to have the kitchen as the main eating area and use the dining room as a playroom/study etc. If we knock through I would have a central island with a breakfast bar, move and slightly extend the utility room and we would use the dining room daily (at the moment it is used couple of times a week). Now, as I am typing I am thinking this is a no brainer and we need to knock through.

BUT DC and DH say, when we are eating you've got all the mess from the kitchen there, food smells will be worse, noise from the kitchen, and they love the dining room. All my friends say knock through. I am so confused.

What do you all think and am I being really silly to even consider not knocking through?

Thank you

I'm not a huge fan of open-plan but, as you seem to have other rooms that can be used for watching TV/sitting quietly, to me it would make sense to knock through and have a larger kitchen/diner.

How large is the kitchen at the moment? It sounds large enough tbh and it's lovely to have an eat in kitchen & formal dining room IMHO!

Thank you lala, this is what my friends say but DC and DH are really against it. I think we play games in the dining room and if we have friends/family round and I do a buffet it is laid out in the kitchen and people help themselves and then go off into the dining room, where it is quiet, no mess etc and DC/DH think it will just look messy and the food smells will be bad. I am tempted to just leave the set up as it is but don't want to look back and realise we made a mistake by not doing it. We wouldn't be able to afford to redo it, this is it.

I’d knock through given you already have two other separate reception rooms.

Why would there be so much mess and smell? Decent extraction and do a clear down before serving :-) more sociable to have a big open plan kitchen/diner

Kitchen diner every time. Why have a space in a family house that you use twice a week?

Thank you Random, this is how we all feel too but I am doubting myself as everyone I speak to tells me to knock through. kitchen is a good size approx 18 feet by 11 feet, I have lots of cupboards, work space and a table that seats six people. The utility room is separate and although we could slightly extend it if we knocked through it is not essential. Also by knocking though I would lose some cupboard space which I am concerned about. DH thinks by keeping the layout the same it would give owners in the future more flexibility with the downstairs rooms.

Thank you fluffywuffy and namechange - I have said exactly those points to the rest of the family. I feel totally torn on this and don't want to miss an opportunity by not doing it but I also like the current set up too.

Can you knock through but insert double pocket doors so that dining room can be completely closed off by what looks like a wall if you wish.

I think look again at your current kitchen, what can you do to make it more sociable and still keep you large table in it?

Large kitchen drawers/pull out drawers means you could probably reduce the number of cupboards you need. Making it feel more spacious.

How many bedrooms do you have?

Kitchen diner very in vogue now but may not be when you sell. You already have a kitchen diner so think you will lose an extra reception room and possible devalue you property.

Have you a floor plan? Anywhere else to put the washing machine if you take the room from the utility room - ours is in a walk cupboard!

Random, exactly - you have hit the nail on the head and I have been saying this to DH - at the moment we have a kitchen/diner and 3 reception rooms if we knock through it will be a kitchen/diner and 2 reception rooms and I am concerned we will devalue the property. I think you are right, our kitchen at the moment is very old and I have noticed that work surfaces seem to be narrower in newer kitchens and with different draws etc I think we could rethink the space. Also the utility is a funny shape. DH thinks we might be able to gain some space back from that but still keep washing machine etc in there.

We have 5 bedrooms, one is very small and we use that as a study at the moment. It can be used as a single bedroom if needed in the future.

We have no plans to move at the moment and think we will be here for a long time but whenever I do home improvements I always think what the impact will be when we do eventually want to move on.

Ok with a 5 bed I think keep separate dining room. Otherwise it starts to be too heavy.

Have a big declutter of kitchen cupboard contents, presumably some rarely used stuff can be housed in dining room sideboard. Steal space from utility and make it a fabulous kitchen diner. Ours is a similar size (no separate dining room) and it's very much a social room and it's surprising how few cupboards you really need. We have to extra wide sets of drawers only 1 wall cupboard and tall unit and it's plenty for a family of 6. Our table sits 8!

I agree with your dh. You have plenty of downstairs rooms to justify having a separate dining room. Some people (ie potential buyers in the future) really like it.

I think the opposite actually - a 5 bed house when you come to sell will appeal to a largish family, or people who have visitors. A family house, without a large social space to all hang out, is definitely (in my view) not as desirable as a house with a large open plan room. I think you need to think of "creating" a family space rather than "losing" a reception room. There is little chance in my opinion that you'd devalue a property by creating a larger open plan living space.

what @namechangedtoday15 said

Thank you everyone, some really good points.

Random - that is really good to know and if I could seat 8 that would be perfect. I do need to declutter the cupboards and the kitchen is badly designed at the moment, the space could be used a lot more effectively.

A580 - exactly how DH and DC feel. I am slightly confused why DC are so against the knocking through but they really are. In fact youngest DC is that we are even replacing the kitchen. It is falling down and really needs doing but apparently he loves it

namechange/angry - I see your point and this is why I am hesitating there is definitely an argument for knocking through and having that larger space but on balance the kitchen can be/is still a good social area and leaving the current layout does give more flexibility in the future.

Having a glazed doors or partition into the dining room could be a good compromise for future selling - no imagination then needed to turn into huge room.

What age/style is your house?

I do think islands will fall out of favour in 10 years or so tbh.

Hi Random, sorry for the delay in replying I have been out all afternoon and just got home.

Our house is about 30 years old. It is a traditional detached build.

Yes, the glazed doors is a good idea although I think we are veering towards keeping the layout the same and rethinking the kitchen space. We could definitely use the space more effectively. It is a good area now so with some rethinking it will work even better and then we get to keep the 3 reception rooms which I do think gives future buyers more options and we like the layout too.

I also agree with you about islands.

I was beginning to think I was mad to even consider keeping the layout the same but it has been really good getting other peoples' views, Mumsnet is great for that. Thank you very much for all your help.

In our kitchen we have a return at the end of the U shape which could be used as a breakfast bar (but I hate them ) but it's great for dishing up onto and then on the back of that - the dining side I have drawers etc that hold snacks and dining table stuff.

Def try some different layouts and try think outside the box. A minimalist look make the room look large especially with clear worktops. We went for a white gloss table and got a glass protector made for it.

Try and find something to give it the wow factor without is costing ££££ because teens are not kind to your kitchen!!!

Random, your kitchen sounds really nice and very well thought through. I think I would love your table, it must look great. Yes, your're right we do need to think outside the box and we need something to give it the wow factor. I have been thinking that today. I do need to go for a more minimalist look, I have too many things on the surfaces.

I know what you mean about teens, they are a nightmare.

I refused to have an oak worktop this time, will replace the cheap one we g

Oops!

Replace it when they move out!

When are you thinking of moving as you have mentioned it several times in your posts? If you are not going for at least five years then I wouldn't worry about future buyers' options. Imo it's the size of downstairs space that is key. We have a large kitchen with a big island with seating, plus a little nook with a bench and small table and the dining room is open plan leading off the kitchen. Doors could be fitted if we wanted. Works for us and worked well over Christmas when we had a full house of visiting family.

Thank you wowfudge. We have no plans to move in the near future, I am just thinking ahead. What you have described sounds very similar to what we would have if we knocked through. I can see the advantages of knocking through but we are veering towards keeping the layout the same. I do think in the future that will give us and new buyers more flexibility. This is such a hard decision, everything else I have ever done has been so much more straightforward.

Random - good plan

OP if you are not even thinking of moving then you should be suiting yourself! Kitchens -all kitchens- date. If you are staying a decade or two (or more!) I can guarantee that the people buying will want to rip it all out and start again, however carefully you have thought it all out now.