Please help me kitchen plan

[Notname]

We’re soon going to be extending our house, and what is currently our lounge will become the kitchen. We’re a few months away from fitting yet, but I’m trying to decide on kitchen layout and would be grateful for any suggestions. I’ve read lots of similar threads and know what sort of things we should be aiming for but seem to be struggling with putting them into practice! It’s crazy as it’s a large room (7.6m x 6.8m) and pretty much a blank canvas really, but I’m not sure if that’s making it harder!

I gave the basic info to a local kitchen company who have sent a design which is helpful as a starting point, but shown me that there’s not nearly enough worktop space (nowhere even for kettle and toaster!) and not as much storage as I’d hoped. So I’m having a bit of a rethink. I’ve attached their design to give a better idea of the space we have (tho they have shown two windows on the back wall, and we only intend to have one, as shown on my plan).

Some things we want to include are:

• 110cm range cooker (I think, tho if necessary might end up with a separate hob and wall ovens)
• island unit with no sink in (I know I’ll leave piles of washing by the sink) - currently intend to have no appliances in island but would consider induction hob if decide against range cooker)
• sink under the window (the space on the plan is 1.5m wide, so that would inc drainer)
• freestanding 90cm wide fridge (but encased in cabinet, if you see what I mean?)
• space for a large dining table (4’ x 7’) that needs plenty of space around as it converts to a pool table (🙄 at DH’s insistence)
• space for a corner sofa or two sofas as it will also be used as a living room

I’ve attached a plan showing the basic layout that I’ve come up with. The grey shaded parts are windows (the large one is 4m sliding doors). The main entrance to the kitchen from the utility is in the top right corner. I’m trying to avoid this corner feeling too crowded.

On the wall that includes the sink we’d have the fridge and a larder cupboard full height, then the rest just base units (prob with the dishwasher to the right of the sink).

On the wall with the cooker I’d planned to just have a mantel over the cooker but this takes up quite a lot of worktop space and is also expensive on the quote we’ve had. So thinking of perhaps something that doesn’t come down as far as the worktops, with 60cm wall cupboards either side.

We will also opt for wide drawers rather than cupboards as far as poss, tho think that will mainly be in the island as there’s not much scope for them in the wall units. The island is 2.4 x 1.2m, tho half of one length and one of the ends will be seating, so no cupboards/drawers there. Still leaves 1.2m on one side and about 2m on the other side (the side facing the cooker on my plan) for storage.

I know we haven’t got the sink/fridge/cooker triangle that we’re supposed to have. I just don’t know how to achieve that tho.

Argh, any help would be most welcome!

Where do the 2 doors lead? Do you need to keep both of them?

Hi the door in the top right is the entrance from the utility (the entrance we’ll use the most as we usually come in through the back door) and the other door is from the hall giving access to the rest of the house, so we def need to keep both of them I’m afraid.

I think at the least you need to swap the kitchen and dining areas. That way you'll be able to run the work top/cabinets in a continuous L shape run around the corner.
I'm not sure the sofas work as they are either?

Sorry do you mean the top left corner? We can’t use the left hand wall as that will mainly be glass (4m sliding doors). I agree the top right corner being disrupted by the entrance door is a pain, tho I do think i prefer going straight into the kitchen, and I do hear everyone say corner units are rubbish so thought it was no bad thing that we wouldn’t have them!
Not sure what we’ll do with sofas yet. Could have 2 small or a soda and chair so we have some flexibility there.

Could you move the french doors to the side where the sofas are? Then you could have a large L shaped kitchen on that wall

Just realised I’ve drawn the sliding doors slightly too long on the plan, there will be 1.8m either side of them. Still not much usable space, tho we could run the kitchen the full length of the back wall and have island parallel to it, and dining table elsewhere (maybe near where the cooker currently is) .

I’m afraid we can’t move the sliding doors. They look out over the garden, open fields (we live on a working farm) and the sunset!

(I know there’s French doors on the kitchen co’s model, but these have changed to a run of sliding doors as shown on the hand drawn plan).

Bliss! Well in that case I'd try and focus the seating area onto the view more too. How big is the utility? If you enlarge it (taking a corner out of the new room?) it could give you a walk in pantry and an appliances zone so no need to clutter up your worktops with toasters etc)

Agree we do need to maximise the view, that’s partly the idea of having the dining table at that end. We have a separate lounge so sitting in that room will be largely round the table, tho we do want to have nice views from the sofa area too if poss. But eat them Positon so we can watch tv, which can either be in bottom left corner or between the windows on the bottom wall.
We will have a large utility but as it’s a working farm it will be largely for wellies and work stuff, tho the freezer and washing machine will be in there. We I don’t think we can really cut a corner off the kitchen to make it bigger, tho not sure! It’s hard to visualise. That corner is the existing walls of the house and the utility extension is kind of wrapping around it.

Id swap the dining and sofa areas. The door on your plan is blocked by the sofa, that would be annoying on a day to day basis.

The main thing I'd say is , there will be a lot of people walking from the utility into the house, down a "corridor" between the two doors. You really don't want your cooker in that place. I'd keep that wall completely clear or use it for larder cupboards (maybe slightly reduced depth). Not ovens. Try not to make the work triangle cross that corridor.

That gives you even less wall for your kitchen so you will need to create some with your island, maybe a 2-level island with the range built into it and a ceiling extractor. Or go for induction hob and ovens. Will anyone even perch on those stools if they have the choice of a sofa?

I've posted this before but if you can bear to put a sink in the island, its an efficient layout for a kitchen with only one wall and space for a big island.

Also my very limited knowledge of pool tables is you need room behind them to use the cue, so it needs to have lots of space around it.

Fake mantels are terrible, they just obstruct the worktop next to the hob, why would anyone do that?

Thanks for the input, we keep debating whether to switch the dining and lounge areas, the problem with the sofa being to the left is where to put the tv as much of the wall will be glass. But I’m thinking if I sacrifice the range cooker and go for built in ovens and a hob on the island we could do something like this (scrawled plan attached).
With more floor to ceiling cupboards we’d have a bit more storage - we don’t get much more worktop space for appliances, but think we only have kettle and toaster and food mixer out at the moment. And the sink area and space to the right of it would be about 3m long in total. Then we’d have lots of work space on the island, as long as the hob doesn’t get in the way (total length should be 2.4m we were thinking, so should be ok).

Ah cross posted with NotMe but what you said makes lots of sense and I think the revised plan addresses most of the issues you mention. You’re right about the corridor created at the entrance, that’s an issue I’ve been pondering. I don’t want tall cupboards on that right hand wall (where the range was) as feel it’ll block the entrance, having nothing there would be better but prob would be tricky to fit a range in on the top wall so may need to rethink that and go for higher ovens (dh will be pleased!).
Re the island, I don’t want the sink there, as I know it’ll get cluttered but could manage the hob in it. We think the island unit seats will be used as we had an island at our old house and used to use them a lot, plus think kids will do homework and have breakfast there. Planning to get proper seats rather than bar stool type things.

Agreed re fake mantels too. We had one at our old house and it was obstructive and always grubby! It also adds £1300 to the cost on the quote I’ve got so it sure why I thought it a good idea! Tho if hob is in the island I’ll prob need to spend a fortune on a pop up extractor I suppose.

yes I see, flows much better.