Help with ideas for a lovely kitchen

[KitchenHelpNeeded]

NCed for this. We moved into a new house 18 months ago and it had a new kitchen installed in 2015. Decent quality, looks nice but has subsequently driven us mad because it was obviously not planned by someone who ever cooks!

It’s a smallish room, so planning it properly will be quite important and I just can’t seem to work out where everything will go.

Pictures attached from the listing, key things are:

• Needs somewhere to put a fridge (so there’s space against the ‘free’ wall for a table because there’s not space for one anywhere else downstairs)
• Needs a full-size dishwasher rather than the current one that fits in about 3 plates and a small pan.
• Ideally want to keep the current granite worktops

Any inspired ideas? I’ve seen some amazing threads on here before where people have had fantastic ideas.

If you're going to replace the cabinets then I would make better use of the under stairs space - better storage (as many big cupboards and/or drawers as you can fit in. This way you won't miss having less cupboards on the other side of the kitchen) and put the fridge there too. A combination of these images:
www.jacksonwoodturners.co.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Kitchen-2.jpg
i.pinimg.com/236x/8b/df/df/8bdfdfa4b352b2fe0012faf9098a7a82--built-in-storage-under-stair-storage.jpg
sustainablekitchens.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Rockhouse-Barn-conversion-Shaker-Kitchen-with-built-in-angled-understair-shelving-cabinet.jpg

• Move the cooker over to the wall beside where the washing machine currently is (near all your plug sockets) and update the extractor.
• Put either the washing machine or new dishwasher where the cooker currently is - use the granite leftover from under the stairs to "make" a new counter top there (it can be joined together with the granite already there around the sink).
• Keep the sink where it is and then put the dishwasher/washing machine around where current small dishwasher is. Integrate them if possible as it makes everything look a bit more streamlined.
• Have less overhead wall cupboards - it will make it look more open and let you introduce more colour through paint/tiles, etc. It looks too enclosed as it is at the minute.
• Different colour of cabinets if you are keeping the current floor tiles.
• Different splash back tiles - they give the impression there is no space between the counter top and the wall cabinets.

It’s dangerous to have the cooker on the edge like that. Had that arrangement in a house I lived in once and I hated it.

Can you post the floor plan of the whole of the downstairs from the listing too? That would be very helpful.

My initial thoughts are to put a full size dishwasher where the cooker is and the cooker in the run where the washing machine is, but then where would the washing machine go?

The open stairs are a fire risk.

I think I would agree: fullsize dishwasher in cooker space. Ideally the cooker about 60-80cm from the end of the run where the washing machine is. Could the washing machine go under the stairs or (like ours) in a garage? But that would give you a nice working area between the sink and cooker.

Houzz website is great for this. Post in advice and usually a semi pro or even professional will do you a plan. Some great advice on there.

You can also use to save pictures you like, others can access to see your 'style' and advise accordingly.

What's through that arch beyond the cooker?

Thanks so much everyone, I was leaning towards putting the fridge where the cooker was but I think a dishwasher makes more sense. But then where does the fridge go?

Attached a picture of the rest of the downstairs - there’s not much to see it’s a 1850’s Victorian mini-house. Tumble drier is by the back door.

Agree re the fire safety, wowfudge. We’ve got fully opening windows in both bedrooms upstairs, ladders, extinguishers and appropriate alarms for the locations - haven’t managed to persuade DH to install a sprinkler!

cooker is in an illegal position to start (cops wont come mind haha)

KitchenHelpNeeded Put the fridge in the space under the stairs. You have a decent amount of space there - it just isn't used well at the minute with the current layout.

Or, if you have the space, make the room behind the kitchen (through the arch) into a mini utility. If space is limited you could stack the washing machine and tumble dryer in there.

Is the back door to the left or the right? I was thinking you could put the washing machine and tumble dryer under the window on the other side of the wall, easier plumbing. Dishwasher where the cooker is. Cooker about where the dishwasher is. The fridge can't go too far to the right on that wall if you need a table there. If it will fit under the stairs, but not behind the door, that would work.

Whoever planned that kitchen was an idiot!

I viewed a house a few years ago and we didn’t buy it but I did remember they had been really clever with the under stairs space, I can’t copy the picture but see pic 8 in this link www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMatching.html?prop=50831405&sale=26365863&country=england

in the cupboard next to the fridge was the washing machine

I see you've got the fridge in that rear lobby. What else is in there?
Agree with suggestion to make it a Utilty. I guess you want to keep a gap between kitchen and bathroom, but get your washing machine out there and bring the fridge in to the kitchen. Maximise use of that lobby to free up space in kitchen

Thank you all so much.

I’ve just noticed that for some reason the back door isn’t shown on the floor plan . It’s that diagonal bit on the right behind the wall where the sink is, if that makes sense? So although it looks like there’s a useful space there, in fact it’s basically a corridor to the back door. We do currently have our tumble drier there, and a big cabinet for storing shoes etc.

But I think investigating whether I can plumb the washing machine in that side, maybe just outside the bathroom door, is a great idea particularly if I can then stack the dryer on top.

Whisky that’s where the old owners kept their fridge, but meant you can’t open the doors of the big cupboard on the left. So our fridge is currently next to the washing machine.

Whoever planned that kitchen was an idiot!

Glad it’s not just me that’s come to that conclusion!

And Solitude, Bracken thanks for the pictures of ideas for under the stairs - so helpful to visualise.

Even with the invisible back door, you've got a lot of room in that back lobby and bathroom area. Depends on what is in those cupboards in bathroom and left end of lobby.

Another option is to rip out the cupboards under the stairs and put the table there, giving you a wide U shape of cabinets around the other three walls.

Dishwasher and sink on window wall.
Washing machine, single cupboard, cooker, double cupboard, tall corner pantry on long wall.
Fridge and cupboards to fill third wall.
Tumble dryer in bottom of large cupboard in lobby.

I agree with @MarniLou just mentioned a pro on there on another kitchen thread.

Sorry I haven’t replied but did spend a lot of yesterday looking at Houzz and putting together something sufficiently detailed to put on the forum to ask for advice. SO much information on there and I’d never heard of it!

Sirrah this was initially the plan, but then we worked out that because it’s effectively under the stairs and the lounge door is in the way, it would need to be really long and narrow - effectively the space under the stairs would be wasted as there would be a table there you couldn’t sit at. But thanks for the suggestion.

Currently, the plan is:
Built in fridge/freezer and microwave under stairs with storage units/shelves.
Full size dishwasher where cooker is.
New cooker unit to move to centre of wall units. DH is now dreaming of a range style unit (we are enthusiastic cooks) but I think this might be a bit OTT.
Remove the high cupboards over cooker for extractor (and space for hanging utensils etc, farmhouse style??).
Washing machine to move to bathroom if possible. Water inlet not an issue, waste potentially problematic.
Dining table in space where fridge was, extending into centre of room. Or just bung it in the middle, but this might mean we’re always stepping round it to get to the fridge.

Alternative suggestion: fridge/freezer where washing machine now is, space under stairs just for storage and microwave. But then we lose access to a lot of plug sockets etc.

Haven’t even started to look at colours etc.

Is it possible to switch the way the door opens from living room to kitchen? Having it open into the living room or getting a pocket-slide door that fits into the wall? Would mean some work but might be worth it. They're quite sturdy and not like wobbly sliding doors of old.

That would mean the space under stairs is more usable. I'd still go for turning it into all cupboard space and taking some of the wall units out as pp's have suggested. Good luck and hope the washing machine idea works out, would really help not to have it in the kitchen.

Just out of interest why is it dangerous and illegal to have the cooker on the end there?

I'm not sure it's illegal - it is probably against current building regs as it's close to the bottom of the stairs and right beside a doorway.