New kitchen design - opinions/advice much needed please

[Notnowmother]

Hi, I would really appreciate your opinions/ideas please before we make any expensive decisions that we regret...😨
We are extending our current kitchen (6.3m by 3.4m) which is about a million years old, into the garden by 4m, so it will become 6.3/7.8m by 7.4m. Feeling lucky, excited and scared!
We are keeping the current living room for TV, sitting by the fire etc, but intend to make the new room a modern kitchen, a place for dining and a sofa area for chatting etc. (The kitchen bit will still be where the current kitchen is atm)

Our designer (I wasn’t feeling brave enough to do it myself), has suggested the first attached layout. I have a few reservations that I need help with (my dhs input is that he wants some sociable bar stool seating for when there are just the four of us eating, and he wants a bora pure hob 💰💰)
My first worry is that the curved worktop looks too fussy - I am definitely a straight line person by nature, but isn’t that why we employed a designer?? Hence design two - but is that too laboratory-like?
My second worry is that the fridge freezer (on right of the bank of tall units) will open over the door to the utility room, not sure if that’s a problem?
Another concern is that, with all the best will in the world, we will be leaving small appliances out on the worktop - looking around now we have a toaster, slow cooker, coffee machine, kettle, bread maker, steamer and blender all on display. This isn’t really the modern tidy look I’m going for and I wonder if we might be better with design three where there are two potential appliance garages, the one on the right for breakfast/drinks and the other for the fridge freezer. But does that reduce my worktop space.....

Opinions/advice on these concerns, and anything else about the design are welcome (and greatly needed). TYIA.

Oh - the entrance to the kitchen from the hallway is the door on top right of the picture, the other door is to the utility room. On the left of the bank of tall units is a larder unit (can’t put anything else there due to pipes etc). We are thinking of a engineered wood, wood-look tile or a wood look amtico/Karndean floor (pros and cons here?), a combination of light and dark Matt handleless doors, and a whiteish quartz worktop.
So many questions.... (Please ignore my poor use of the design package)

Is there anything on the wall at the right? I'd be tempted to extend over that way (so it's a peninsula not an island) but that might not be the on trend thing! Or actually, to the left as that's the utility side. I would definitely rethink the fridge door/utility, I can see me carrying washing through and one of the kids being in the fridge (again) and it getting annoying..

Thank you for your comments banjo.
There is nothing on the wall at the right but, if I extend the island to the right, then we would have to go through the kitchen area to get to the sofa, and if I extend it left, I think it might be a pain to set and clear the dining table, although I would gain more worktop?
I agree with your comment about the fridge - I can definitely see that happening to me! Not sure what to do - don’t think I could cope with an undercounter fridge and freezer which would be another option...

I'd go for option 3
I like straight lines too
And I think the tall units would be good for hiding away the appliances, I like no clutter too. I actually have a double cupboard with pocket doors to shut everything away
Which way does the door to the utility open?

I have a table at the end of the island if that's an option?

That looks lovely. How much worktop space do you have in total tomboy?
Love your flooring - please can I ask what it is?

There’s 1m right side of the sink, 2m on the left, but that includes draining board , 1m in the cupboard and then 60cm either side of the hob.
Because the workspace is on the island it feels bigger because you can expand into the other side a bit

Floor is Ted Todd, moccasin or sandbanks

we will be leaving small appliances out on the worktop - looking around now we have a toaster, slow cooker, coffee machine, kettle, bread maker, steamer and blender all on display Fine if you use them every day, but do you REALLY use your slow cooker and steamer every day?
I think you've got too much seating at the island at the expense of storage.
You will have a lovely table 5 steps away - surely if all 4 of you are eating, you would prefer to eat there as it looks a bit of a squeeze to have 4 eating at that island.
I look on island seating as where you perch with a drink or a laptop, or eating breakfast on your own

@WhereDoesThisToiletGo depends how you live. When we had an island, most meals were eaten on there and the dining table was very rarely used

I would be inclined to swap the sitting area and the dining table over.
It does seem that you are putting a big kitchen extension in, but still not getting the kitchen that you want, as you want the space to serve a lot of functions.

I have reservations about island seating so close to the dining table. We have a similar room, a little smaller as PD was 3m when we did ours. We opted not to have island seating and had more storage instead which was better I think.

Are you going to have a TV in the living area, and if so where?

You could get rid of your kettle by having a boiling water tap? One less thing to have out on the worktop!

What about putting fridge on the end to the right of sink units and two/three ovens on the opposite end...then instead of ceiling to floor units on the right have more workspace for your appliances, behind folding cupboard doors if you want, or with wall units above? We have a 3m island with seating all down one side and it’s great but we wish we’d put a lip on one end as it’s much more sociable to eat around the end than in a line, we often pull a stool at the end but no space for knees!

Thank you so much for all the advice so far - it’s giving me so many ideas and as you quite rightly said @Banjodancer I should try to make sure I end up with what I need from the space.
@tomboytown I’m definitely planning in a pocket door cupboard
to hide some appliances!
@WhereDoesThisToiletGo good point - I don’t use the bread maker slow cooker or blender everyday (and am considering a steam oven so might not need the steamer at all). I’m hoping not to have a tv in the room at all😱
@BIWI yes! - dh is keen on one of these.

I am reconsidering the need to seat four at the breakfast bar too - we originally planned for a large round table in the dining area which wouldn’t have worked for the four of us. Then we decided the space better suited a long rectangular table which would be fine for four, but I didn’t reconsider the breakfast bar. I’m really so grateful for all your fresh pairs of eyes looking at his plan!

FWIW we have a table close-ish to the island but use the island much more to sit and eat - so I would keep seating there but consider the likelihood of more than 4 - a kitchen island is a magnet for guests and it’s much more relaxed to sit and eat brunch or casual dinner there.

And yy to boiling water tap, I love having one.

I would also swap the dining table and sofa areas over. Also prefer the straight line on the island, the curved isn't modern any more imo. Good luck with it

I think the designs all have problems because of the door to the utility room. Whatever you put on that wall will mean the entrance and exit to the utility room is compromised. Can this door be blocked up and the utility room be accessed another way? It really spoils the design as it stands I’m afraid.

Apart from the utility room door, layout 1 is quite similar to my kitchen. My eating area is a circular wooden attachment to my island with 4 chairs round it and cupboards under it. The island is 3200 x 1400. This gives storage units back and front. Plenty of space for gadgets and you don’t need much out at any one time. You should get a steam oven and built in coffee machine. Bread maker isn’t needed all the time and you could get a boiling tap.

As well as the hob on the island, I have a veg prep sink, two waste bins, pan drawers, and lots of storage “round the back”! If your island isn’t deep, get it changed. You have space.

I might also consider using the left hand wall towards the front as kitchen. What is it intended to be? You have difficult access to your utility room but a spare wall there. I might be inclined to use it.

@tomboytown can I ask where you got your pocket door cupboard from please? Is your flooring engineered wood - have you found that that works well for a kitchen?
@BubblesBuddy I know exactly what you mean about the utility room door and we have already planned to move it from further right on that wall, but that is the best we can do. The island is almost 1400 wide though. I’m having such trouble picturing a curved island on a straight island though - how do you find it?
I’m thinking the wall on the left will be part of the dining area and have a picture or mirror and maybe a small floating storage unit? We should be ok for storage space I hope as the utility room also houses a walk in larder.

Ok, i guess these are pictures of three options for the island seating, all of which I like, and I would welcome any thoughts. I know it’s a question of taste, but i don’t want to choose something that others would find awful, and can you see problems or advantages for any of these?
I am going round in circles of indecision.....

I love the idea of being able to face someone else rather than sitting in a row - if there's space I would go for one of those options. If it's bar height rather than table height you could use it more for a work surface too?

I will try and attach my circular breakfast bar with cupboards under. We have 4 chairs around it and the circle is around 1m diameter. Not at home at the moment so cannot check. You could have the circle made from whatever you want. We chose oak to go with the oak frame. It’s a very efficient use of space to have cupboards under. The rear run of drawers and cupboards is useful for extra storage too.

I think you won’t like the kitchen but the island might give you ideas!

We also have a large dining table and seating in a large space adjacent to the kitchen so it’s semi open plan. The seating in the kitchen is used all the time though! The hob and seating mean we all interact! Put Sockets in the worktop! Vital.

Definitely have a boiling water tap, love ours, we just had kitchen refit and so pleased we added one of these.

Yes engineered oak
I had similar in last house too
No problems for me with wood in kitchen

Pocket door came from kitchen designer, I'll pm you the details.

I struggled with island dining/seating too. But v happy I have both levels of seating. Sitting opposite is much more social, sometimes we have kids on the island and grown ups at the table.
There's a lot of options

Some other ideas