Help! Kitchen design overwhelm

[Allfallingdown]

Help. We have done a side return extension - it’s currently breeze blocks and roof tiles are going on today. We have to order the kitchen due to leadtimes. This is the whole point of the extension project, to get a bigger kitchen on our skinny terrace. But it is proving so much harder than expected to get a layout that works well, and I don’t want to bugger it up at this stage and after all the ££ spent.

Version 1 is what we’ve been working to. It’s towers down the left hand side, under counter only on the right (new side return bit under velux windows) and island in middle. It gives plenty of storage and worktop. But I’m worried about the flow, with island in middle. Also of having to pivot to the island with things coming out of the oven. The table is next to the bifolds at the far end. The internal end is a 3m aperture to the old dining room which will be kids room.

Option 2 is what we had originally - probably a bit more sensible/ more standard horseshoe layout with the towers on the other side. Also plenty of worktop and storage, and with oven beneath hob so straightforward from that point of view. For some reason I can’t get excited about it..

Option 3 is what we came up with yesterday. I can’t remember the rationale now, only that l-shape seems to be a good shape - but this leaves us with a big empty bit in the middle which would be great for parties but not sure generally!

Btw option 1, the hob is over the 800 drawers on the right.

Please help... I’m really very overwhelmed with it all. I lost my Dad at the beginning of this year and I don’t think my brain is able to approach this with the right sort of clarity at the moment (top tip, don’t do a major home project whilst grieving for a parent....)

Sorry also should have said, because we were working to option 1 for some time; this is how the builder has organised services currently. Not impossible to change but will cost and delay.

Also, not keen on sink/hob in island for various reasons - sink/drainer is never totally tidied up in this house, and extraction over the hob is such a pita/costly..

Tricky. I think i prefer the horshoe shape. I like a bit of floorspace in a room it gives room to move around. I wonder if behind the sink could be a raised back so you cant see the sink from the table so much.

I think it’s a massive shame all your layouts have the sink near the eating area. Don’t have the sink on the peninsula overlooking the eating area. This is not a good idea and you will be eating near dirty pots and pans. If you go with that layout, use the peninsula for serving and prep maybe?

I actually don’t like any of them. The Island is just wrong. Looks small and rather useless. You would be walking round it all the time and that would be annoying. Why not use the whole of the left side wall? Use the dining end for crockery etc.

Why have an under counter oven? Too small for this size of kitchen. Get an eye level double. Get a separate hob over pan drawers.

You have a lot of storage with (?) next to it. You need sink, fridge and hob to be handy enough to each other. You need serving space near your dining area. You need a big sink and DW away from dining but close enough not be be a trek.

images.app.goo.gl/GEw1pJpdQuzsYGye6
this is what i mean behind the sink -some people even put a breakfast bar but i dont know if you have space or thats necessary. It just hides the mess a bit.
I quite like the idea above of using the whole wall on one side

Thanks grasspigeons yes I think we’d have something like that if we go for the horseshoe. I’m having such a hard time working this all out whilst living in a building site and being unable to visualise things. I might ask the builder if we can have a pause while we work it out a bit.

I wouldn’t go for the island design, there’s just not enough space on either side. Have you had a kitchen designer involved at all?

I like the shape of the horseshoe too. The floorspace looks to flow best out of all the plans. You can walk straight through to the eating area without any obstructions. The oven looks safer in this design for opening and taking stuff out with the two sides tucking it out of the way for anyone walking through to the eating area, if that makes sense.

I also really like Grasspigeons picture of the raised area at the sink if it definitely has to go in that position. You could still talk to people whilst pottering in the kitchen but any mess mess of pots and pans etc would be hidden.

I'm not a fan of the island as it makes the space look awkward to navigate to get to the eating area.

Not keen on option 3 as it encroaches too much on the eating area space and leaves such an empty space in the kitchen area, sorry.

Good luck with whatever you decide to go for

Forgot to say could you swap the sink and dishwasher and 900 corner unit to the other side and put the 300, 3 drawers and 1000 corner where the sink is now in your plan and have counter space looking onto the eating area?

Please keep us posted and an after pic would be lovely to see

I have a big space in the middle of my kitchen diner. Where it works is I have a normal size 4 seat dining table (extendable) by patio doors.

The extra space means I can extend this to a 10 seater in that gap - I am keeping the same when I design kitchen as it's so useful!

In all your plans your dishwasher is on the end of the run. Where will you keep your crockery and cutlery? I like a cupboard right by the dishwasher so it can be quickly unloaded and put away without walking to and fro.

I agree Frog. The sink and DW simply do not work in those locations. It’s not that difficult to extend pipes and drainage. Where is the washing machine? Have I
Missed that?

Thanks all. Without wanting to go into a lot of tedious detail, everything is where it is because there are other drawbacks to it going elsewhere! I think the horseshoe is our best bet, last night was the first time we could actually draw it out in the new space and the island simply doesn’t work. But probably need to tinker with it a bit. We have had many hours of meetings with a kitchen designer but I’m not convinced he actually cooks as was more into making things look pretty. So I’m getting an independent planner round tomorrow to see if there’s anything brilliant that we’ve somehow missed.

All 3 plans seem to have a table for 4 to 6 running North /South.
Unless you are also having a sofa in there, I would run the table at right angles with the long side of table running east /west. Also allows you to have an extendable table

Looking pretty is nice but function is more important

I got myself in a right pickle trying to get my kitchen organised so I used a designer recommended on MN Property/DIY and she was brilliant at working out what needed to go where. Her name is Karen and the company name is OnePlan if you look it up. She works remotely so it's all done by email and CAD drawings, but I ended up with the kitchen of my dreams! Lots of Mumsnetters have used her!

Good luck with the independent planner OP. Hope they can help you to design your dream kitchen

If you want the island layout I would turn the table 90 degrees and shorten the sink run. You can then have a longer island. You could also make the island wider by 300 on the oven side so can add either a breakfast bar or shallow cabinets or a bit of each. Might still be able to fit in a large armchair/loveseat.

The horseshoe layout works well although I would put the sink at the back of the room rather than by the dining area. Or hob at the back and sink on the side.

Good luck