Kitchen redesign(with pics)

[Kitchenplan]

We’ve just had our kitchen planned by wren, love the kitchen but we’ll be looking elsewhere after reading reviews.

Has anyone seen anything similar with the copper flash?

First picture is from the website, rest is our design.

Any comments on the design?

My.pic won't post, don't know why . Anyway, lot of good advice here which boils down to:
Kitchen space on left of room, dining area near garden doors, sink has to move to make any of that work, and if you can, consider reconfiguring the utility/playroom space so you have more square footage.

@Kitchenplan
I think your alternative design works well. Far better than the Wren first one.

It gives you more useable worktop space and also short distance from ovens, fridge and freezer'
I think it would work well with the seating near the windows and patio doors especially in summer.

Nobilia have copper flash, but its very 2019, won't stand test of time. Consider copper lampshades which will be cheaper to upgrade while still giving you the look.

I just feel like every bit of worktop is segmented, so no big area to do a lot of prep/serving. It’s basically what I have now. 😕

The advice you have gotten here will solve that issue, it may take a bit more budget but will exponentially give you a much better kitchen.

That is an awkward shaped house. I think this is a good idea:

Can you block up door from lounge and create a door from the hall? Makes both rooms more usable.

You could then have a wrap around kitchen in the dark part and a table by the window.

I think you could keep the same basic layout if you move the sink to the back wall (behind the lounge) and get the long run of worktop you want. You could also keep the L shape if you wanted yet more worktop and have the table floating in the middle. The sink and hob need to be quite near though. They won’t be in our new Kitchen and I already know it will be a pain

I really dislike the first wren design, there's just something ugly about it. I actually thing the current design is better but needs some work to improve it, or the second one.
I'm not sure I personally would have fixed seating built in.
I think it's probably worth spending the extra money on moving the plumbing.
Keep redesigning until you are 100% happy. It's a lot of money to spend. X

@donquixotedelamancha - that’s impossible unless we go out the front door, down the side of the house and through the back door to get to the kitchen. Which I had to do to get to the microwave in the utility on Christmas Day as the table plus guests blocked the way through.

that’s impossible unless we go out the front door, down the side of the house and through the back door to get to the kitchen.

Ah, never mind. I missed the post about the understairs cupboard.

Is it worth putting up with the kitchen for a while and saving to knock through some walls? If not then (if it can be made to fit) I think your last image is the best.

OP, you are doing your best, but clearly have decided an architect is not in the budget. Unfortunately, this will play out in the final plan (not design, as no one qualified designed it).
I will never understand the mind set that buys a 4G tv for 5k (not at all saying that's you, OP) is more important than asking and paying, a qualified architect how to spend the next 20 years of their lives living and using a space every single day in their house. For the same price as the tv.

Well the big problem is the position of the door from the lounge. Move that over to the left as you look down on the plan. This then gives you a much more usable space.

Do all the houses on the street have the same ground floor layout with no hallway? This is the kind of thing where it's worth looking on Rightmove to see other floorplans and kitchen layouts. I suspect the original hall space has been absorbed into the downstairs reception rooms to give more usable living space, but as you are finding, this creates its own issues.

@wowfudge yes they all have no hallway. This is the original floor plan of our house before extension.

Is the cupboard under the stairs big enough to lose and create a door from there to kitchen and the playroom? It looks like you have to walk through every room to get to the playroom - is that right?

I would put a door through the wall where wren put the seating to the playroom and block off the door in the extension part of the kitchen. I would move the door into the kitchen to one side or other of that wall rather than more or less in the middle. Then I would use that area as a dining area and have the now 3 sided extension area as a bright kitchen which is no longer a corridor.

No sadly it’s not big enough, it’s probably chest height.

@faina - that could be an idea....although that wall used to be the external wall but I imagine doable. Would mean we’d have room for a tumble drier in the utility room too....thanks!

The copper "flash" are what we call Extrusions; they're a 30mm decorative metallic spacer popular in german style handle-less kitchens.

All the major mid-high end kitchen manufacturers offer them these days; though not all may accommodate your preference for the opening mechanic on the doors.

Our supplier offers integrated handles (inset into the top of the door in a metallic colour to match the extrusions), oblique doors (with a chamfered top) or contact (push to open).

There's nothing to stop you just buying the extrusions separately and adding them to any cabinet/door style from a manufacturer of your choosing, just remember to consider handles/door opening and that they'll increase the kitchen height by ~30mm (may affect panelling and corner posts) and require ~30mm additional space if you have them vertically between larders/tall housings.

Design wise, it's an awkward space despite being quite a large room.

Have you considered an island with integrated seating rather than the table? .. it may allow you more worktop/preparation space without sacrificing on seating.