Kitchen plan....any thoughts ?

[DangerCake]

We are getting an extension built. This is the suggested plan. The first tall cupboard is a freezer, the last in the run, nearer the sink, is the fridge.

Never had a kitchen from new before....

I agree about the island - I don't like the look of it with a blank wall behind. We have a U shape, with a peninsular instead of an island and it's much more useful. We also have a four unit area and it's Freezer, then two oven/units, then fridge. The ovens are close to the peninsular so space to take things out. Need an aerial plan for a better idea

I can’t see the point of the island when you could have units along the opposite wall and more generous space in the middle.

Yes. You could have units on both sides and a narrow island in the middle for extra work space. I would write all of these suggestions down and ask the designer to go back to the drawing board.

The island looks uncomfortable in the room.
The size of the space seems too small / narrow to cope well with this large island.

How wide is the room? It may just be the picture but it looks too narrow to really have an island. If it's not at least 13 foot wide I'd suggest changing the design away from an island. The tiles may not be what you're planning for but currently they are adding to the feeling of a long, narrow room. I'd change that too.

What are the dimensions of the space, wall to wall?

It’s a narrow space, just over 3 m wide.

I’m not set on an island and the flooring will be something completely different. The plan of extension is shown here but we’ve swapped dining and kitchen so dining gets the view of the garden.

Snug is part of the kitchen As shown in the design and utility off that.

I think it’s very corridor like and maybe the island breaks that up.

I would really want a surface near the oven. If you take something hot and heavy out of the oven and the have to move 2 or 3 steps before you can put it down that is far from ideal. To easy to collide with someone else in the kitchen etc etc

Agree with other posters about the sink on the island. I have seen little taps / basins in islands for rinsing vegetables. But you don't really want your main washing up there.

Also if you are having a seperate fridge and freezer I would have the fridge closer to working area and the freezer further away. I go into my freezer a couple of times a day. Probably go into the fridge about 40 times a day.

have you already had the extension built?

The kitchen isn't wide enough for an island. I would put units along the wall instead.

Where would you put 4 plates to dish up, there doesn’t seem to be much work space?

Sorry my kitchen is tiny but I have more actual working area to cook. It’s fine if you do everything prepared, but if you want to cook there isn’t much room compared to the actual space you have

The oven is stuck in the muddle of a run of upright cupboards - so you take out the roast to bask and have to move to put down on the side - surely better to have oven next to work top ?

As you say it very long and narrow.

it might be better to do a small extension within building regs, (I forget what it's called) going out metre or so, it could work out cheaper too.

The snug area is going to be do dark and there seems to be lots of wasted space.

It may be you get just as many kitchen units in the snug (if not more) then the original plan where the kitchen is at the back.

you may also have room for a peninsula, for breakfast bar seating.

You could have big patio door at the back rather than down the side.

@WildCherryBlossom I put my thoughts before read everyone’s opinion so as not to be swayed - agree with you about oven positioning

I’m not set on an island

Could you put a breakfast bar across the room to get in a better designed kitchen and more cabinets, but also get the effect of an island with stools and use if wasted space?

This is really helpful. The snug has no natural light.

The extension isn’t built yet. Still at design stage.

What @newyearnewtwatname is referring to is "permitted development rights". You can extend a certain amount out from your house and into your garden without planning permission.

WildCherryBlossom thank you
I couldn't remember the name.

My parents extended over their dining room, which had no otherwise natural light. The extension was fab, the dining room became vertically virtually unusable as so dark.

Personally I don't like the plan, the room seems very narrow for the island and I would want the layout in terms of your fridge and freezer.

I prefer the earlier plan by new year, or moving the current utility to the snug area to

I don't think the long narrow extension works and it creates too many dark areas and an impractical space.

I would either move the utility into the snug area and extend across the back filling in the two corners or knock the snug through to the family room and do an L shape extension around the utility with room lights in the area at the bottom which has no windows.

If you are having an island I would make it as big as possible and move your hob on to it with the sink on the run behind and the fridge close by. A space of at least 1 metre (ideally 1.2m) is needed around the island.

Sorry I meant roof lights not room lights

you had the double doors to the family room, so you wanted to have a sort of living kitchen?

you could have a sofa and tv added at the end, you'd have to extend a little further but not as far as your original plan, so hopefully not making the the snug area too dark. Again if you have the big patio door at the back opposite the snug area would help.

green bit is supposed to be a sofa, orange a TV.

pic

My kitchen is 3m x 3m. An island in the middle really wouldn't work and it would be squishy to work in. Agree with the comments re no sink in the island.

I really like the idea of using the snug as the kitchen. I think you'd get good bench space in there. I'd opt for a corner pantry then bench with high cupboards on either side. Corner cupboards and deep benches in corners are not nice or usable spaces. I've got a U shaped kitchen, so two of each and it's wasted space.

Also, don't forget efficient kitchens have a triangle set up for fridge, sink, stove.

Why is everything on one wall? What are you doing with the other walls?

I would never have a sink or hob on an island if it can be helped i.e. you have the space.

How important is a table to you? I see so many new kitchens where the table is an after thought rather than considered in the design.

It looks like you have a lot of wall space to play with (though perhaps there are doors or other features on them that make it hard. I think you could get much more from the space. Could you share a bit more details?

Move the loo and utility to dark ‘snug’ area, and have a shorter, wider extension.