Kitchen layout feedback (with pictures!)

[dizzyupthegirl86]

Hi all,
I lurk on here all the time and love everyone’s ideas on kitchen designs. I’m in the process of buying a house and am planning the kitchen and am after some feedback please!

The kitchen is 2650mm x 6770mm so long but not wide enough for an island. There’s a window at the back (or will be) with a view into the lovely garden, and no seating anywhere else so I would like some stools for seating underneath the window.
Integrated dishwasher is under the sink as well as pull out bin drawer. The section between the cooker housing and larder unit will act as a ‘bar’ area for making drinks and to break up the worktop a little.

I’m planning on using one of the larder units with shallower, taller shelves and no back so I can keep appliances in there (breakfast pantry style).

Can anyone suggest anything I’ve missed or not taken into account or just plain ballsed up please?

@PragmaticWench

If the dining room is too small for a table, why not break through from the kitchen into the dining room? The outhouse section could then become a utility/storage area?

Thanks for the idea - I don’t think my budget will stretch to rebuilding the outbuildings and knocking out a full wall. There used to be an archway there before but it’s been boarded over, I wanted to open that up again really but that’ll be fairly cheap compared to taking down the whole wall (I’m also having the wall reinstated between the living room and dining room). I also thought it would make for quite a dark kitchen - only one window on the left hand side of the kitchen and then the light from the conservatory on the right hand side.

Your idea is what a lot of other houses on the road seem to have done though - they have better light as they don’t have a conservatory there!

A dining room that can not accommodate a table isn’t really a dining room is it? The layout of this house is a problem and I’m not sure your ideas are going to help in the long run. Just good money after bad. Archways are awful.

But the current kitchen is so lovely !

@My0My

A dining room that can not accommodate a table isn’t really a dining room is it? The layout of this house is a problem and I’m not sure your ideas are going to help in the long run. Just good money after bad. Archways are awful.

I don’t disagree with you on the dining room aspect, but you’ll notice that I’ve not called it a dining room up until I attached the floor plan which calls it that. I don’t intend to use it as a dining room because a) it’s not the right shape for one in my opinion and b) I wouldn’t get as much use out of a separate dining room as I would a second reception room.

@HeronLanyon

But the current kitchen is so lovely !

Thank you - can’t take any credit for that one :) Its actually a little old, I’ve found listings for the house back to 2010 and it’s the same kitchen then! It’s showing it’s age in certain areas, but on the whole has held up pretty well! I think that’s what started to put me off the navy blue idea I originally was considering - something a bit neutral won’t age as quickly. The kitchen designer yesterday ended up doing the walls in dark blue for the pictures but I’d choose something lighter in reality.

Honestly - just save up and extend out the back taking down the conservatory and the outbuildings. Anything else is a fudge. You are building a corridor kitchen and that will ever be great. You are worried about resale price but are you doing this to sell it soon? If so, it’s still going to have a kitchen that’s very narrow and not necessarily an asset to the house. It wouldn’t sell to me on that basis. A properly designed zoned area at the back with kitchen, dining and seating area is much more of an attractive proposition.

I would still leave it and save up.

What everyone else said sorry. Your layout is pretty terrible. If you have an eye to adding value this isn't it, but you should also think about how to get a downstairs loo and utility in.

If you want to get started though, how about re-using the existing units (change the doors if you hate them) and putting them in the outhouse area - small oensinsular unit coming out by the new side door could incorporate breakfast bar seating, and the existing kitchen could become loo and utility. Long term aim to extend across the whole back to create proper 'wow' kitchen that incorporates existing dining room.

Yes I meant it’s lovely in its proportions and layout compared with all new plans. If it really needs to be replaced I’d keep layout as is it somehow do a different extension which does not creat the long corridor shape of current plan ??
I’ve a friend who made a similar extension on a wider kitchen and it just always feels too long and thin (wider than yours). The proportions aren’t ‘happy’.
Good luck whatever you end up doing.

@HeronLanyon

Yes I meant it’s lovely in its proportions and layout compared with all new plans. If it really needs to be replaced I’d keep layout as is it somehow do a different extension which does not creat the long corridor shape of current plan ?? I’ve a friend who made a similar extension on a wider kitchen and it just always feels too long and thin (wider than yours). The proportions aren’t ‘happy’. Good luck whatever you end up doing.

Thanks very much! I could always have the outbuildings rebuilt as a bit shorter, so the kitchen isn’t as long. I definitely think you’re right about the current kitchen being in proportion, that’s quite important. Lots to think about anyway, luckily don’t have to make any immediate decisions!

Make the door under the stairs larger so you still have some access to the boiler- it is easily done- does not have to be full-size or width and can be disguised to look like the wall if you like.

Personally, I would leave everything for at lest 6 months. Now I have seen the plans you have lots of options and living with the house for a while would let you explore them.

An architect would draw you some plans up relatively cheaply that show possibilities.

Possibilities:

1. Combine kitchen and dining room as one large room.
2. Turn outbuildings into utility room. Move boiler in there and block off passage down the side of the stairs- turn that and understairs cupboard into downstairs loo.
3. Or turn kitchen, dining room, conservatory and outbuildings into one very large family space- kitchen, dining, sitting room.
4. Or, demolish conservatory and outbuildings to increase size of garden.
5. Or, combine conservatory and outbuildings into a large sunroom with access from idea 1 but french doors across inside so can be separate.

I think you will regret proceeding with that narrow kitchen once you start to live in the house, see how it works, what you need and the possibilities. You don't have to doit all at once so the costs would not need to pile up.

@LuluJakey1

Possibilities:

1. Combine kitchen and dining room as one large room.
2. Turn outbuildings into utility room. Move boiler in there and block off passage down the side of the stairs- turn that and understairs cupboard into downstairs loo.
3. Or turn kitchen, dining room, conservatory and outbuildings into one very large family space- kitchen, dining, sitting room.
4. Or, demolish conservatory and outbuildings to increase size of garden.
5. Or, combine conservatory and outbuildings into a large sunroom with access from idea 1 but french doors across inside so can be separate.

I think you will regret proceeding with that narrow kitchen once you start to live in the house, see how it works, what you need and the possibilities. You don't have to doit all at once so the costs would not need to pile up.

You’ve got so many ideas! It’ll just be me living in the house (plus dog) so I didn’t consider a downstairs toilet as a necessity, and I’m not doing it up to sell on but I do want to keep an eye on the ceiling price for the property. I have open plan at the minute and want to get away from that, I dream of nice cosy rooms!

I’m definitely going to have a play with some kitchen layout programmes - I like the DIY kitchens one but can’t view the 3D images for some reason! Then I think I’ll come up with a couple of different ideas based on everyone’s comments here and just leave them for a little while and see what I think with fresh eyes. I think I’ve gone a bit kitchen-blind!

Is there a reason to rebuild the outhouse, rather than just get rid (I’m assuming you’re taking it down before it falls down!). It seems like the build cost won’t be worth it for what you gain.

But for the current kitchen design:
I don’t like your bar area (sorry!) I think it’ll feel claustrophobic and messy. It’s also a bit of a waste of space, just move fridge beside the larder unit.

I think if it were me I’d move the kitchen to the old dining room, and have table and chairs in the conservatory. The kitchen then becomes a big utility with back door, and I’d add a tiny loo, because it’ll help resale and handy if you’re in the garden/wet/muddy.

Or I’d get rid of the outhouse and leave everything else as is....!

@Saz12

Is there a reason to rebuild the outhouse, rather than just get rid (I’m assuming you’re taking it down before it falls down!). It seems like the build cost won’t be worth it for what you gain.

But for the current kitchen design:
I don’t like your bar area (sorry!) I think it’ll feel claustrophobic and messy. It’s also a bit of a waste of space, just move fridge beside the larder unit.

I think if it were me I’d move the kitchen to the old dining room, and have table and chairs in the conservatory. The kitchen then becomes a big utility with back door, and I’d add a tiny loo, because it’ll help resale and handy if you’re in the garden/wet/muddy.

Or I’d get rid of the outhouse and leave everything else as is....!

It’s not quite about to fall down but isn’t in the best of nick and the homebuyers report was quite concerned about it. I don’t have to rebuild, but I wanted a bigger kitchen as the current one is too small for me. I also wanted to capitalise on the view, it looks out onto a reservoir which I really like.