Kitchen at front of house - yay or nay?

[Sweett00th]

Whilst I’m on the hunt now for 3 bed I’ve come across couple of places with kitchen front part of house, new style! I’m so use to kitchens being back of house with dining space and garden. Is there some benefit to this new set up?

I have not noticed this , but I am not looking to buy atm,
I guess it has some advantages , easier to put the shopping away instead of walking through the house with it , easy to clean floor when muck footwear has been walked in ( esp it the rest of the house is carpeted ) easy to hear / answer the front door when you are cooking .

All that said I am not sure as I want it , I am with you in been use to the kitchen been at the back of the house .

Much prefer kitchen at the front if I have to choose, I like to nosey out the window when washing up ha, and prefer the privacy of the living room out the back and over looking the garden.

Ours is at the front of the house, window with sink looking out the front then the other end french doors leading out to the garden. Works really well. Our living room is at the back with more french doors out to garden, I love it.

My preference is a kitchen at the back, I like to keep an eye on the kids playing while cooking. I prefer watching my children over watching my neighbours 😁
Big enough to see both front and back, best of both worlds.

We were in a house with a kitchen at the front. We spent more time in the living room at the back with the back door open.

Now we are the opposite way round, we have the front door open instead and have walk through the kitchen to get to the garden.

I don't mind either way round though.

Our house has the kitchen at the front - it faces a fairly busy road, while the living room/diner is across the back of the house looking on the garden. It's much quieter, and very private, as well as having full height windows which I prefer - it works for us!

I prefer watching my children over watching my neighbours

Really?! Much prefer watching people attempt to parallel park than my two fight each other to the death ha.

Kitchen more likely to be used all day so prefer it near the garden for more light (I would choose S facing garden) and nice view, open door on warm days and watching kids

Living room more likely to be used in evenings only (in my house anyway) so view and light and open door less important

So much prefer kitchen at the back

I grew up in a 1970's house with kitchen at the front, now my kitchen is at the back. never really thought about it much!

What about the natural light during day, don’t you lose that with living room at back? I say that given my flat has living at back with open plan kitchen diner and bedroom at front. During day bedroom is flooded with light. Sure kitchen gets but as nice.

I've only lived in one place with a kitchen at the front and that was 50 years ago so not sure if it is all that modern. I loved it, liked watching the world go by, I was on a junction so could watch 4 different roads. It was better than TV.

Sorry, Meant to say not as nice! Plus when I buy a place I always look at saleability for next buyer. Wondering whether as popular having kitchen at front. Very modern!

I think the light depends on which way the house/flat is facing.

@Sweett00th that's surely down to the position of the property? Our house was north facing so yes kitchen was darker, living room and garden south facing so bright, but my mum's is south facing so her kitchen at front is much brighter than ours but her living room is darker.

My last house was kitchen at front, living room at the back.
It didn't bother me at all, in fact I quite miss watching my neighbours whilst I wash up
The only thing I didn't like as much was if I was in the living room I wasn't able to see who was coming to the front door, but at the same time it made it more private. My living room had french doors onto the garden and it used to drive me mad with the DC in and out walking mud into the living room, but now I do miss being able to sit on the sofa watching them in the garden and they definitely used the garden more then.
So it's swings and roundabouts really but not at all a negative thing.

I don't think it would have any effect on saleability would it? I wouldn't even have thought it was weird. My house is higilty pigilty, back garden is where the front of the house is, drive and garage there, kitchen looking out and then back door is actually front door but not on a road, just a path to the woods, hard to describe but certainly didn't stop the 4 other people who offered on it 🤷‍♀️

I like having our utility room at the front so I can have a nose out of the window whilst doing the laundry and kitchen at the back with access to garden for herbs/veg and eating outdoors. Our living room is also at the back which is nice.

Which room gets light depends which way the house faces. My friends 60s house has kitchen at front and living room looks out onto lovely west facing garden that’s is private and gets all the sun in the evening.

It wouldn’t put me off a house having a kitchen at the front.

I wouldn't say this is a new setup. Depending on what you count as new but when I was a kid loads of my friends houses these and they would have been 70s built. My house is 80s built and the kitchen is at the front. I think there were just a few designs.

I always thought it was so that you didn't hear street noise while in the living room relaxing? Mine is double fronted so both kitchen and living room are at the front. Bathroom above kitchen so it's probably related to waterworks more than anything but my garden is a mess and my neighbours front gardens are beautiful so I'm very glad I don't have to look at mine.

Oops, forgot to factor in property positioning. Ah I guess growing up always kitchen at back. May stick with set up as I love open plan to dining area. But an exception to rule might come along!🙂

My friends is at the front, her living room looks over the back. Which is actually fantastic, but she’s looking to switch them. I wouldn’t. I think your living room over looking the back is much better.

Our kitchen is at the front - great for people watching and means our living room is looks out over the garden - much better than the road. Walkers and some neighbours who haven't been in the house may think I'm nosey, but I'm just doing the washing up - honest!

Our kitchen is at the front I like it as I spend a lot of time in there and can be nosey see when people are coming to the door. The sink is by the front window and I felt lonely during lock down without seeing all the school kids walk past! The utility room is behind the kitchen and leads to the back garden, which is handy for hanging out laundry and DH making a mess sorting out garden stuff

I had one once; urban house on a street corner, pavement 3 yards from the kitchen window, sink at the window. While washing up or prepping veg I could wave or call to passing neighbours, they could wave at me, I could see my kids setting off/ arriving home from school etc.

It had a deep window sill so I filled it up with tall thin plants like sanseveria. Across the top of the window I hung trailing plantshanging down. I peeked out through the jungle at the passing world . I've had many kitchens and that was one of my favourites.

DDs townhouse has kitchen at the front but the room then has a dining area with a den at the back and french windows for the kids to run out and play in the garden. Main living room is on the first floor. She likes it.