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?

[justgeton]

Me too.. also thinking of same plan ..

At the moment I'm imagining a window high enough to run cupboards or sink under. As it will be single storey added roof lights and bifold at the back but worried that window will look odd next to the others at the front of the house

[NottsSoYorkshire]

For those of you with Kitchens at the front of your house, what kind of window so you have? A small one? I'm wanting to re-fit our units into the front and have the back as dining with bi-fold doors to the garden.

At the front at the moment we have a large low window at the front which will need to be changed and i'm not sure what to replace it with.

Its the only window in the front of our house, other side is the garage door.
I'd love to hear your thoughts, ideas and examples. Thanks so much

[Sophoa]

For me it’s a deal breaker. Kitchen has to be at the back with doors to the garden

[imissthesouth]

My old house had this, it was quite a small kitchen though, my house now is at the back and runs the full length of the house, it's huge so I don't really use my living room anymore unless i'm watching a movie. A kitchen diner is a modern day essential IMO

[JoJoSM2]

I don’t cool much and don’t enjoy hanging it in the kitchen so would much prefer the living areas overlooking the garden.

If spend lots of time cooking gourmet meals and making chutneys, then the other way round could be better.

[user1471538283]

When my DS was small it would have put me off but not now particularly if it's open plan or cheaper

[m00rfarm]

I have four with kitchens at the front, one with the kitchen at the back and two with the kitchen in the middle. Each of them works best in that way for a variety of reasons. I enjoy the kitchen at the front because it gives me something to look at - I like the kitchen in the middle as it is part of the sitting room, and the kitchen at the back is convenient for BBQs and washing etc.

[PaulinePetrovaPosey]

I have it and I love it! I can watch the world go by, and the sitting and dining rooms open straight to the garden.

Mine's nearly 200 years old so maybe not the new style you're looking at though!

[espressoontap]

@Sweett00th

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.

My garden is south facing so we get the light all day, it also floods the kitchen diner.

[FranklyImCringeing]

Our kitchen is at the front. House isn't particularly modern (40 years plus) so it isn't a new thing. All the houses in our road are like that now I think about it. Tbh I hadnt even noticed. I prefer living room at the back, opening into the garden.

[sunshinesupermum]

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.

[2bazookas]

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.

[Stinkyguineapig]

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

[DPotter]

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!

[Bluntness100]

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.

[Sweett00th]

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!🙂

[BananaLlamaConCalma]

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.

[GolightlyMrsGolightly]

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.

[weepingwillow22]

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.

[jomaIone]

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 🤷‍♀️

[keepingbees]

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.

[notheragain4]

@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.

[ancientgran]

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

[Sweett00th]

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!

[ancientgran]

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.