Serving hatch, am I mad?

[9millioncansofbeans]

Hello
I (hopefully) move house soon. This is my downstairs layout. I don’t fancy one big open place space, I just prefer being able to close rooms off.

I am thinking of putting my dining table in the living room “nook” which is a shared wall with the kitchen and I really like the idea of putting in a serving hatch. The kitchen will need replacing at some point once I’ve moved in and saved a little. Would I be mad?

Any better suggestions?

I would actually steal a bit of room from the lounge and have a kitchen diner because the kitchen seems pretty roomy???

Otherwise yeah put a hatch in why not!

We’ve got one. It was actually in the process of being filled in, having been covered with a big picture previously. then on Christmas Day part way through it became apparent how bloody useful it was, so instead of filling it in as planned we had it made bigger. No doors on ours so it’s like a long opening between kitchen and dining room.

Useful if a little old fashioned but the one in your picture looks great.

I put one in when the kitchen was very small.

Unline the old "2 ft square" hatches often seen in older houses, I put one in more like a canteen, about a metre wide with a single hinged board that worked as a buffet or counter when hinged down (it needs chains or other supports)

Set the same height as the kitchen worktop so you can just push dishes across.

I made the mistake of having the top too low, because I cut the hole forgetting to allow for the depth of lintel. I think the hatch needs to be high enough to look through without leaning or crouching.

Very easy to pull and latch it shut when you have pulled the dirty plates through to the kitchen.

The kitchen worker is then able to engage with the people at the table, or observe small children if necessary.

They are fabulous. We moved into a house that had not been updated, so all original walls and doors in place, and the kitchen has a serving hatch. The whole house is wonderfully quiet and contained and solid-feeling. The only thing I'd say against the very pretty style you're considering, is that you won't contain smells and sounds, etc. The smaller more traditional serving hatches do, however, do this.

@CarrotCakeSupprise

I'd bloody love one.

But I'd also love a Teasmaid so may not be totally on trend.

What she said

I think serving hatches are due a revival.

I think the problem is that when people think “serving hatch” they imagine one with dated bobbly glass in a slightly wonky sliding frame surrounded by pale green or dark brown paintwork. I am pretty sure that if you planned the design and look of it a serving hatch could look great. You need to decide if you want it as an open space or as something you can close off, whether you want it to be opaque or see through. Have fun.

Love the photo

It’s a good idea but i think those folding shutters will be a pain in real life, they will sag and get wobbly quickly. I would look into roller shutters (like a mini garage door) or a sliding pocket door - though that would require quite a lot of work to the wall. You might also be able to do a barn door type arrangement but going upwards not sideways

We had one when I was a student. It was brilliant because the cook wasn't cut off from the dining room. I hate separate kitchens, they always make me feel like a chef in a restaurant

I love love love a serving hatch

Great idea!! I am going off big open plan layouts more and more by the day (especially as were all at home).
My new house has a separate kitchen and I love it. Any thoughts of knocking it through are evaporating. Hatch away!

Also re the shutters, the doors on the hatch stop you using the work surface in front of it. They need to be clear.

If you had a hatch that folds down out into the dining room, it would make a shelf. That would be handy!

I’d love one in your situation. Agree with PP to have some kind of pull down door/flap that’s hinged on your dining table side so you can put stuff on it.

I love hatches where they are practicable. You can make them a bit bigger than they used to be so they are more of an ‘internal window’ than ‘hatch’.

I saw a house on RightMove yesterday with a circular one which looked amazing but I am swaying more to your idea of the shutters. They would look great!

Love a serving hatch! My main worries about the shutters though is them folding onto worktop space, and also making it dark. Could you have a pretty sliding window instead?

We have just reopened a closed serving hatch. Put a sash window in it.

When we wondered to our builder if it was a bit 70s he told us he is busy going round houses reopening them everywhere.

So clearly a serving hatch revival is well underway.

move the wall and make the kitchen bigger

If I had one I would pretend I was a Passport Officer based in an oppressive regime. Bark a question through the hatch and then slam it shut. I'd like that.

I think I'd might get bored of doing this after a couple of weeks but I suspect the rest of the family wouldn't put up with it for more than a day. (they don't have a great sense of fun these days...)

Actually in your layout I think it could work well, as could the suggestion of @waitrosetrollydolly - bit more work though.

I agree with the roller shutter idea for a hatch rather than folding wooden shutters which would need a lot of clearance room. I probably wouldn't leave it open if you like being able to close off rooms, an open hatch would be quite similar to being directly open to the kitchen in terms of kitchen smells and noises.

LOVE IT!!!!

They might be dated, but they are very useful. Last one I had was made in the style of the house. Unfortunately it was at the wrong end of the very long L shaped room it opened into, however we didn't use it as there was also a dining area on the other side, next to the kitchen. It was a big house and very weirdly laid out.

Always find a serving hatch opens in to the room you don't want to eat in.