sitting in sun inside...important?

[mrtubby]

In need of some interior design help...we bought a north facing house (I know) and we're remodelling the inside to get some light in. The back of the house (south east facing) gets sun most of the day. We're putting a big window in the south wall of the kitchen/diner/living space so the sun will come through much of the day.
The architects are saying the kitchen should be at south end by the window, and living space on the north-facing side. In terms of configuration and space it probably works better, but I can't get out of my head the thought that I won't be able to sit inside on the sofa in the sun, which I LOVE doing. What do you think, am I overthinking things? We also have a small second sitting room that will get some sun in the afternoon once we knock through the wall, though again the space makes the configuration a little awkward...

I love having a sofa in the sun....its very important to me.

The architect should be working for you - not dictating. It's your home. Sunshine is great and should be embraced where ever it can and be enjoyed.

My parents built a south-facing sitting room with massive windows a couple of years ago, and they hardly seem to leave it now! It's massively improved their enjoyment of their home. Go for your sunny sofa!

I’ve just bought a flat with a sunny kitchen and dark living room because in my current place it’s the opposite. I like sitting on the sofa in the sun but I spend more time in the kitchen now, and it meant a south-facing garden you could walk into from the kitchen. I reckon for half the year it’s dark by the time I get to sit on my sofa and I’d rather enjoy the garden on nice days than the sofa.

Yes to a sunny sofa I’m on mine now we’re sw facing, and it’s lovely no need for a conservatory. The only problem is it’s difficult to see the TV 🤣

Agree it's lovely to enjoy the din whilst inside. Another bonus is if you've not got a tumble dryer you can stick washing on an airer in said sunny spot in winter and it's dry in a day.

I also have fond memories of when DD was little and the two of us "sunbathing " on the lounge carpet with winter sun streaming through the window

@tellmewhentheLangshiplandscoz

Agree it's lovely to enjoy the din whilst inside. Another bonus is if you've not got a tumble dryer you can stick washing on an airer in said sunny spot in winter and it's dry in a day.

I also have fond memories of when DD was little and the two of us "sunbathing " on the lounge carpet with winter sun streaming through the window

Enjoy the sun, obv

My kitchen gets the sun from lunchtime to sunset and in the summer it gets unbearably hot in there when I'm cooking.

I'd say that the kitchen needs to be at the shadier end.

I love not having the sun in my house! We have a great garden and seating for wanting sun. We are very sheltered so can get away with sitting outside most of the year to get some sun.

Thanks so much everyone! Sounds like sun is the way to go...this small second sitting room would be relatively sunny, so I was thinking maybe that way I could get my fix. But because it's not the main living space (it's the opposite end of the house) I'm not sure if it's enough.

We had exactly the same thing. We've rejigged the plans so that the kitchen is in the dark end of our extension and we've got a eating and sitting area in the light.

It's a pay off. And I'd love a sunny kitchen but really I want a light room to sit in and have a cup of tea and look at the garden etc et.

I must be an oddity, I can’t bear sitting in direct sun, I have my living room curtains shut all afternoon as it faces West.
I’m so pleased that DD’s new house has a North facing living room and kitchen, I can sit on the sofa/on the patio looking at the garden without being blinded and the living room will be lovely and cool come summer whereas my living room is currently 24 degrees and I’m melting.

Is there any way you can go with the architect suggestion (kitchen in sunny bit and sitting area in darker bit) but also squeeze in a sitting space in the sun near the kitchen? We did this by adding a window seat coming off the kitchen area.

I wanted the kitchen area in the sunny bright bit because I spend a lot of time in the kitchen - but like you I also wanted somewhere to sit and look at the garden and soak up the rays! So this way I got both.

Just a point to remember the full sun will fade your fabrics and furnishings quite quickly.

The architects are saying the kitchen should be at south end by the window, and living space on the north-facing side.
Did they explain why? Traditionally the kitchen and the pantry were on the northern, cooler side of the house and the living space on the southern, sunnier side.

@Tambora

My kitchen gets the sun from lunchtime to sunset and in the summer it gets unbearably hot in there when I'm cooking.

I'd say that the kitchen needs to be at the shadier end.

Yes I agree with this! It's awful cooking and clearing up in a boiling hot kitchen. It makes much more sense to have the kitchen in a cooler part of the house.

My house is a mid terrace, north facing. We have a single storey rear extension. When we bought it, the front room was, and still is, the sitting room. It’s lovely and light in the mornings. The middle room and extension were knocked into 1 big room and the extension was in the kitchen with a smallish window and door to the sunny rear, whilst the middle bit was the dark dining room.
We put the kitchen in the middle room, made the back bit a small seating area with sofa and tv, put in wide french doors. Both areas are lovely and sunny, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat!

We don't really get sun in our lounge, but then, we don't tend to be sitting down until well into the evening anyway, so the sun would have gone down.
If it is sunny and we're not busy on a non-working day, then I'd sit outside in the garden.
So I don't notice the fact there is little sun in the lounge.

If you’re a baker, it can also very hard to intricately decorate cakes in a south facing kitchen unless you have a cooling system. I’d take a sunny sitting area over a sunny functional area in a kitchen any day.

I would want the kitchen in the coolest spot.

I also have heavy curtains and try to keep the sun out of my home as much as possible because I abhor the awful orb that wants to burn my skin from the smallest exposure and is constantly trying to make me overheated.

My flat is very small so this might not be so relevant but my kitchen gets a lot of sun and I hate it. I want the things in there to be kept cool. The fruit goes off terribly quickly and it's so hot cooking especially if the tumble dryer is on too

Why ‘I know’? South-east facing gardens command a premium. Some part of the house has to face north.

Like pp I would want the kitchen in the coolest part of the house. The front of our house is SE facing and the sitting room gets a lot of sun. It is hot and we do end up drawing the curtains in the height of summer to keep the room cool. The furniture gets tan lines.

My friend has a house which was very much sought after when they bought it and the big selling point was a huge kitchen/diner/living room with the kitchen at the dark end and the sofa living room end up next to the patio doors. It's a lovely house and works well.