Kitchen woes

[chickensafari]

We are in the process of planning our new kitchen and need your help! We have a large kitchen diner but because of the location of two doors and two large windows we're really limited in the design.
The room has a large rustic fireplace at the dining end which we are keeping, and an original low beam which would interfere with tall cupboards, so the kitchen needs to be at the other end of the room.
We've had three designs done now by different companies, and they're almost identical but we don't feel they're going to work for us for a number of reasons;

• lack of storage space once a full size dishwasher/ bin and fridge units are in
• undercounter fridges x2 rather than a tall larder fridge (freezer is in the utility room)
• no upper cupboard near the kettle for mugs/tea/coffee etc
• everyday glasses would need to be kept in a low cupboard

One possible storage solution is having a large free standing larder cupboard in the diner end of the room, and maybe a dresser for occasional glasses and crockery but we wouldn't want to be back and forth too much.

The room is actually much bigger than it looks on the 3D pictures, there is more than 2.5 meters between the fireplace and the door, I can post measurements if it helps.

I know that the space is compromised by the doors and windows but wondered if you clever folks could suggest any improvements to bring us closer to what we want?

Huge thanks

Where do the doors lead - do you need a clear route through or is one of them a utility or less used room?

I would put your tall fridge and double door larder on the fireplace wall but next to the door. Budge the sink to the right so the kettle can go at that end with a neat shelf unit or cupboard for cups and glasses. Then L-R across long wall: cutlery/crockery drawers, dishwasher, sink unit, utensil and pan drawers, pull out corner.
That long peninsula unit with drawers has no funciton at all.
if you want a bit more worktop space get a freestanding butcher block island, Ikea do nice ones and paint it to match. But only if there is space to walk around it between doors.

Yes we need a clear route through, the smaller door goes outside and the larger door (actually just a large opening) takes you through to the hallway and rest of the house. We have children and dogs so there will be a lot of traffic through this room, which is why we've decided against an island.

I was thinking the peninsular would be useful for plating up meals, extra storage and would demarcate the kitchen area from the diner. All three designs we've had have all included a peninsular or breakfast bar in this place but that's probably because I've said we are open to a peninsular but not an island.

It is a really large room (more than 7m long and almost 5m wide) would it not feel a bit bare without some sort of peninsular/ breakfast bar/ island to break the space up a bit? I feel like an Ikea butchers block island would get lost in the space.

I like the idea of some shelving for mugs and everyday glasses though, that could work. Thanks for your help.

Can you post a floorplan?

This is a rough floorplan without any kitchen units, I can share the plan with the units too if it helps?

This is the floorplan with the units in, although there looks to be an overhang on the worktop for some reason. That wouldn't be there.

Can you add storage below the counter level on the peninsula, facing the dining table? For occasional crockery and glassware etc, will be on the right side for setting the table.

Also not sure where you're planning to put the kettle but can you get a shelf/mug hooks on the wall above the pensinsula, where the canvas is hanging in your mock-up?

@notmenono's suggestion also sounds good.

I would ditch the peninsula for an island and put some tall stuff (fridge, pantry) on the fireplace wall, towards the door. I think the island would work better because it will make the kitchen area less of a corridor - people can flow into the dining room without coming to the cooler end.

My gut feeling is that it is the wrong way round, People are walking through your kitchen (mine is similar) but my functional kitchen is in a u shape around where your dining room would be. Is the fireplace non negotiable? That seems to be the problem to me.

Could you wrap the worktop round at the other end too and have a double wall cupboard? I'd also consider changing the peninsula for a full height larder on the wall between the door and fireplace.

We could make the peninsular deeper and have storage on both sides, that's an option that one of the designers has suggested too. That would make it more like an island but attached to the wall.

I think the fridge issue is bothering me more actually, I am happy to get a dresser and/or a free standing larger cupboard for the dining room area but two under counter fridges instead of a tall larder fridge just feels like a real compromise (first world problems, I know!).

Its a deceptively big room isn't it? Have you looked at using the other end? You could then have an island as well as a table.

We really can’t use the other end, I agree it would be a much better room to work with but all the drainage etc is at the other end of the room, and I don’t think the fireplace would work in a kitchen area either. The fireplace and low beam have got to stay. We love them, it’s an old farmhouse and they give lots of warmth and character to the room.

@bookgirl1982 I’m struggling to envisage what you mean by wrapping the worktop around at the other end? Could you scribble it on the floor plan? I agree that we might need some tall units on that wall between the door and the fireplace, in place of the peninsula.

Thanks so much for everyone’s input, I really do appreciate it!

Picture of the fireplace with oak beam above

Not sure what your budget is like but would it be possible to move the external door to be more central in the room. Currently I think you have a flow problem and the peninsula in somewhat stranded and an island would end up being walked around

Tricky problem. I'd be looking to out the fridge in the diner end of the room, along the wall that currently has a TV. You would need something custom built to notch the units round the beam, I guess, but I've attached a photo of the kind of thing i mean. Attractive shelving at the end nearest the door, run the units along all the way to the wall, lose the TV. You night have to turn your dining table 90 degrees too. I cannot see another space to get a full height fridge in.

I'd also put something beautiful over the peninsula otherwise it seems awkward. Suggestion attached wouldnt work with the style of cabinets you have used in your pictures, but you might find something that does.

PS if you keep one of the under the counter fridges in your plan, then the commonly used things like milk, butter etc can live in there, sparing you from the dash across the room.

Honestly though you can't have it all ways, and walking across a few metres to the fridge is the price of not living in a house that is only 1300 square feet like the rest of us commoners.

I would move to the other end. This is a horrible compromise with no wall cupboards and too many doors.

Have a row of floor to ceiling opposite the fire place until the door + sink. Large island for prep space and hob opposite the fireplace.

Table down the window and door end.

The beam isn’t a problem, you can have cupboards built around it.

Do you need that external door? Could one of the windows become a french door instead for access outside and block up that door? Would give lots more options then

And make the french door opening slightly smaller so you have room for a bank of full width full height units/appliances

Thanks loads for everyone’s help with puzzling this out. We can’t move the external door as there it leads out to a large brick and oak porch, with foundations etc, so moving it along the wall a meter or so would be a huge job.

I know I sound like I’ve got a problem for every solution but we really do have to work with what we’ve got. My husband is dead set against an island (I’m considering burying him under the bloody island at this stage), he doesn’t have many thoughts but when he does he gets very attached to them

I have scribbled down an idea and would appreciate your feedback. It gives us a kind of tea/coffee station in the dining area, which would be useful as we do drink a lot of hot drinks! The downsides I can see to this idea is that it’s a bit of a trek to fill up the kettle and get food from the larder, and I wouldn’t have the plating up space that an island or peninsula would give me. But I would have plenty of fridge and storage space, and the route through from the door to the rest of the house wouldn’t be blocked.

So you would just have one line of units in the original kitchen area and then put a tea/coffee station at the far end of the room? Sorry that looks like a PITA.

A kitchen that is also a corridor isn't ideal but it isn't insurmountable - my parents have had one for years and it works.

Keep the peninsula in your original diagram and make use of it.

Thanks for the feedback,I can see it would be a PITA when filling the kettle from the sink but otherwise the sink, hob and fridge are in a triangle and not too far from each other. What other problems would it bring do you think?

I’ve resorted to mocking up a few options on square paper to scale,

Appliance garage on peninsula would give storage for glasses/tea /coffee supplies.

Larder fridge with pull out drawers makes access easy - Bosch used to make one.

Double width penninsula with storage on the back facing dining area.

Maybe a built in media unit containing telly & books (but given that you have a big house non kitchen storage may not be an issue)