Architect's opinion or mine, which do you prefer for this downstairs lay out?

[Justthisonce1]

Hi there!

The architect thinks my preference 'doesn't flow'!

A friend of mine says she gets good feedback on here, so I'm hoping the mumsnet magic will work for me, too!

Area labelled 6 in the third pic is a pantry. That amenity would be moved to the left and become just fancy cupboard space in the first two pics.

The little circle and half shaded rectangle are the boiler and water tank in all pics.

Let me know what you all think?!

Thanks

i prefer 3 - mainly because of the pantry - i totally miss our pantry from our last house and is the one big compromise we made.
I agree the cooker needs to be out of the way of the 'corridor' throught the house as you dont want kids running in from the garden to the loo and knocking a pot etc.

2

1 is terrible, will be the main walk way through kitchen so frankly dangerous with cooking and will drive you mad . 3 best as pantry location very good , it’s much more practical. Measure carefully how much did space you will have to walk thorough , would be bench seating up against wall work or swapping sitting and dining area over again with fitted seating

I prefer option 2

2,1,3
3 far too cluttered

I’m certain 1 is architect’s version.

All flow, no actual experience of cooking…

1. However I would move the wc to under stairs like 2 and have a pantry and small utility instead.

1 is terrible, will be the main walk way through kitchen so frankly dangerous with cooking and will drive you mad

Strongly agree. Regardless of any other aspects no.1 should be discounted.

I like 2 in that it has the best kitchen space but 3 has the best cloakroom and also a utility room. I think I'd combine both and have the kitchen layout of 2 but have a utility and cloak in part of the space marked "c" in plan 2.

I'm not sure what this space is for really and I think it could be better utilised.

In an open plan kitchen, dining, family space like this I think a utility room where you can close off the noise of the washing machine is really essential.

3, 1, 2 - the pantry, loo/utility room and hall storage would be a godsend for removing clutter and noise (though I might arrange the utility/loo slightly differently) and definitely reduces the living space. Also makes the kitchen its own space with less risk of being knocked etc when cooking, so much more relaxing, plus slightly removed from the comfy seating area

definitely worth* reducing the living space

Which is yours OP?

1 could work better if there was a door from the living area into the kitchen, and if the sofa area was mirrored to the other side. Might not be possible to mirror it if it’s looking into your neighbours house or if you’re trying to get light at a particular time of day.

It also depends who lives there - 1 feels more like loft living, all about space (can be nice to have one very large room in a terrace that’s otherwise small). 2 seems more like a family kitchen, supervising children at the island/hanging out with the teens.

OP - looking at this again, in 1 why don't you move the main run of cupboards to the other wall, keep the small adjacent run and add another turn so that the kitchen is a bit like a J shape. This would stop it being a walkway

3,2,1.

The utility / butlers is very practical. I hate the washing machine in the kitchen concept.

3

Actually- jumping has it! 3 - but movie the loo to under the stairs.

3 is my preference as I think have a pantry is better for storage and keeping the kitchen tidier in terms in clutter on the work surfaces etc. 2 would be my second choice as with one you have that massive cap behind the cupboards where the pantry would be so is a waste of space and dust haven. With 2 the bathroom almost is inside the kitchen and I’m not a fan of that where as 3 is feels slightly more separate.

If I'm honest I don't overly like any of them, however it's really your decision of where you want to prioritise your space. 3 has more tucked away which suits some people and provides a proper downstairs wc.

1 puts the kitchen in tbe right place in that it's located where it will be pretty dark, but do you cook in a way that's compatible to one long run?

Forget flow, that's not important and I say that as an architect. Think about how you use your house, how do you cook how tidy are you? How much space do you want back of house?

You need to talk through with your architect what spaces you want prioritised and work out from that. You shouldn't be far away from each other as you are and needing to ask the Internet! That isn't how the design process works, your architect should be asking you questions about how you want to use your house.

The one with the pantry or the one with the peninsula make better use of the space.

You still have a huge front room, so I wouldn't worry about it is carved up in the back.

The other one feels it did little with the space. It's a kitchen dinner without much storage.

2 would be my preferred choice. It feel much more social and I like it when a large room like that has little islands which serves different purposes. Number 1 is too open for me. 3 is nice too, and a pantry is nice to have.

I reckon 3 is probably your current setup, is that right? And you’re looking to make the space at the back feel bigger so 1 is I think what the architect has come up with and 2 is your idea?

If that’s all correct, then I hope you don’t mind so many people saying 3 is the better option

Practically I would start the design process again. As others have said, move the loo to under the stairs so you can take down the existing toilet walls and open the space up. I also agree with keeping a pantry/utility as a practical space when the rest is open plan. Then get a kitchen designer to redesign the layout, making sure you don’t have cooking/prep spaces in a through route. That way I think you could make the whole space feel bigger and work better.

I'm not a fan of 3.

You loose floor space to the loo and utility room and you loose wall/cupboard space for the doors into them.

If you really want a utility room could you not put the loo under the stairs and then have a long thin utility with it's door off of the hallway. Then you gain floor and wall space in the kitchen for storage.

2 but like someone else said swap the cooker and sink around

2 is my preference - primarily because I cook and ‘looking out’ onto the room and having a dedicated space make or break a kitchen for me.

The others look like they would feel cluttered by the table.