Kitchen design - what's the best piece of advice you had?

[BrightGoldenHazeintheMeadow]

We went to Howdens today and this is the design they have come up with. We're extending and currently have a galley kitchen so I've been looking forward to a lot more space which we will have. However, by the time you put in appliances - especially things like the American style fridge - quite a lot of space is taken up. Any thoughts on this design? Thanks.

In blue :)

This is the plan which we have amended today slightly.

More to the point, what do YOU think of it? I'm guessing you're not entirely happy, since you're here asking us..

I like it but just wondered what others thought, if there was something I might have missed.

What is going to be under the dormer rooflights? The dining table is shown further forward?

Hi there I think the design is perfectly fine but there are a few things I would think about. Firstly is the utility area open plan to the kitchen and then the living area? If so I would seriously consider trying to put in some kind of pocket or sliding door even if it makes the utility area a little bit smaller as you really don’t want to be sitting having dinner listening to the washing machine. Also do you need the bar with the two stools? I would be tempted to think about whether you want that or not as the area behind it could be a bit redundant whereas if you take out the bar there will be more you can do with the space. If you need the cupboard space then you could do some full height cupboards elsewhere. Finally do you definitely want a range style cooker? I have said that in the next house I do I will definitely be getting a cooker which is ideally at eye level or certainly not on the ground as I hate the fact that you have to be on your knees on the floor to check food. Best advice though would be to go and get a few more specialist kitchen designers to have a look at it and come up with some completely different ideas. I’ve heard great things about the IKEA kitchen design service, even if you don’t want to use their products.

Oh and one other thing, where are you going to dry your clothes? Again I would really think about the utility area as I think there is more you could do with it and having an area where you can hang clothes to dry or have a fixed heated area makes a big difference to a lot of people. You could even consider having the utility area upstairs depending on how much space you have.

Those units around the fridge would really annoy me. They are all different shapes and sizes. And not particularly useful.

Do you definitely only want one oven? Two are very very helpful.

Could the job go on the island / bar so that while cooking you don't have your back to the room?

If you could move the hob to the island / bar, that would free up that entire back wall and I would have floor to ceiling pull out cupboard units. And two ovens at chest height...

Do you have (or will you have) young children? I would suggest putting the oven higher up as mine love to try to open it and play with all the knobs. Even if you don't have kids, it saves you bending over.

Again, depending on how wedded you are to having a through lounge you could also consider a design like this which would give scope for a full width door at the back and a better view from the front hall.

To me it looks a little ‘in one corner’. Your table (presuming it’s that size and not just placed there for visualisation) and the area in front of it is quite empty yet the kitchen area busy. I’d move that table up a bit to where the chimney breast is shown as being removed then take out the bar return and put additional units on the far wall by the back doors. Keep the bar but as an island in roughly the same spot?

It looks shoved in a corner , are the patio doors done? I'd move them over a bit and push the breakfast bar out .. it doesn't look very balanced from what I can see . If you have gone to the expense of extending you want to keep the value and you have a big space but still a small kitchen .

Think about the "run" of handles - we had some put centrally and horizontal even on cupboards so as to avoid the higgldy piggleydy look.
Now Vertical ones fixed to one side seem "wrong"!!
The cupboards work just as well with a central handle - so we have vertical handles above the work surface and only horizontal ones below the work surface.
we had to remind the workmen on the day as it is unusual but looks so much better!

I think otherwise I'd have a island moved over into the dining space more so the kitchen is bigger .

It looks to me like a small kitchen in a big room. Personally I’d have more kitchen, no peninsular and an island with seating instead. And scrap the utility. It feels quite empty to me, like you’re crammed into a corner. I’d go to a couple more places (Sigma offer a decent design service) and see if they come up with any great layouts to take away with you.

Ok. Personally I think the breakfast bar is pushing the kitchen into the corner, especially the sink. Do you need it to be so wide? If not you've got room to push that side out a bit and move the sink over slightly. Although I might be tempted to put it in the breakfast bar run of units anyway. Also my personal preference would be an eye level double oven and separate hob (had too many episodes with my back!)
And the big one- what about making the cloakroom bigger (move that wall into the kitchen area) and it becomes combined cloak/ utility. So smaller overall space for kitchen, but it is all kitchen. And keeps the noise down.

My tip is to think very carefully about how your kitchen is actually used. My bil has a kitchen that is designed for takeaways and drinking parties which is perfectly suited to him. If you’re a cook you should prioritise that function, or you may need to take into account whether you work mostly alone or share the space. You might need more utility space if you do all the laundry and ironing vs sending it to the dry cleaner, etc.

Think about the sight lines too. What are you going to be standing doing and what will you end up looking at? Traditionally you’d have stood at the sink doing dishes and laundry and that’s why it’s a “rule” that sinks go under windows but with dishwashers and washing machines that doesn’t matter as much. I put my hob on the island so I can cook and prep facing everyone instead of with my back turned. Some people like to have a tv in sight.

Try a few different kitchen designers - they can have very different ideas.

We have washing machine and tumble dryer hidden away behind cupboard doors in our kitchen, looks much better. Ours are behind 2 40cm doors and we made the worktop deeper to accommodate. It works out well with slightly deeper worktop as we put kettle, toaster, coffee stuff, bread bin there and have all the cups, cereal etc in cupboards above and it's all kept separate from 'cooking' part of kitchen.
I would have tall larder type cupboards if you can and deep drawers for storing pots, pans, plates etc.
I also have a under counter oven which is never used whereas the one which sits in the tall unit gets used all the time.
Do you need the overhang for bar seating? I would just make more storage underneath otherwise.

I agree with the others about it being a small kitchen in a large space. I think you should lose the peninsula and put an island in as well as block off the utility area to make a proper room. I would be tempted to turn the wall with the range oven on it into a bank of cupboards with integrated double oven and fridge freezer then put the island parallel to this with the hob on there. This would free up the area in front of the french windows (which looks quite tight at the moment) for a sofa maybe a tv on the wall, if you prefer, then the rest of the room can have the dining table in it. Personally I'd be tempted to not bother with the doors between the living room and the rear space. I'd use the front room as a snug/adult space/quiet space and the back room as the family area. Sorry I know this was kitchen advice not layout advice!

Actually I think I prefer @Heronwatcher 's idea so don't bother with the doors between the living room. Put the kitchen there (I'd be tempted with an island too just to maximise workspace) then use the end of the room as the living space with dining table, sofa and tv on one of the walls. See amazingly edited pic for illustration

Our house is similar & we're starting our extension soon. We're blocking the double doors between lounge & dining room and putting the kitchen there, full width across the room. Dining area in the middle and family room at the rear next to the bi folds. WC room with boiler, washing machine & tumble dryer going along wall where you have your kitchen on the plan. Its much better for us and uses the space so much better than having a kitchen alonh just one side of the room.

Two main problems: the open plan utility area, and the peninsula that cuts the extension in half and creates a corridor space in front of the French doors.

I would also put the kitchen in the old dining room, but there’s no space for an island- so would have a peninsula open onto the extension, which would be used for living and dining.

Absolutely close off the utility area. You could even put the utility in the existing kitchen layout: downstairs loo and a washer/drier cupboard on the external wall, and some shallow storage cupboards on the other wall. It would mean you could access the extension off the hall, making the existing dining room less of a corridor.

@MyAnacondaMight

Two main problems: the open plan utility area, and the peninsula that cuts the extension in half and creates a corridor space in front of the French doors.

I would also put the kitchen in the old dining room, but there’s no space for an island- so would have a peninsula open onto the extension, which would be used for living and dining.

Absolutely close off the utility area. You could even put the utility in the existing kitchen layout: downstairs loo and a washer/drier cupboard on the external wall, and some shallow storage cupboards on the other wall. It would mean you could access the extension off the hall, making the existing dining room less of a corridor.

This layout is brilliant and I completely agree with the others OP - close off the utility, don't have your kitchen in the current layout as you've just split the extension in half and created a long corridor leading to the french doors as well as a cramped kitchen corner.

Not the best layout. How much of a rush are you in? If you can wait a few weeks for a booking, the karen at oneplan would be well worth the wait .