Kitchen Diner Extension

[isoundabitdifferent]

There was a thread on here a while ago about the necessity of a kitchen/diner for most families.

I've been doing research and keen to hear thoughts. Do people prefer a kitchen/diner extension where the kitchen leads straight onto the bifolds/garden or an extension where the kitchen is in the back part and the dining/snug section is by the garden/bifolds?

Which do people find my useable?

I’m interested in the responses. We considered this and our kitchen will stretch the length but that’s just because we get a bigger kitchen that way although my preference would be it not going the length and having a snug by the bifold

I prefer to have the kitchen at the back part and the diner/seating close to the bifold and garden. So that you can sit close to the garden and birds.

Interesting. I too prefer the snug/dining to be by the garden, but i've noticed many have the kitchen by the bifold which to me is undesirable.

However, I've noticed that for those who are extending into the side return, where the kitchen is already at the back, there isn't much choice unless you are prepared to pay extra to move the plumbing etc.

@isoundabitdifferent that makes sense especially given the current building costs. We are having the snug area near our sliders and over looking the garden with the kitchen at the "back" of the room but we are moving the kitchen from a completely different space.

We are having the kitchen down the side/ and across the front next to the sliding doors, otherwise we’d have a dining table right next to a garden table. For me, that’s too many tables too close together.

We had a choice to do either being fortunate that we had a new total space of 70 m2. We elected to have the kitchen one end and then a living and dining space which looked out of the sliders which were 4,5m length. I'm glad I did as it defined the kitchen area from living despite being all open plan. We also have a separate large lounge retained as well. The new space is lovely a d so pleased we did it

Architect originally drew plans as sitting area in dark bit and kitchen by the sliding doors.

We switched it round. Kitchen is galley style down long wall in dark end
With an island. And snug/kitchen table at end so can have doors open onto garden, see garden while having lunch, cup of tea, have drinks out there…I much prefer it like that. I don’t know how we’d have used the space with the snug in the dark bit.

Picture

I’ve just bought a terraced house that is part of a grid of streets of identical Victorian houses. The vast majority have extended 3m across the back (no side returns the backs were flat). I actively disliked the ones which had the kitchens at the back overlooking the garden, using the middle space for dining or tv room. What I have is: front room with french doors on to middle room which has the kitchen to one side (the hall leads in to this space, and the kitchen is u shaped with peninsular). The previous people used the other half of this space for dining and rear extension bit as a family/tv room. I’m putting a piano and cupboards opposite the kitchen (so on party wall) and having my dining in the extension. If I put the table perpendicular to the garden I can have an armchair too. I spend a lot of time at the table doing work, not just eating, so looking at the garden is preferable to me, and it is still open to the kitchen. The living room can be open or closed off for a cosy, separate space.