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Original poster

Kitchen/diner or sep kitchen and dining room

28 replies

Sum2021 · 06/08/2021 11:03

Hello all,

Moved to a house with a small(ish) kitchen and smallish dining room (approx 3 x 3) and kitchen approx 6 x 3. There is a wall between the two. We are looking to stay at this house approx 5- 10 years and wondering what will hold/increase value -keeping the two rooms seperate or breaking the stud wall and making a good sized (albeit not huge) kitchen diner?

We host a lot and cook a lot of smelly food but would love to have a decent 8 seater dining table and lots of cupboard space.

Opinions appreciated TIA x

OP posts:
Kite22 · 06/08/2021 15:21

Well the 'fashion' over the last few years has been to open it all up, but I prefer separate rooms myself. If you take the wall out between them, you will lose all that cupboard space, surely?

Do you have your washing machine in the kitchen or a separate utility space?

ExpressDelivery · 06/08/2021 15:26

Open plan has been the thing until recently, but I'm told the separate dining room is back in fashion.

My preference would be a kitchen that can accommodate a small table for casual meals and a separate dining room, but if that's not possible, kitchen diner.

Original poster
Sum2021 · 06/08/2021 16:52

Interesting. We need to redo the kitchen as not enough cupboards. There are three doors in the kitchen, the backdoor, the hallway door and door to the dining room. I am thinking of blocking the door leading to the garden and putting in more cupboards for storage and using the french doors in the dining room for access to garden.

Is this weird? (Maybe a thread in itself)

OP posts:
Hitchyhero · 06/08/2021 17:00

I do like closed rooms but when it comes to a kitchen diner I prefer them open plan... I.e the wall knocked down.

Only because when my partner cooks for our guests / family he would feel left out.

bakingdemon · 06/08/2021 17:01

Wish we'd gone for kitchen diner rather than separate. We have a long narrow kitchen and a long narrow dining room and I think the space would flow better if they were one. It also annoys me that I can't see DS while he's eating if I need to get on with cooking.

Africa2go · 06/08/2021 17:55

Do you have children OP? I don't think it matters what is or isn't "in fashion" but most families want a kitchen diner. It's just a million % more practical than separate rooms. If you like to host, I also think it's really awkward to have guests sitting in a separate room where you can't speak to them or interact whilst you're cooking / plating up / clearing etc. I would definitely knock through.

Original poster
Sum2021 · 06/08/2021 21:16

Thanks for the advice. No children yet but I do like the idea of watching future children doing homework/reading/drawing at the table. Also like the idea of potentially having a TV so something to watch/listen to whilst cooking.

My main concern is what would retain/add value.

OP posts:
Kite22 · 06/08/2021 21:48

when it comes to a kitchen diner I prefer them open plan... I.e the wall knocked down.
Only because when my partner cooks for our guests / family he would feel left out.

See, when dh cooks Christmas dinner, the LAST thing he wants is an audience as he serves up.

Do you have children OP? I don't think it matters what is or isn't "in fashion" but most families want a kitchen diner. It's just a million % more practical than separate rooms.

See, as a mother of 3, I'd 100% disagree with this. When I'm working inthe kitchen, I like to listen to what I want to listen to on the radio, not my ds on the playstation or my dd doing her piano practice or the other dd trying to watch a programme on TV. I highly value being able to shut the door and people have their own spaces.

Original poster
Sum2021 · 07/08/2021 00:55

Lol these are all valid points and all of which I agree with lol. Although I'd like to be able to watch others I wouldnt want them to watch me. I like hosting with music and candles etc, would that have the same vibe in an open kitchen/diner? Also we cook curries often (several for dinner parties) so it can get smelly and lots of pans and can get messy..... mmhm looks more like keeping things sep so far

OP posts:
Original poster
Sum2021 · 07/08/2021 00:56

I do love this forum, lots of opinions I would never have considered. Thank you all!

OP posts:
Indigopearl · 07/08/2021 06:42

It depends on the market for your house. Is it a family house or will it be marketed at older couples? Also does it have seperate reception room(s)? If there is additional living space and preferably a study too I would say knocking through would be more appealing to most buyers.

MyOtherProfile · 07/08/2021 06:46

Kitchen diner all the way. We have lived with both as a family and I would always choose a kitchen diner. I listen to the radio and still have the kids sit at the table pottering (less so now they're teens!). I like having friends over for a cuppa and they can sit at the table while inkake the drinks. When we have friends for dinner it's so nice to stay in the same room as we get things ready.

We do have a high bar between the two halves so that means you don't really see the mess if you're sitting at the dining table.

User67543989 · 07/08/2021 07:04

We have separate rooms but we are retired and only 2 of us, I prefer the kitchen to be separate. We don't have many guests though just family occasionally. It depends on your lifestyle but we have our house how we want it not how future buyers may want it.

chopc · 07/08/2021 07:22

We had a smallish kitchen and a smallish dining room and we opened it up and can now fit a small sofa and TV for a snug area.

We put an island in for the cupboard space we would have lost by taking the wall down.

It's only when kids are little they will be using the table fo do homework and the snug to watch TV. When they are older, they have desks in their rooms which they prefer plus don't like watching TV in the kitchen due to the noise from the kitchen. Plus when I have guests I get stressed about any mess in the kitchen and always try to cook before guests arrive anyway so don't understand the concept of cooking when people are there

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 07/08/2021 07:35

What other rooms do you have?

We currently have a separate dining room. The good thing about this is all the noisy stuff, like washing machine and extractor fan, is away from the social areas of the house. I hate eating in a hot, noisy, smelly room.
The downside is being away from family while cooking. But that can be an advantage too.

Twizbe · 07/08/2021 07:41

How about broken plan? Replace the wall with a gorgeous glass one with doors.

Or you can open up the door way to a double pocket door and have built in bookcases on the other side.

Broken plan is the new open plan

newmumwithquestions · 07/08/2021 07:48

I’m a fan of kitchen diners. So much easier with young children. But I cook a lot so spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Ours is the ‘hub’ of the house.
I don’t like open sitting rooms though.

Livingintheclouds · 07/08/2021 09:52

I've had a separate dining room in a couple houses and it gets used only a few times a year. One house I also had a kitchen table, my last just bar stools but it still didn't get used much.
I don't entertain that much but I hate being cut off listen to other people chat while I'm shut away in the kitchen. I'm not a keen cook but inevitably someone does follow you in and it's cramped, whereas if you had a kitchen diner you are part of it all without being scrutinised.
I also use the table for work, crafting, reading the Sunday papers etc - and being in a bigger space feels better.
I find the only people who want a separate dining room are the kind who like to have their 'domain'.
Go with how you want it, I don't think it will affect resale either way.

Willdoitlater · 07/08/2021 15:41

If you can accommodate at least one person sitting in your kitchen while another cooks, keep it separate. You still have enough room to be friendly, without having to listen to the appliances, see the aftermath of cooking and smell the bin in your dining area. I really can't see how anyone can have a proper conversation with a fan oven and extractor going, let alone a washing machine. Even my fridge, boiler and dishwasher would send me to the madhouse if I had to listen to them while eating.

I'd always want a door from kitchen into garden. Not having a back door in the kitchen might actually put me off buying a house.

NautaOcts · 07/08/2021 15:44

If separate kitchen has enough space for a table then consider keeping them separate, if no room for a table then definitely knock through especially if it’s a ‘family’ house

TheCrookedKind · 07/08/2021 16:04

I much prefer a kitchen diner (nothing to do with kids, I don't have any) but it does depend on the floorplan and specifics of the house. When we renovated our house and knocked them through, we gained kitchen storage space because the kitchen side took some space from what had been the dining room, and we put a peninsula in the middle.

It's much better for entertaining as the person cooking is in the same space as everyone else.

In terms of resale you can't please everyone but I think in general there is more of a preference for kitchen diners these days.

DameAlyson · 07/08/2021 16:06

I am thinking of blocking the door leading to the garden and using the french doors in the dining room for access to garden.

I wouldn't. Not convenient if you're coming in from the garden with wet or muddy shoes, especially not if children are coming in with wet or muddy shoes. And disturbing for anyone who is using the dining room to have an outside door opening and shutting and people passing through. It would put me off if I was looking at a house.

If the trend for wfh continues, I think people will be wanting separate rooms, so they can more easily shut themselves away to work. Kitchen diner means no privacy and lots of background noise for anyone who is working at the dining room table.

Whatinthelord · 07/08/2021 19:29

Personally I prefer kitchen diner. I like a larger open feel and just find a room with only a dining table in a little weird looking (no idea why).

Peanutsandchilli · 07/08/2021 20:08

We currently have both a kitchen diner and a through lounge diner. We don't use the kitchen to eat in at all. We always eat in the lounge. I'm planning on making the kitchen smaller to be able to accommodate a small table with a couple of seats, but I want to separate the dining area from the lounge to make it an entirely separate room. We're a family with 5 children and it's never been an issue that the kids have been in a different room when I'm cooking.

RandomMess · 07/08/2021 20:15

Glazed doors between the kitchen and dining room, best of both worlds!