Follow-up: I invite your comments on my NEW kitchen plan (with photo)

[kitchenplanner]

Thanks so much to everyone who contributed to my last thread. I took on board your comments, and have created two new plans for comments.

1. FF on the right
2. FF on the left

Option 1. I moved FF to the right to free up that dark corner, but there's now less worktop space as a result. The sink cannot go right next to the FF (right?) so I can't swap it with the 30cm cabinet. There's a lot more worktop to the left, but I don't think I'd use that as food prep space.

Option 2. I kept FF on the left. I replaced the double sink with a single, and swapped its location with DW. Now there's a good stretch of prep space. This is my preferred design. Here's a link if anyone is inclined to have a tinker! kitchen.planner.ikea.com/planner/#/gb/en/planner?projectId=DD36F728-4686-4C61-AA8E-F4FE829F8A23&ref=share

I really must keep the range. Those who remember my floor plan, I also want to keep both doors in the kitchen (into hallway and into conservatory). I am ok to lose the window, but I don't think that gives me much to play with.

Please let me have your comments?

Thanks all. I continue to be shocked by how many posters who are still saying there's not enough worktop. I've measured vs. my current one and there's more, and I do quite a bit of cooking now. Do you all have massive kitchens? I've been living in London for a long time now, so have I just got used to small spaces? This is a big house. Well over 2000 sq ft. But this is the size of kitchen they have. It honestly never struck me as woefully inadequate.

PPs who suggested putting sink under the window or wrapping units around that wall - it's not possible. The window is narrow and there isn't sufficient space between the wall and the door for a sink. I don't want to get rid of the door as it lets in so much light into the kitchen. I'd rather a bright kitchen than more worktop.

I also don't want to change the layout of the utility and hallway. The hallway has original Edwardian tiles and is truly beautiful. I love the way the kitchen dining area may be accessed by two doors. I think my children will love running thro
ugh them and use that unusual feature in games. My husband and I both loved things like that as children too.

I'm sorry if that sounds so negative! I'm so grateful for your comments. I will consider switching the range with the drawers. I just thought PPs said it was better to have that long stretch to the right of the range.

Reposting this pic I shared on the other thread to explain why a U shaped kitchen isn't possible.

2themoon exactly re shadows being misleading! Light coming from conservatory so that side will be bright.

Calmdown sorry clicked send by accident. Drainer will go to the right of the sink.

I totally get you not wanting to interfere with your beautiful hall with its original features! However, I still believe there are better options than keeping the kitchen in such a small space when you obviously have plenty of square footage to expand it 😉

Our last house was also 2000 sq ft and the kitchen was only about 12' square with two doors (one led into the cellar) and a massive aga fitted by the POs (in addition to an oven and separate hob). We lived with it, fully intending to move the kitchen into the third reception room, a much larger space at about 15' square - in fact we actually purchased the cabinets, range cooker etc in order to do that - but ended up selling the house instead 🙄

In the house we owned before that one (again a similar size - 2100 sq ft) we built a kitchen extension so we ended up with a room that was a whopping 38' long!

Our current house - a massive downsize at 1400 sq ft as we don't need five beds now - had a 17' x 11' kitchen which we felt wasn't big enough for our requirements. We opted to move it into two of the reception rooms which we knocked through, giving us a 24' x 17' narrowing to 12' kitchen which is the perfect size for us.

Obviously it's up to you what you do and only you know how much kitchen space you need - plus we've been spoilt by having big kitchens in virtually all our seven previous homes - but imho you should live in the house before making a definite decision as for a 2000 sq ft house what currently exists as a kitchen seems disproportionately small to me....

Otoh, the family of four who bought our last place (the one with the 12' square kitchen) decided to keep the room as it was, just fitting new cabinets etc 😉

Meant to say, the largest house we ever owned (a 6 bed Victorian place of 3500 sq ft) only had a smallish kitchen when we bought it. We did knock through into an adjoining room which was obviously originally a scullery or similar as it had a 6' wide floor to ceiling dresser that filled one wall. The kitchen we installed in the new space actually had a severe lack of prep space as the main run of cabinets only had a small amount of usable worktop because the wall mounted cupboards actually sat on the work surface either side of the single butler sink (there were drainage grooves too) and the range cooker sat in a chimney recess with no worktop flanking it at all! I mainly used the large table for prep - we had a smallish island (before huge ones were a thing, lol!) and did actually struggle a bit considering the room was approx 25' x 15' 🙄

These days I do far more baking and wouldn't be without my big beast of an island 😂

I will move in and make my final decisions then I'll have a think about a pp's suggestion of moving the FF into the pantry. That would give a bit more worktop space.

@kitchenplanner

Mumdiva hmm you don't think it's better to have that good stretch of space to the right of the range?

No....because the bit at the left is currently dead area. Not big enough to use. Unavailable when someone is actually cooking....imagine standing in front of the hob and someone trying to make a cup of tea next to you....won't work. By moving the cooker you will have 2 useable spaces and the one of the left will also have the bit around the corner so you are actually increasing the usable space.

Mumdiva - ok what about if we use the RHS of the range most of the time? I probably don't envisage using all 5 hobs simultaneously very often.

I'm worried about losing the big space between sink and range. I expect that's where I'll do most of my prep, as I'll be washing and then cutting?

I agree moving in and then deciding is best but sue you will keep elements of your ideas here. I love your conservatory.
Have I understood that there's another door to it at the dining end?
Running the units under it would be lovely. You could easily turn the door into a window but keep all the original character and looks like it would be a lovely space to work at.

Calmdown you're right, there is another door via the dining room. The door in the kitchen is an original though, with stained glass. I just can't bear the thought of getting rid of it!

Some posters said the range should be central to allow more space to its left. Is this better?

I think your newest drawing certainly looks more balanced to the eye but I wouldn't like losing the nice run of worktop between cooker and sink from option 2.

Considering your constraints / personal preferences, I think option 2 is the best fit.

I would consider reducing the length of the two open shelves - they just look too long and disconnected to my eye. I'd put another wall cabinet on the sink side of the cooker hood and have the shelves butt up against that running to your conservatory wall.

Could you repurpose the lovely stained glass door as the door from hallway to kitchen? That would mean you could extend the kitchen around in a U and also lets more light from the kitchen to the hall. You might need to change the size of the doorway slightly to accommodate the different door.

@kitchenplanner

Some posters said the range should be central to allow more space to its left. Is this better?

Yes, much.

You need worktop space on both sides of the cooker, and also both sides of the sink, and this design gives you that.

I do love the door. Depending on the size if it could become your kitchen door then that would solve the dark corner issue. Or it could perhaps be reduced in size and just the bottom half reglazed.
Certainly worth investigating.
I'd love to wash the pots looking at that rather than a wall!
Not sure what is in the conservatory but wonder if reducing the doorways might also allow better room for furniture in it?
Ultimately though, it's what you think is most important to you that matters.
If you are planning to resell in medium term, I think as this thread shows, others would expect more work surface.
But if you are in for the long haul and doesn't bother you, sod it!
Trouble is once you get used to decent workspace it's hard to go back

I do like the new image better with the range central.

You don't have much storage space....have you thought out where everything is going....if you also have a utility then that probably deals with this.

E.g. Where do you keep the pots and pans? Cutlery? Plates etc? Food - tins, cereals, fresh vegetables etc etc

Mumdiva there's a separate utility, plus a pantry for tins etc. I'm not too worried about storage. It's more worktop space, after what everyone said.

I think Option 1 is fine, except for the wall cupboards and shelving. I would lose the glass-front wall cabinet altogether and move the remaining cabinets to the wall where the hob is. Ideally, I would have two single cabinets to the right of the hob and two to the left (singles so that each door can have its handles towards the hob and hinges away from the hob, which makes looking in them easier when cooking.) I'd then probably just have a bit of shelving over the sink. I'd probably try to keep the wall above the preparation space on the left clear or just use it for some very narrow shelving (e.g. for spices).

It's probably been asked but can you put the FF to the right of the conservatory door if you want more counter space?

@kitchenplanner

Some posters said the range should be central to allow more space to its left. Is this better?

I think your original plan 2 (FF on left) is much better, because having the longer stretch of worktop between the hob and sink is more flexible.