Which kitchen layout help

[Toomanyhats]

Hi please help me from my dithering. We are doing a barn conversion - it is an amazing once of a life time project and we are going to live there forever I need help with which way round to put the island. The room is 6m2 and is a converted corn house with a vaulted ceiling. It will make a stunning kitchen I don't want to ruin it.

We are thinking of going for a DIY kitchen in either the norton or helmsley. Colour is either blue or light grey still trying to sort. I will try and put up a photo of the room.

Please help me with if I should go perpendicular or parallel with the tall units.

Perpendicular
Pros- can use a compact laminate which is cheaper
Hob and centre of island line up to the central beam and skylight.
Cons- smaller seating area takes up more of the room, blocks bifold doors (still 1.2 m behind seats)

Parallel
Pros- more seating, makes better use of the space- kitchen is more contained gives more feeling of space in the room.
Cons- more expensive, some units under the worksurface seating area. Have to use quartz- more expensive but could be a good thing as more hardwearing,

Thanks in advance- mumsnet has been a wealth of knowledge on all things home renovation, it has helped so much.

How about oak or other wood on the island? More in keeping with the barn look and cheaper than quartz.

I would want more bench space on the right hand side of the sink.
Also like the idea of the table near the doors.

Thanks for the questions and ideas

Yes 20k not including flooring. I had a look at handmade kitchens of Christchurch and they are beautiful but would blow the budget. I will look at their design process. The other tall unit is a larder and the carpenter is going to build in bespoke shelving to fit. I get what you mean about the cupboards under the seating being inaccessible.

I have an aga and if I’m honest don’t like it for some things I think my 1970 oil fired one puts me off. I thought the eye level oven would be better for baking I suppose you want a change from what you have lived with. I struggle with space to put tall units as the walls are so thick and the windows are so set back.

I get what you mean about moving the table in front of the doors and enjoying the view I was thinking of trying to leave the space free as people would be coming in and out

@Aboutcoffee thanks for the advice re worktop your giving me the push I needed to splash out on quartz

@ExtremelyDelighted thanks for the idea about extending down the wall will have a play tonight.

Definitely not the perpendicular one. Look very odd not in line with other cupboards and blocking the bifolds.

You may have already done this but have you been round to different kitchen places to get them to do a design. You don't have to go with them if you don't want to afterwards.

We went to loads of places and each one thought of something different and gave us something else to think of!

The process was long winded but really helpful. I think if I had to put a kitchen in the large space you have I'd definitely need some help!!!!

We have been to 4 kitchen places and they have all come up with a variation of this this design. You can’t put tall units on the back wall as it’s just too narrow. The idea was to have the middle of the island in line with the middle of the beams. The sink is a bit stuck there as it’s where the pipes come up. It could move a bit but not by much.

I have never had an Aga, but we invested in an Everhot range cooker when we did our kitchen last year, same "always on" type cooker with traditional looks but electric only. It bakes beautifully (and does everything else beautifully too). Might blow the budget though.

I sympathise BTW, it took us 6 months and a LOT of effort to finalise our layout but it was so worth it.

Any way the kitchen can go at the back and the table and sofa at the front? I’d want to use the lighter areas for seating/looking at the garden view and the darker part for cooking.

@Toomanyhats

We've just completed the kitchen in our once and a lifetime project so I understand the stress!

I spent many hours looking at kitchen plans- thoughts-

Prefer option 1- however would loose the window on the wall with the uprights and oven and make the wall units more symmetrical adding another tall unit to the right of the unit on the right of the oven, ie two talls, oven tall, two more talls.

Have you thought about extraction? Will you have a hood or a rising extractor?

2- is it possible to move the kitchen to the opposite side of that wall? Ie out the sink in the middle of the long lovely window so you can look out the windows when doing the washing up! - then you could move your table near to the space near the bifold?

@DeckTheHallsWithGin the water is in now and the electrics all set for ovens that side.
The opening to the living room is massive and a step up with a big 2.1 m window that faces straight on to the side of a shed. I will look at extending the kitchen down a bit.

@ExtremelyDelighted thanks it’s stressful sorting a build out. I will look at Ranges again we are putting in a ground source heat pump and underfloor heating so thought about going away from always ons

I think its not using the space well. You have the kitchen crammed in the corner and then a load of awkward space around it.

I would run the kitchen down the left hand wall and then have a huge dining area

I’ve just placed my order at DIY but used Karen at OnePlan to help me design it. I know it’s an extra expense but it was only £300 and was money well spent. There’s also a Facebook group called DIY kitchen reviews that will help you out.
I have to admit I’m not a fan of either design but I definitely like the lighter colour

@ohmygod1
1- we are fixed on openings, we are in an AONB, conservation area. It is a nice idea-

2- Im fairly sure my sink position is fixed. The floor has been poured and the pipes are in position. I will have a play with what I can do maybe keeping the island the same but moving it down and moving the sink. and then speak to my builder and plumber nicely.

Thanks for the ideas.

HMKC definitely wont be a help with design - they only help once you have paid and then it is amending plans done elsewhere to fit their cabinets. You need designs done by top end companies for inspiration I think. Who have you tried so far?

Surprisingly I found Ikea great but guess it depends who you get - my designer was amazing and picked up on or suggested so many things in just 3 hours that Karen at One Plan didnt despite her £700 fee. Plus Karen didnt follow basics such as the sink tap was 5cm off centre under a window which had vertical central bar so the plan was unusable (and no refund or ability to leave a review). Not sure why the poster above only had to pay £300.

Get paintable from Howdens. And (have someone) paint.

Or

British Standard Cupboards

I prefer the colour choices in the second option with the darker units, looks really smart. But I think the light grey units would look nice too, just not with the wall colour shown on the design. Too many greys of a similar value in the first option.

Marshmello - why? Is that to try to get cheaper units than DIY? Not sure the issue is the supplier.

I have wicks, magnet, 3 local independents. We don’t have a wealth of showrooms locally. Some of our local ones wanted a deposit to alter designs some that had clashing units no space either side of the sink.

I agree that you're not making best use of the bifolds and there's a lot of unused space. How does this area flow into your utility and larder?

Do you have double doors into the kitchen from another room for a specific reason? Will they be both open at the same time? If you reduce it to a single door, you could have floor to ceiling pantry cupboards down one side of that wall

@Toomanyhats

I have wicks, magnet, 3 local independents. We don’t have a wealth of showrooms locally. Some of our local ones wanted a deposit to alter designs some that had clashing units no space either side of the sink.

Wickes can be problematic. Magnet ok but a bit limited. Howdens better than both. And the units got a Which? award.

Independents will usually be more expensive when Howdens is just as good.

Howdens also do an excellent plan, for free.

After 18 years of sourcing kitchens, I ended up just thinking omg why even bother with anywhere else but Howdens.

No, no working for them and not in commission! Just my opinion based on experience.

Corian worktop.

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz
It’s an open doorway in to the living room the utility it’s a nice thought but we can’t do it now

I would also try to run units all the way down wall B and have a massive island with proper dining seating eg www.digsdigs.com/photos/03-kitchen-island-with-a-built-in-seating-area.jpg

Or a giant dining table.

Is this going to be your only dining area? Not clear from the OP quite what this room needs to function as.

where are the washing machine and tumble drier if no utility room? The problem with units all along wall b is the tall units would be in the middle as the windows are either side which doesnt give a nice run of worksurface or look great visually - sorry not very helpful.

Thanks for all of the advice- I have played around with it and moved the sink. I would want to change the door layout this side. The plumbing and ducting/ electrics is the hard bit to sort.

I could move the seating to the longer side but it compromises the units. It really depends where the big table is going.

The table could be banqueting style in the corner with lots of window or near the bifolds. I just put it there to give scale.

Thank you very much for your help. You have had more input in the kitchen than my husband has already.

I do like that better, the sink under the window is nice. I wonder if you could do without the stools and overhanging part of the island and fit a larger table and chairs under the window instead? Also will you have enough counter space for appliances (microwave, toaster etc) or is a microwave incorporated in the oven tower.