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.

That is so much nicer. Can you move water to sink now then? It would look even nicer with a chimney breast between the 2 windows with a range in it and mantle over and work top each side so the work top continues round under the other 2 windows then the tall cabinets positioned at the end of the run before the french doors. dining table near french doors.

I’m not sure if I can move the water I have drawn it up to show the builder on Monday. I will have a look at the suggestion @scissorsorknife we are all set to go down draft rather than mantel but I will have a look at putting a range there

I think the island is too big. I would do as you have in your last one but run the units all the way down the wall rather than stopping randomly. Make the island 800 rather than the two units currently (1200?).

Then see if you can fit the dining table in front of the bifolds.

@scissorsorknife the only thing with putting a mantle in the middle then your fridge on the end is it’s going to be a really long walk between the fridge and sink. I would like it to look nice but it needs to be practical.

@ExtremelyDelighted thanks- I see what you mean about losing the island seating my husband is keen for it as a breakfast bar but it would probably be a better use of the space.

@LemonSwan I have to pick up the venting and electrical spur in the floor: we were going to put the hob in the island so need space for the venting hob if we went to 900 you lose some of the storage on the other side and it just becomes panelling. We are a bit fixed with picking up the electric and not being able to move it due to the underfloor pipes

Thanks for the suggestions

Our fridge and sink are at opposite ends of the main kitchen run, we couldn't do it any other way, its fine apart from a bit of a walk to get milk when you have made a cup of tea (we have a boiling water tap). However the fridge is next to the main food prep part of the counter with the range cooker on the other side and that works really well, you can get things in and out as needed while cooking without lots of walking, also means you have a big space to unload shopping before putting it in the fridge and for use when having a fridge sort-out.

This is it with the mantel and a much smaller island it looks nice but is very spread out. My kitchen now all is all spread out and i find it a pain to cook in. Also the kitchen is still in the brighter part of the room thanks for the suggestions

I am going to look at blocking up a bit of the opening to allow me to put more of the kitchen against an internal wall.

I really like that but I do take the point about the spread-outness.

I like your last plan, but as others have suggested I would definitely run the units right to the end, then have a smaller island close to the non-bifold wall, then have space for a bigger table in front of the bifolds. Also agree that at the prices you’ve been quoted I’d either go for quartz for all the worktop or quartz for the long run and then a nice wooden top for the island.

Given that your sink isn’t on the island wood would last well there and looks lovely in a barn conversion.

Yes, we went for quartz on the main run of worktop which includes the sink and an oak breakfast bar and are really pleased with the look, the feel of the oak when you are sitting there with arms resting on it and the cost saving.

I like the wood look but not the upkeep or the water mark/ rings issue. I think we are going to go all quartz. It is going to be a working farmhouse kitchen so hardwearing is really important.

Definitely splash out on the quartz - you won’t regret it.
I like the latest plan with the little table in the corner with windows. I also think the island doesn’t have to be so big. An alternative would be to have seating in just the middle of the long end and a cupboard each side. I’ll try to post a picture of what I mean.

Like this.

So the cupboards each side are accessible and no big overhang of work surface all along the long side.

I like the last plan too. We have a clear breakfast bar like that (ie no hob or sink on it), people rarely sit at it but having that big workspace is invaluable. So much easier to dish up, do baking etc. but quartz all the way.
Also, if you have beams etc have you considered bringing those tall units down to mid height? We had sloping skylights to work around so almost got forced into it, but so glad we did, it's a lot less overbearing. Plus, if you put the quartz on top you can use for nice dishes, cookery books, gin or whatever.
Finally, with the ovens you mentioned, they would look a lot better side by side.

Good luck, I love a new kitchen!

I like the last one most. Have you tried playing around with changing the length of the island or moving it up towards the sink more.

I think the depth is right now.

Getting there!

Having spoken to the builder lots is possible just the dishwasher limits things.

The sink can go down by the window, he would be happy to build a mantle and if the island isn’t having a hob then I don’t have to have the island covering the socket we have coming out of the floor.

I have lots of decisions to make! It’s daunting but thanks for all of your input.

I could go for the mantle lay out only reservation is it’s really spread out. Exciting choices to make.

I think I’ll be able to say kitchen partly designed by Mumsnet!

If you do go for the Mantle option, see if you can fit a single refrigerated drawer in elsewhere. That way you can keep milk/butter etc to hand in between oven and kettle si fewer trips to the further away fridge.

Like this

That's a great idea. The last picture you posted is by far the best layout. We have a range cooker set in a kind of alcove, the sink and dishwasher are on the island facing it and the fridge freezer is a walk away. It works because the island bridges the gap, but I was concerned about it being too far away.

Thanks for all the ideas @BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz wow hadn't seen under the counter fridges like that. I was toying with a second sink or putting in a pot filler in the mantle behind the range. To move the water closer but I like the idea of an under the counter fridge.

Quite a number of decisions to look at now Thanks for all the help

It may not all be achievable on your 20k budget though but personally I would aim high even if kitchen is not all done in one go so you add fridge drawer, the mantle, second sink or even the island and tall cabinets when you can afford it. Appreciate that not everyone will want to take the long term view.

We used this chap to design our kitchen as we went round in circles trying to decide where to put things.

www.gvsdesigncompany.com/

We also used elm for the worktop on our island and it has no water marks 14 years later. It does have a few dents though.

I like the plan from the middle of the thread but I'd make low units go all the way along to the corner (C) and have that as a space for coffee machines & breakfast things + extra storage to keep those out of the main kitchen. That way, you keep your core kitchen in a compact area but also make good use of the corner.

then I'd lose the bar seats on the island and have a bigger table (T) with a bench seat built along one wall (B) because that takes up much less space than a full set of chairs.

Updated design-

Thanks for all of your help- I have finally got a design. Just on the last few final tweaks- measuring it out with the builder and electrician tomorrow.

I have got the mantel and range cooker, the Belfast in front of the window. I have put a second sink in the top corner by the window.

The island the carpenter is going to take the units we order and build up a tom howsley style butchers block/ movable island exact measurements to be confirmed it probably needs to be a bit longer than in the photo but no wider

Just left with some smaller decisions.

• Which way round to put the table- perpendicular or parallel? Both look nice
• do i try and fit two dishwashers in? - Could go dishwasher either side of the sink- but one is against the wall so not ideal or could fit in 1 600 and a 450 slimline?

Thanks again for all of your help.