Would you install a prep kitchen?

[Ablababla]

we are looking at refurbishing our kitchen / dining room. One idea we had was to extend out and make a big kitchen diner space that connects better to the rest of the house and makes the most of the light. This would leave us with an awkward space where the existing kitchen is currently. I actually like the kitchen and was wondering if if I could integrate it into the new kitchen as a prep kitchen. It’s popular in the US but does anyone have one in the U.K? would it put you off buying a house?

house is quite upmarket (big Edwardian Villa with big garden) at a price point where prospective purchasers are very picky. I think the thing that lets it down is the small dark kitchen which was designed for Servants 100 years ago but now with modern family life is where we spend all of our time!

What is a prep kitchen? Where you hide the mess? I would go with a laundry room.

Wouldn’t have that over a utility but if you’ve already got decent utility then keeping it as a prep kitchen/amazing sized pantry isn’t a bad idea.

Think you'll add more value turning it into a scullery/pantry/boot room/laundry space

I was going to say enormous pantry or boot room with dog shower (you're living my dream life basically) @Ablababla

Laundry room over a second kitchen for prep, every time.

I have quite a large house and I have a dedicated prep area in the kitchen. This includes two fridges, a veg prep sink, ample food prep work surface, storage of equipment and two bins for waste. If you have a darker area, use it for a larder or storage if you already have a laundry room. Prepping food is quite sociable and we chat whilst doing it.

I do know what you mean about separate food prep kitchens but these are in houses where the owners get in chefs to cook. They use the kitchen for socialising, not work. I’ve seen this in Dubai. It’s unusual here and not what most people think of as a family kitchen. It’s somewhere you put the catering staff whilst you entertain!

A utility/laundry room is the usual convenient use, a place for outdoor coats and boots plus all the other clutter we all gain

yes a prep kitchen is where you make all the mess and then you waft through into your main kitchen to do the final bits while chatting with your guests etc. www.hungelingdesign.com/blog/why-you-will-want-a-prep-kitchen we actually don’t entertain loads but I imagine the type of people who own this house probably should.

no dog but we are planning to chunk off one end into a sizeable boot room.

Laundry / utility / pantry although ideally i'd have my laundry room upstairs. I think that's why they have the prep kitchens in the us as laundry is already upstairs. You could always put an extra fridge and workspace in there if you wanted to use it as a prep kitchen.

I don’t think the prep kitchen would take off here. The whole idea of the open plan kitchen is that the cook doesn’t need to hide away from the rest of the family and/or guests. You’d never catch Jamie or Nigella in a prep kitchen.

A paid chef is in the prep kitchen! Not a tv celebrity. It also begs the question as to what goes in the main kitchen if it’s not used for prepping or cooking? I don’t know anyone who lives like this with a show kitchen where no one cooks!

I’ve seen a few houses that have something similar but with a focus on freezer, additional fridge, dishwasher, large sink and draining area, and maybe additional bit for veg prep (like spray tap for washing them and place for scraps and peel).

I think Rita Konig’s kitchen (North Farm) has this, there’s a few articles about her interior design and the refurb of North Farm.

my friend’s fairly small house has something similar - it’s where she bungs the washing up and ugly large food storage (like rows of tins and big bags of rice). Think the washing machine is in there too.

And to answer a pp: the hob and ovens etc are in the main kitchen so the majority of the cooking is done in main kitchen . The little annex is more for the messy/ugly stuff. So if you use your kitchen as a living area or hold dinner parties there, you’re not face to face with dirty pans and stuff whilst you relax.

Do you have the other more normal spaces in your home already?

Our house is quite large and at a high price point. We have a very large kitchen, a big laundry room, a housekeepers cupboard (walk in storage for cleaning stuff) a large separate walk in pantry, a cloakroom by the front door (just for guest coats etc and separate from the downstairs loo) and a large boot room at the back of the house which is now full of our old kitchen cabinetry.

I wouldn't have a prep kitchen over any of these more normal things unless you need two kitchens for religious reasons. How big is the space? Assuming you already have a laundry room and boot room I'd divide it up into a large pantry and either a butlers pantry for dishes, glassware etc (which can also be useful if you are entertaining and want to shove stuff out of the way) or else little housekeepers office where you can store cleaning stuff, loo roll, lightbulbs etc and have a desk and space for all the day to day crap like shopping lists, school related stuff, warranties, paint charts etc.

In my pantry I have lots of cabinetry and shelving, a number of large wine racks, a chest freezer, our old american fridge freezer which is now used as a drinks fridge, worktop space and a small sink. It's an incredibly useful space.

We've recently seen a not as grand house on Rightmove that had a kitchen extension where there was a weird alcove that was clearly the old kitchen. All the cupboards matched but it seemed disconnected. It didn't have a door to show it was intentional but I'm not sure that would have improved it. The first thing I said to DH was "why didn't they just put in doors and shelves to make it a giant pantry? I'd buy a house with a giant pantry tomorrow"

Thanks lots of ideas here. It’s a big space 25x15 foot I think once the work is done. Half I’m thinking is a boot room. The other half needs to be used for something else. We do already have a utility room but it’s also not in a great location and doubles up as the annex kitchen so might be better to move it. Also on the wish list is a drying cupboard.

in this climate I feel really want to get it right as we paid a lot for the house and want to make sure it continues to be attractive to buyers.

Do you have a pantry? Pantry porn is a big thing

I've heard it all now. More money than sense.

I don’t actually think 5m x 3m is that big a space once you’ve got cabinets in it.

So my vote is boot room and pantry

I would love a separate 'smelly kitchen' so that my main kitchen/diner stays pristine while the smelly kitchen is where all the heavy cooking will take place. The main kitchen will be for teas/coffees, baking cakes, making salads etc.

I would also shove a sink and dishwasher into the 'smelly kitchen' to remove the clutter of dirty dishes out of sight.

It could be where a family would keep their smart entertaining crockery and cutlery. Some dishes and saucepans are huge.

Also wine and drinks storage in a dedicated fridge.

A dedicated desk for planning social events, and household repairs to be organised, energy bills to be paid. Also children's school bags and sports equipment in a special cupboard.

Could also be place to do (mucky) hobbies such as painting or crafts on a large (folding) table?

@Ablababla
That isn’t a very big kitchen. It’s big enough but you shouldn’t give much off. Better one spacious beautiful kitchen than lots of small spaces.

A wine cellar! Shelving and fridges..... What a good excuse to start a collection don't you think?

It’s bigger than most people’s one and only kitchen. This thread’s like a different universe.