What's your favourite layout and why?

[december2020]

I'm currently debating an extension and playing around with some potential floorpan layouts.

My current favourite is the L shaped kitchen with the second lounge/den (I think it comes up as picture 3).

It would give us a small entrance for muddy boots, bags, shoes and coats, a proper dining area nook (which is currently just a dumping ground of said coats, bags and other stuff) and more living space downstairs.

Keen to hear any thoughts or get some great ideas I hadn't even considered.

What is the square thing in the middle with a door?

1

It's a cupboard that I think is part structural wall, but also has a giant convection heater, so would be a lot more expensive to rip out, replace and move.

You don't seem to gain anything apart from floor space with any of them. What are you after?

I'd keep the front room separate as a quiet room away from cooking. Love the loo in the hall so it the way. The hall is narrow though so a bottleneck?

Do you come in from the bottom of the pic or the top right?

The cupboard definitely needs to go whichever layout you choose.

I like the L shape with the kitchen in the middle - we live in this model of DW house and I love the layout, we don't have to have our backs to anyone in the dining room if we've got people round and we're prepping in the kitchen. The light is great and we've got a big open island with stools at it in the kitchen space.
We've thought about relocating but honestly this kitchen layout is making it really hard to find another house that compares!

I agree with a pp, I would separate off the front room area. You could have a wall with glazed doors in so it feels more open and can be opened up when you want. We have this and it works well. Having a quiet/non messy space to retreat to is invaluable (also if you want to play piano without everyone having to listen!!) . If you have to keep that central square cupboard thing then separating the front off makes even more sense, otherwise that block is just going to seem in the way.

For the back I would choose an island with bar stoops but run it parallel to the wall run. If possible try to fit in a sofa as well as dining table. I think you have space.

I'd also want a wall for the lounge. Or at the very least pocket doors so it could be closed off but that wastes a lot of useful wall space.

I think having two sitting areas is invaluable, especially as kids get bigger. The big family space is great but only if you also have somewhere to escape to. Don't underestimate the noise of the extractor fan, dishwasher, washing machine etc.

So 3 but with a wall. U shaped kitchens are very effective.

I would close off the lounge like this (blue lines) . The door situation would need to be looked at carefully e.g. door from hallway, the cupboard.

Where you would then put doors for living room etc.

I too would make the front room enclosed and I would block one of the doors to the playroom at the back to add more kitchen units. You then get three useable spaces. I'm not a fan of open plan living so this would work for me but I concede that many people like a more open plan space.

Please don’t have a hob on an island, unless the sink is there too. It is horribly dangerous, it is so easy to scald some one en route to the hob

Oh yeah actually I like this one! The reason I didn't like it was lack of work top spaces but your idea of blocking off one door is good

What about something like this

I don’t like the kitchen being right where everybody walks into the room, that’s annoying and potentially dangerous, better on the other side

What is the tiled area at the top right by the way?

1

Actually now I look closely could be the front door, Its not clear really. I assume the door at the bottom left was the front door.

My attempt (hopefully it will attach)

Orange is a pantry/utility opening up into kitchen

Blue is kitchen units (floor to ceiling on the pantry side, so they blend with the pantry door as one seamless wall.)

Purple is dining

Green is a sitting area, e.g. a bench with boot storage and an armchair. You could have a TV above the bench

Yellow is a separate living room

1....but I'd want to enclose the snug room.

Ohhh if tiled area top right is front door then that changes things!

Pic 3 but I’d close off the lounge and close off the kitchen/diner and I’d put a pantry/utility in where the big rug is. For light I’d have internal crittall walls/doors throughout to the 3 separate sections. With open plan I always imagine 1) cold 2) it looks like one big messy room with lots of surface dumping! Plus cooking smells and fatty steam drifts over everything so eventually leads to smelly and slightly yellowed fabrics and furnishings. If you’re having a hob in an island look at venting hobs.

@Ladybird2023 a pantry area is a very good suggestion to make use of the cupboard stuck in the middle.

Be interesting to know where the current walls are and what is above in terms of water, pipes etc

I like your design favourite best though I would consider having a sliding wall inside wall behind the piano (to close off that wall if needed) and a double consertina door/wall that folds up against wall of cuboard (so to close that wall if needed) This gives you a closed off or partially closed of snug.
It means that sometimes your kitchen becomes a passage way but sometimes you might prefer that.