Small kitchen floorplan ideas?

[BookishKitten]

I’m fed up with our horrible kitchen in our 1960s home: there are no redeemable features in the space. We’re busy parents of an autistic child and we both commute so we’re time poor and I am just so depressed by the kitchen… it makes our already difficult life even harder.

The door opens and bangs on the cooker so it’s a safety hazard and more so because of our child’s ASD profile.
There’s a massive radiator next to the fridge, making the wall opposite the door unusable in terms of adding lower cabinets.
The cabinets are cheap and falling apart.
There’s a baby blue wallpaper (in a kitchen!).
There’s no extractor fan.
The floor is dark grey and sucks up the little natural light there is (in a east facing room in the U.K. so we have the light on all the time!).
There is a single light in the middle of the space so whatever you’re doing there’s no direct light because your back is turned to the light.
The ceiling height is about 2.4m so the space feels cramped.
The dishwasher is on the right hand corner, next to the wall, and to the left of it is the washer/dryer, which makes drips from the sink to the dishwasher a daily occurrence.

Basically, I want to completely rethink the space, but I’ve never done this before so need some help!

How would you go about rejigging the space?

Must haves

1. not moving the boiler- it is on the top right hand corner on the floorplan and faces where the hob is now located, exposed (I want it enclosed in a cabinet from the worktop to the ceiling to make cleaning easier and avoiding it collecting dust)
2. Amazing appliances that we will keep: our Samsung free standing fridge freezer, freestanding Samsung washer/dryer, freestanding Miele dishwasher - can these be enclosed in cabinets?
3. Counter appliances that we want to keep/account for on the plan: Ninja Dual, 5l slow cooker, freestanding coffee machine, kettle & toaster
4. Need a new hob/oven and open to integrated, separate, wall or freestanding (the latter less so, I’d rather have it integrated). Gas and or electric fine!
5. I absolutely want a dedicated space for a general waste bin and a recycling bin

Help please!!

My first instincts are that you keep the sink where it is (much cheaper) but put the dishwasher under the drainer. Or move the sink so you have 1200 mm space to the right for dishwasher and washer dryer. You could have a double sink with minimal draining. Do keep all appliances needing water and drainage on the same wall as they are now.

Get a fire resistant sliding or pocket door from the hall. I think you need to retain the hall. Stairs in a kitchen don’t meet fire regs I think. So keep the hall door in the same place but change the type of door it is.

I am assuming you are not extending or removing the wall from kitchen to lounge. If staying the same, just design a three sided kitchen. Decide if you want wall cupboards or not. I think you must remove the storage cupboard. Keep your appliances in that corner. Then use the other two walls for fridge freezer (lounge wall) and cooking appliances. Make sure you have tall units along one wall. You don’t want differing heights. Then decide if you want wall storage elsewhere and what worksurface you need.

We put a sliding door in a similar kitchen which helped.

Surely it is crying out to be u shaped. Can the storage cupboard be knocked out and replaced with a tall kitchen cupboard with space for a mop etc.

That would give you a lot more work surface.

Freezer in bottom left with other tall units that size, cooker (purple ) on far end (is that wall external for extractor or a neighbour?)

Sink I would move along a bit so it's only a small bit of pipework so sink itself is under window with drainer to right. The boiler being above this means built in cupboard may be a bit lower so very end of drainer is good for this dead space.

Your air fryer and coffee machine could tuck in at the end of tall cupboard so visually it appears open the rest of the way round.

I'd swap the door for a pocket door if possible.

Oh and move the radiator to where the cooker currently is as this is a bit dead space. You could have tall slim one

Forgot the diagram as well. Not doing well!

This would probably take a silly amount of money, but anyway..

Have underfloor heating so that frees up the radiator wall space.

Take out wall between kitchen and stairs to open area up a bit, but still have door to hall to keep that area separate and close off stairs so not visible from kitchen.

Put stud in understairs cupboard and have stacked washer dryer in behind a pocket door for a mini utility area. The other side of that cupboard, the actual under stairs bit, have as cupboards that open into the kitchen for extra storage.

U-shaped kitchen. Undercounter lights to illuminate work tops as well as main lights.

@thehonscupboard I think you should not have stairs directly off a kitchen. This is because of fire risk and it spreading upstairs. Could be wrong but I would be careful.

See attached.

here is a pretty simple option

B = boiler in high cupboard with washing machine under. you can just make the cabinet big enough for the washing machine that you like.

S = sink. dishwasher can go to the right of the sink next to the boiler
then a big corner with lots of worktop space

H = hob with oven under. induction is best for giving you extra worktop space and it is easy to keep clean.
F = great big fridge freezer

and there is space for a small table and chairs by the window with the best light.

OR - if you don't want the table, you could put another unit / dresser on the wall behind the door which would give more worktop space for appliances and more storage.

For heating, the options would be (a) underfloor heating (b) undercabinet heaters or (c) new radiator by the window. you'd need to get quotes for each.

@BookishKitten At just 3m square, you would lose a lot of storage by having a table in there. Plus moving water supply and drainage obviously costs more.

It would give more space for storage to use the three walls as they are and have a table in the lounge/diner. Obviously this is a small house. There’s not much scope for changing much without extending! I would suggest making storage under the stairs more accessible and possibly looking into putting the washing machine in there or in the storage in the hall but it would need plumbing and drainage.

If you need a new kitchen in M25 area in London, then try these guys
www.planmyroom.co.uk

If you put in a door to the hall and wall up the top half of the stairs then they won't be off the kitchen, only accessible via the hall. Hard to explain properly but have seen it done that way.

@thehonscupboard If it’s open plan, with stairs going up directly from the kitchen, it’s difficult to say there is a hall. However reading the regs is vital before doing contemplating open plan for this kitchen.

I would take out the built in storage cupboard and make the kitchen a U shaped kitchen on those 3 walls. Then remove the kitchen door to give a feeling of more space and so the door isn't opening into the kitchen.

We removed our kitchen door and surround and had it plastered and it has made a huge difference to space and light.

I have just double checked your dimensions and it is very similar to ours that we had last year. Here is our kitchen plan and it really works well for us. We have a window over the sink (didn't add it to the plan).

Wow, thank you so much, I wasn’t expecting replies so soon ! Apologies for the delayed response, I’m currently nursing a 4-year old with norovirus!

I think the U shape kitchen is a great suggestion, plus getting rid of the cupboard, and having the wall to the left (ie opposite the window) as a single run of tall units to maximise storage with fridge freezer, pantry unit and potentially a single oven/grill.

Would you have upper cabinets on the central wall where the hob (induction to maximise surface) would go? It’s a small space and I worry it will feel too cramped? Maybe have a shelf on either side of the extractor for pretty but useful things like pestle and mortar, olive oil, some cook books, vase of greenery that type of thing ? I would use the space on the counter either side of the hob for the Ninja (left) and potentially the slow cooker (which we tend to use more in the late autumn to early spring (but don’t in the [2 weeks of] summer……..).

Re the extractor: the wall where the hob would go is a partition wall, so no outside venting or extractors are possible - what would you suggest? Any recommendations of extractors that you have at home?

The wall where the window is: the current sink is a bog standard single bowl aluminium. I don’t think I’ll be able to have a double sink!, but any of you have any views on ceramic sinks? Are they easier to clean and keep clean? Do they stain easily? I’ve read very conflicting information… below the sink having read your suggestions I would go for an integrated double bin situation, then to the right the dishwasher and to the far left under the boiler that would be the place for the washer/dryer. Sorry if this is a stupid question, but is it possible to house a free standing appliance in a lower cabinet? And the same for a freestanding, non integrated fridge freezer? Our appliances are really good and it would be great to be able to house them and still get a unified look across such a small space.

Re the entrance/door: I love the idea of a sliding door but I’m not sure the budget will permit pocket door as all the walls includ existing cupboard are brick in the house, and this may end up taking floor space in order to create the pocket if you see what I mean… Given my child’s ASD profile it’s not viable not to have a door sadly as he’s really sensitive to sound and will be triggered by the washing machine. I can’t put the washer/dryer under the stairs because that would mean having to move the water, gas and electricity meters and I’ve been warned that it’s ridiculously pricey - but not sure how much pricey means!. What other ways of having a sliding door for the kitchen? A barn door style door perhaps? I understand these generate very divisive opinions, i would interested in hearing your views.

Our style isn’t twee or cottagey but it’s not mid century modern either. Imagine teal walls, dark wood floors, with either warm white or pale grey furniture and furnishings, brass details including light switches. We have a few ikea pieces (Hemnes line) in the living room where we have the dining area so not a lot of metal or glass (also for safety given our son being ASD).

We were thinking of opting for a modern shaker style kitchen (so just straight lines on the doors with no details or frills) with brass metal knobs and pulls (or handless given the size of the kitchen??what do you think), but we’re stump in terms of colour for the cabinets and worktops and walls. I love the idea of white countertops to bounce light around but what would you suggest for cabinets in terms of colours and finishing (matte or not?). And countertops: is white granite or marble stain proof? I like the look of white marble with no or minimal veining on the worktops and splash back (basically this would only happen on one wall or one and a half walls, so maybe won’t break the bank!): is this practical?

finally: where would you put the kettle and toaster and coffee machine? Presently these are near the entrance on the left to minimise traffic in the kitchen and it’s worked a treat. But if I go down the road of having a wall of tall units on the left wall then that ceases to be an option. Maybe a tall and slim radiator to the right of the entrance and then a small furniture piece to serve as a breakfast station?

you have already given me such wonderful suggestions, I really really appreciate your comments and your time to reply!!

I wrote marble worktops but meant quartz…

I did a small kitchen a few years ago, a few things that really worked.
My door into the garden now opens outwards, adding a lot of space - it's a stable door as well which is great on fine days. Even a sink and a hall is a godsend. And in a small room go easy on the wall cupboards - I have none, just a pantry unit and big drawers inc one that wraps around the sink. The big drawers are fab, you can get at everything in them. No more scrabbling about on my knees to get something from the dark recesses of a cupboard.
I sorted what I really use in the kitchen and created enough storage for that and no more - you just fill any extra space with crap and wall cupboards make small kitchens feel even smaller.