I’m stuck on kitchen/diner/family area

[Marcinpup]

Hi, we are planning our kitchen/diner and I think I’ve been overthinking it and completely confused myself!

What would you do with this space?
big kitchen all along one wall to the window and then big table in the family area? There is a separate living room too.
Or would you keep the kitchen more contained with a breakfast bar and a little everyday dining area? I don’t mind the kitchen being in a darker area, as long as the eating/living spaces have lots of light!

Personally I'd go for kitchen along one wall because then there is more flexibility in placement of the table and you could have more space around it if you have more people for a party or occasion.

Sorry - I mean an L shape but no breakfast bar.

I wouldn't go for a kitchen all in a line along one wall - it looks nice but we stayed in a holiday cottage that had this layout and it was a nightmare to use. Constantly having to walk up and down to get things as you can't have an effective kitchen triangle in a straight line!

So we have 4 metres of kitchen down the wall, then 3 metre split level island opposite, effectively creating a galley kitchen but in a big space.

The dining table, sofa etc are the other side of the island!

Thanks for these points.

@YellowChrysnthemum there is space in the ‘family room’ for a big dining table for bigger occasions/parties. Currently in the drawing there is space to have an everyday dining area in a nook next to the kitchen, divided by a breakfast bar, but I’m not sure if I have overcomplicated things!

@RidingMyBike oh interesting point- I get what you mean. I quite like the idea of the kitchen being quite contained too and not too open. This makes me wonder if our original idea (in the diagram) would be ok then.

Are you going to end up with a big table in the family area and then a small table in the dining area? At the same time?

Think I'd turn the dining area into a comfy/cosy area and have large table (extendable) in family area plus sofa, TV etc etc.

Depending on actual physical space I might make kitchen extend a bit further down the long wall.

Next time you're making a meal in your existing kitchen make a mental note of how often you get something out of various cupboards (food, utensils, saucepans, plates), go to the fridge, the sink, dishwasher and hob. Then think about what order you'd put all that in in a straight line and whether that would work for you.

I remember in the holiday cottage it felt like I'd walked a mile just getting breakfast!

@Forestdweller11 i think so - my thoughts were to have banquette style seating area in the kitchen (other side of the breakfast bar), and then a bigger dining table in the family area.
Looking at kitchen catalogs etc the norm seems to be big open kitchen and big open dining area which is making me wonder if I need to simplify the plan.

By the way, this isn’t built yet- we’ve only just got PP… so making sure we are going to with a good plan before spending money on it!

The kitchen catalogues will have big open kitchens featured because it's easier to take pictures in that space and they can more easily include an array of appliances and units!

@RidingMyBike ha hadn’t even thought of that!

It was a constant moan of ours with deciding on kitchen designs and pictures that they were all for enormous houses and a certain lifestyle rather than what us and our friends had!

Think about your and your family's lifestyle, age of kids, what kind of social life you'd want in the house - how many family meals per week or people eating separately vs having friends round.

We've gone for a small dining table with sofa and just add on an extra table at the end when we're entertaining because most of the time we're not.

Scuse terrible drawing

I think I’d put the kitchen back right like this. Either an L shape with an island as I’ve drawn, or you could do a U shape if you prefer more contained. Or just a long wall run and a parallel island (which could go all the way to the wall).

Are you going to want a TV in this room? If so my layout doesn’t work v well