Kitchen at back or front of kitchen/diner extension?

[Sunflowersinthehaze]

Rear single storey extension. Open plan kitchen/dining/(cosy)living area. Would you rather have your kitchen/dining area near the bifold doors and garden so the sofa area is at the back or the dining/sofa area is by the bifold doors and the kitchen at the back?

Dining / sitting by the doors. You want to be able to sit and look out at the garden IMO.

I thought it might be quite nice to have a window out to the garden too so I can look out to the garden whilst I wash up! Then the sofa/TV towards the back. But then yes if the kitchen is at the back then I could sit on the sofa near the bifold doors I suppose!

We went for kitchen at the back. It meant the back wall of the extension could be mainly bi-folds as we didn't need space for wall cupboards. I thought having the snug area at the back might be nice and cosy, but actually I like sitting in the bright area in front of the bi-folds. Yes the kitchen gets dark earlier than the extension, but it's not an issue. I also put my sink looking out over the extension, so if I'm washing up I can see the garden or watch TV.

I've never had a house with a kitchen at the back so front gets my vote

Thanks. I can see positives of both. Do you have an island?

No island. I've attached a floorplan from when I was creating 3d views to try and see how it would look. Red x is the doorway in from the hall. Blue is the sofa and green is the TV. There is a half height wall between the kitchen and the snug area so it feels quite open when you are in the kitchen. (Ignore where the wall appears to continue opposite the red x, that's the RSJ.) The bit behind the dining area is a toilet/utility.

I'd recommend the DIY kitchens planner and kitchen planner.net for creating mock ups of your space. Both allow you to view in 3D.

OP was talking about the extension and where the kitchen should go in the extension. Apologies if I have misunderstood.

My kitchen is in the middle. Dining table at the front of the house in the bay window, sofa and chairs at the back by the floor to ceiling windows/patio doors.

We have just had a single storey extension to include a kitchen, snug and dinning. area. We have kept the kitchen at the back with the dinning room and snug close to the sliding doors. Very happy with it.

I’d probably prefer the sofas area near the doors. Maybe it depends how much cooking you do!

I do a lot! But it seems from houses I’ve seen online etc most do have the kitchen at the back part.

That’s interesting thank you very much.

Is there glare on the TV (if you have one) from the sunlight?

I have a slightly different layout but have perspective which may help... my house has a kitchen diner at the back which was knocked through and sliders all the way across the back. The cooker is on an island and the sink on the side wall. I LOVE being so close to the sliders and having all of the light in the kitchen. When the doors are open in summer and we have people round in the garden, I'm part of it.

I appreciate it's a different choice when you have to locate a sofa area, but I spend far more of my time in the kitchen than anywhere else and I would never want to have a home with it out of the way again.

You will likely spend a lot more time in the kitchen than the dining area, and the snug is probably going to be used in the evening when it’s dark anyway. I would put the kitchen where it’s lightest and you have a nice view. Also nice to be able to open the doors while you’re cooking.

Now you’ve confused me 😆 I had originally thought I’d have the kitchen at the front. I like the idea of the hob on an island (if we can fit one). Then most houses I’ve seen have it at the back. Mmmm will have to see what the architect suggests too.

We have our tv on the back corner (left) of the extension wall where our sliders are and open out to our garden which faces north. We only get a small amount of glare in the morning from the east facing window as we have a few trees there. Hope that helps. Happy to answer anymore questions.

I love looking out of the window when I’m cooking, so I’d hate I stuck back in a gloomy corner.

Im about to renovate a house and will have a peninsula. If the hob is on the island/peninsula don’t you get splashes/grease everywhere?

It all depends on size and dimension. My kitchen is close enough that I don’t feel cut off from the garden but I have the seating area right by the sliders

We have our kitchen at the back of a single storey back of house extension and it most definitely is not gloomy at all. The hob and all my prep area is on a peninsular that faces out onto our garden with lovely views. And no we don’t get splashes and grease anywhere.

Are there windows other than the bifolds? Or will all rooms be bright?

Where do you have enough walls for enough kitchen cupboards?

Have you got a plan of the proposed space? The correct solution might be different for different extensions.

My kitchen is in the middle. Living room at front of house with large double doors opening to kitchen then open plan to dining and small sitting area. I can see the garden from the sink as it faces that way, but I spend a lot of my time sitting at the table with a lovely outlook.

I'm planning on a kitchen in the middle / darker part of the house because:

• Can use the internal wall for all the units and cooker. That pushes the internal space 60cm into the room.
• Peninsula for food prep which faces to the glass wall and dining table on the other side.
• It's a north facing room so no burning sun issues, and the kitchen lights will probably always be used anyway.
• Dining and casual seating area by the sliders / bifolds. to enjoy the garden.

We have an L shaped room, kitchen and dining near the garden (plus a teeny seating area) and then snug in the bit of the L that’s at the back.

In our extension we are having the kitchen and dining at the brighter back with a window over the sink and dining by the sliders/bifolds. The sitting area with a telly will be in the darker middle of the house. We currently have our telly in brighter back(west facing), and it is too much glare that on sunny days we close curtains if watching the telly which is such a shame.

With the extension, we can actually still see the garden and telly from all areas so while I'm doing food prep on the island, I am looking into the room.