Kitchen refurb door/dining dilemma

[Newbie2025]

Hi, looking for advice from you helpful people please 😊
I have a small kitchen , it's 4.67m long x 2.13m wide and at the moment we have the back door on the side of the house, so our options are

1. Move the back door into an existing window opening in the kitchen but lose space for a small dining table
2. Still move the door and have a small dining table but sacrifice some kitchen units and worktop space or

1. Don't move the door and have a good amount of units and worktops but then the door has to stay on the side of the house.

The goal was to get a back door into the garden for security rather than having it on the side of the house and create a dining space to have family and friends around more often as have no dining space currently and can't have anyone around.

What would you do? Has anyone ever cut down on the amount of units and worktop and regretted it?
I've attached a copy of the floor plan for reference.

Thank you

Confused by the floor plan. Is the access to the garden via the utility? Could you show the whole ground floor please, including the garden. Kitchen seems very narrow.

If you put in a sliding glass door where the kitchen window is you can probably still have a small table because you don't need room for the door to swing. I used to have my kitchen table near a sliding glass door and it worked out fine.

Why are you thinking about losing your dining space so that the door opens to the back, rather than the side? I don't understand how that is better for security.

The priority should definitely be keeping a dining space, you would be mad to consider otherwise.

Just because we can get a great kitchen layout with plenty of work bench and put through door in but it leaves no where for the dining table to go, unless we added a breakfast bar in but would prefer a table.
We can fit the new door and a dining table if we move the kitchen to the far right side and have it as a U shape but doesn't leave a lot of work bench, a couple of the kitchen designers have said they wouldn't do it but then a couple of others have designed a plan like that but said it doesn't give us much workbench.

Thank you, that's what I thought, do I just have to keep the door at the side of the house which isn't ideal as when we're in the garden we can't see the back door so I do worry about people walking into the house as live on quite a busy street but could maybe put a tall fence and gate up just to feel a bit more secure.

I've attached a photo of the layout example without the door but keeping a dining area, we could even add some extra units where the radiator is and move that.

Hi, yes it's through the utility at the moment, I'll add a photo.

Sorry, the photo didn't attach to my comment, should be on there now.

You worry about people walking off the street into your house while you are in the garden?

Sorry, but don’t let extreme anxiety influence your renovation. And, as you say, a locked gate on the side passage should address the issue.

Yes , it has happened before unfortunately at my last house, total accident of the person but I lived on my own at the time and really rattled me.

I think as well as feeling a bit more secure in garden with the back door, I also like that it would improve the flow of the house into the garden and would love to be able to just walk out onto a patio but if it means sacrificing work tops or dining then thinking it won't be worth it maybe?

Could you not have sliding doors and keep the dining table where it is, in front of the doors?

A kitchen you can work in and a table to eat at are preferable to walking directly into the garden for me.

BTW you should look at tabour or double doors, or even take the doors off and have open shelving on those cupboards, they would save you a lot of space.

Thank you, that's a really good idea, I'll measure up but I think that could work 😊
Almost feel like I'm trying to get the impossible out of such a narrow kitchen but we don't want to move ideally.

I would place the table the other way, lengthways, instead of sideways, so that people are not scrunched against the inside wall.

I'd keep the window, create a u-shaped run of cabinets on the three walls to the right of the door into the kitchen and create a back door/French windows where your table is. I'd also consider then closing up outside door into utility room to create extra space there (if you don't have a dog/don't require a mud room).

Thank you, this is going to be the best way I think after taking everyone's suggestions on board, might even get a table that folds away to make it easier to get out the door.

Or create a bench seating area with the table pushed up to it. You could put storage under the bench seats too. Also see about pocket doors out to the utility.