Kitchen designer on MN?

[TheE1ementsSong]

I seem to remember there was a kitchen designer on MN some years ago, is she still around? I would like to engage her services! Actually paying actual money for the design, I mean.

Our kitchen is literally breaking down bit by bit around us and we're going to have to replace it. We have lived with the current layout since we moved in a decade ago and find it simultaneously too big and inefficient, yet too cramped and lacking storage. I've tried making up my own designs but I think I need a professional eye for the best outcome.

Have attached the current layout (approx, it's actually a bit stranger than how I've shown it).

Oh I remember that poster, what was her name now... ?

www.oneplan-design.co.uk/

You want Karen, she's brilliant

That's the one! Thank you I will get in touch with her

Bumping this thread, although my question is a bit different from what it says in the title.

The family (me, DH, 2 teens) have been discussing what we might want from our kitchen, thinking we ought to agree on that before we engage the designer so she can have a coherent brief. Turns out we cannot agree!

So, I thought I'd try and get some reality checks from MN. I've tried to draw a more accurate diagram of the kitchen. Picture a falling-apart mess, the wall cabinets have no doors, the counters are covered with jars and appliances.

• The main point of disagreement is whether we try to keep the eating area. It's very cramped in real life. I want to give it up and eat in the dining room, but teens are dead set against and DH is on the fence.
• Following on from that, if we keep the eating area, it'll be even more cramped if we box in the boiler. Which I'm desperate to hide because it and its piping are utterly fugly.
• Next thing is I hate the washing machine where it is, it's ugly and noisy and a long way to walk to the back door. Also, that's where we make the tea/coffee, so is always busy.
• I had a slightly mad idea of creating a tiny utility room with sliding glass door by putting in a stud wall across the room from boiler to current-freezer-location, in which we could have the washing machine, boiler, a countertop for the microwave and air-fryer etc. Which would definitely mean no eating area.

Bottom line - AIBU to get rid of the eating area against the wishes of the rest of the family? Or is there a clever way of hiding the ugly stuff, having enough storage and keeping an eating area?

We have a kitchen that I suspect is about the same size as you have and while there is in theory a tiny eating area, being a slightly lower bit of work surface that three at most could squeeze around, in practice, we only eat in the dining room. That works perfectly well and has done from when we moved in when our son was about 10. As you don’t have much space, it seems a shame to cram everything into the kitchen and not, I assume, use the dining room very much. Having a utility room as you suggest seems like a good idea.

Is there a reason you aren't opening the kitchen into the dining room?

A few qs.

Are there any options at all to move the washing machine out of the kitchen?

Is that a window on the end, does it face the garden? Do you have any budget to change it to doors so you could get rid of side door?

Any budget to move the boiler, assume not?

Thanks for comments so far! Ok a few answers…

We did think of knocking through to the dining room and blocking off the original kitchen door, but obviously it’s a lot more work/disruption/cost.

Can’t move the boiler or change the end window to doors because the gas meter is directly under there. So, again, would be a big extra cost to move those (we previously made enquiries with gas engineer).

No where else in the house that the washing machine can go.

As pp have said, I think it is silly to have a whole dining room which is rarely used, while everyone squeezes around the little kitchen table.

While I'm generally in favour of separate utility room, if it's partitioned off you'd then have to carry washing back into the kitchen to access the back door (assuming outside drying). Which isn't massive deal, but it does make things just that tiny bit more awkward.

I do think moving the machine to that end is sensible though. What size/height is the boiler. Would the washing machine fit under it?

Oh, and a general comment. Drawers.

Big, deep drawers.

So much better than cupboards for pans, appliances, baking stuff etc.

Double layer ones are good too - for cutlery, spices, that sort of thing.

Get lots of drawers.

The boiler is up on the wall, bunch of pipes comes out underneath it, but yes I think the washing machine will fit nicely underneath. I think it'll be OK having it partitioned off - I can always just leave the door open while taking the laundry out.

And OMG yes to drawers. The one good thing about my existing kitchen is the two sets of deep drawers. I bloody love them!

[It's a weird size of kitchen, IMO - not that much wall space for units once you take into account the window and door placement, not wide enough for an island to add storage either. And yet, quite a lot of empty floor in the middle making it a "long" distance to walk between the working areas.]

Yes, ours is a similar size (with doors, radiators, windows, hatches limiting the layout). Too big to be a small kitchen, but not large enough to be a big one. Our previous house had a kitchen half the size, but only 1 cupboard fewer.

Although in that one we did save some space by having the fridge freezer in the utility rather than the kitchen, and only a slimline dishwasher.

I could not agree more.
We recently had an entire new kitchen, appliances, everything (including knock through to dining room) - after 32 years with a wreck we decided we deserved it. All drawers, no cupboards.
We moved the boiler to the attic space to help, but that cost. Also we didn't need any top cupboards because of an island at the knocked-through wall, which makes the place look bigger.
From DIY Kitchens, which have sturdier units than most. You have plan it yourself, but I found their software beyond frustrating, though I got there in the end, and they were very helpful otherwise.

Here it is, plan and outcome - may take a minute to come through
(note that there's no splashback - we reached the end of our decision-making abilities and have yet to sort it)

Can you put a peninsula in, coming down from just to the left of the oven? Then build bench seating into the top left corner of the room backing onto the new peninsula? Bench seating around a table is great for cramming people in!

That looks lovely.

We went with glass splashbacks, in a very similar colour to your cabinets. Quick to fit and really easy to clean.

Yes, MrC is keen on glass, but then we have the 'agreeing on a colour' issue, and it's all fairly bland at the moment - I might fancy something more quirky. But that'll mean tiles, which means grout, which means dirt. <sigh>

Sorry for hijacking TheE1ementsSong

You can get brightly coloured and pattered glass ( https://splashbacks.co.uk/splashback/stained-glass-kitchen-splashback/ random example, not a specific recommended company) and ones with pictures on. Doesn't have to be plain.

That looks gorgeous, love the colour!

I'd go with a glass splashback too but not sure what colour. Something fun.

That is an idea, although I am reluctant to sacrifice precious wall space to seating rather than cabinetry!

Narrow cupboards or shelves under the peninsula? Or a thin, roll-away trolley with shelves?

https://www.printedsplashback.com/choose-product/?image=l-865 ?

Don’t let your teens dictate having a table in the kitchen. They want what is convenient and “normal” for them.

You will be living with it a lot longer than them. Where is the dining room?

Dining room is just above the kitchen in my diagram (I just wrote words in red rather than drawing it in). Even without knocking through, it's just through the kitchen door, swivel left through the next door and we're there.