Remove chimney breast and add pony wall/cupboards to improve dining space?

[radiatordrama]

Edit: cross posted to AIBU

Our dining room is way too small and I'm terrified someone will fall down the stairs between it and the living room.

I am considering removing the chimney breast and removing some of the stairs / adding a row of cabinets to the living room where the stairs are removed.

Imperfect ChatGPT rendition of this plan below, along with the living room as is.

Would love thoughts on this plan!

Just seen the photos, open steps and fireplace bring depth, character and interest to the room.

plenty you can do with decor that will enhance it further without any structural changes

What can we do that will add floor space? That's the biggest problem ATM

This is not a party wall.

The other side.

This looks nice, but I very strongly want to close up the steps to reduce risk of someone getting hurt. The stairs are taller than what's shown here.

We are also limited with the depth of shelving that can go in the opposite side due to the window. See photo!

Also, there is a weird window to the left of the alcove.

This house is very quirky 🙃

Oops, photo below.

Knock through in to the utility then if the kitchen is moving. Use the middle space without widows for laundry

We cannot knock into the utility room. It's low quality, not part of the original building, and I don't want to make it part of the permanent footprint of the house in that way.

Edit: also, not sure how this would help with the footprint of the room?

The chimney breast is gorgeous. I am so sad when interiors lose character.

Rails for the stairs are a must.

What would you do if you had no space in your home large enough for a proper dining room? This is the only solution that I can think of other than building an extension, which we can't afford.

We have reintroduced period features throughout the house. I haven't just gone and ruined this place.

I also have a quirky place with irregular rooms and no proper dining room...and a folding Georgian table. A table that is down all the time won't work.

Reintroducing is good, but isn't the same as keeping.

Lovely house. Reminds me of some I viewed ages ago. One had the original kitchen in the basement.

Removing the chimney breast and hearth, we would gain 45cm of floorspace. Removing the stairs in that part of the room, we would gain 40cm of floorspace.

The room with the chimney breast is only 276cm x 280cm

Reception 2 opening into the conservatory as the dining room. Better than a view of the kitchen, too.

Current dining room as more of an extended social space, perhaps with more cosy and indoor garden elements.

As noted above, the conservatory is too small to be a dining room. An architect looked at the space and couldn't think of a way to fit a proper table in there.

The problem is not the table size. It's fitting people in the room to eat.

Oh sorry, looking at the plans I thought there was a reception room giving onto the conservatory. I was imagining a lovely table and traditional chairs and a few soft ottomans.

Conservatories can't be dining rooms because of glare and heating/cooling issues.

Looking at your original proposal, have you considered built-in bench seating in an L shape along the pony wall and the wall where the chimney breast would be removed? That would be practical and also add interest to what would otherwise be a blank wall.

I have also learned “pony wall” today! I wonder why they are called that?

I am quitting this thread because I am spending too much time imagining Reception 2 as a soft version of a very traditional dining room, faded dusty rose Persian rugs and high backed chairs, giving onto a conservatory of orange and fig trees, ferns and orchids and gardenias, and some wrought iron furniture with colourful tie-on cushions.

Very best of luck, OP. And please consider rails for the stairs.

A beautiful vision, but we need a bigger kitchen, and this reception room will be it 😭

This is an interesting proposal and not one that I had considered!

All of this

Watch the most recent George Clark series. There is a couple who did exactly this.

It’s this one, George Clarke’s Beautiful Builds. I just tried to screen grab the reveal for you but there must be a setting in 4OD that prevents it as the pics came out blank.

As noted, there is not really space on the chimney breast wall for cupboards, other than on one side. See the photo I posted from the other angle!