Reno advice: Would putting the kitchen in the middle room be a mistake?

[HazelCritic]

Would I be mad to put my kitchen in the 'middle room'?

We are planning a rear extension to our 1930s semi. We've had the architects plans approved and have a builder lined up. BUT, I'm getting increasingly worried about the layout of the space, especially the kitchen placement.

We have been to Wren and IKEA and while I like the L-shaped wall run ideas which would overlook the garden, the island is feeling too big and blocky.

The idea of the extension was to take advantage of our amazing views and south-facing rear garden. Hence a bifold window (which I am not wedded to either - I hate bifolds and am trying to persaude OH to consider other options!). The extension roof will have two velux on either side.

I want a seating area at the back by the bifolds, so I can curl up with coffee and a book, somewhere the kids can hang out etc. I also want the dining table to be a focal point, where we do homework and crafts and host dinners. The island or penisula in the extension makes the space feel more cluttered?

We're now wondering if we put the kitchen in the space marked 'dining room', leaving the rectangle extension as an open flexible space for living, dining table and small play area? Our front living room is already a library/TV room, more like a snug where we have out desk as well.

The wall I've marked in blue has to stay as it is loadbearing and we asked to keep it to save costs. The downstairs toilet and utility also has to stay more or less as drawn although the doorways could be moved?

Would we be mad to put a kitchen in the central room? It'd need a good extractor obviously. We're asking our builder for costings re removing the chimney breast and moving utilities.

I'm open to ideas on how to better design the space too!

Please do not even consider a kitchen with no window

We did exactly this OP and it's been brilliant. We didn't want the middle room to end up a dead space, or waste the run across the back with the kitchen when we could sit and chat around the dinner table with the bi-folds open onto the garden instead. This way each space is utilised and it's worked really well for us.

Feel free to pm me

I can not see the advantage of putting a kitchen in a window less room just so you can curl up with a book by the garden doors. You could keep the current dining room for dining or make it work as an extension of kitchen eg with larder and dresser for storage.

This!

Do you really need the island if you have a table in the room already? (Can you tell I don't like islands?) I did the washing up this evening looking out on the sunset over our south west facing garden. I can't imagine not having a window in the kitchen!

I like this idea ^

When we purchased our previous house (which was nothing like yours @HazelCritic being 400 years old), the kitchen was in a dark, windowless middle room with just a half-glazed door to outside.

One of our first jobs was to relocate the kitchen to the front reception room which had great countryside views, having also knocked through into an adjacent tiny dining room.

The layout immediately felt better and brighter - in the old kitchen the lights had to be permanently on, plus I absolutely hated having to walk through another room loaded with shopping to get to the kitchen!

The original kitchen became the dining room which imo mattered less being dark as it was predominantly used in the evening.

Nothing to do with building regs, and everything to do with practicality from my point of view, especially if the utility room doesn't have a door to the outside. Taking plants in and out, muddy dogs and kids can be dealt with, taking out rubbish to the bins, laundry out to the washing line, ferrying food out to the barbecue etc. It's the level of convenience.

Well, it would be what I want anyway, and I wouldn't buy a house without it.

100% this

plus - kitchen food smells must just hang in the air! Fry up smells permeate sofa etc. just no

This is where I am heading too. I'm not an island fan! But we need the prep space and storage. I'm thinking unfixed island so the space stays semi flexible, with electrics in the floor so we can run appliances (food mixer) on the unfixed island. Or not island and storage on far wall?

Similar here. Pottering around in the kitchen yesterday evening with south facing garden light pouring through the windows (of which one was wide open)

If it were me I would lose the island and put a big table there. But I am not a fan of islands. I think the layout looks very nice.

Islands are good when you are doing lots of entertaining. So I had one when I was in my twenties and early thirties and it was fantastic as having friends over loads

then I had children and… just not needed and instead would have derailed a lovely free flow kitchen and family room design

Agree!! We currently have a huge peninsula and it's permanently covered in crap and also causes a massive obstruction. That said, we need more prep and storage space than the L-shape would allow.

I would keep the kitchen in the extension but ditch the island and just have maybe one or two cupboards in an L coming into the middle to give more space. Move the dining table nearer where the island would be.
Put the play area and TV in the middle but with good storage for toys etc.
Have french doors not bifold. I can't stand bifold, they are so ugly and were just a fad. We have french doors and I love them.
Use the extension for kitchen, dining plus a sofa so it becomes a lovely hosting room for dinners and a family room for early evening - homework, craft, dinner together.

So have you decided not to go with the windowless kitchen in the middle? 🤞

What was the architect’s response to your idea?

Agree with making sure the kitchen has a window. Our current bathroom has no window and extractor fans are no substitute for being able to open a window and properly air the room.

I'm not keen on kitchen islands either. What's the function of this one? If it's just for seating, do you need it if the dining table is only a few feet away? If it's extra storage, you could potentially put a pantry cupboard on the wall by the dining table.

You can do prep at kitchen table. I hate islands too.

do you need everything in that room?

I'm not a fan of a kitchen island. it restricts what else you can/want to do with the space.
relative is now unwell and needs a walker/wheelchair and can't use the kitchen at all due to the island. so keep that in mind.

We split our dining room into a wc/utility (albeit a tiny one - but our house is smaller than yours, and I didn’t want a sink) and then added the rest of the space to the back room for a kitchen/ dining room. I love the layout as it feels very spacious and it’s easy to circulate around the house. Also the island faces the garden which is lovely.

Haven’t RTFT as my phone is playing up but having seen your plans why not knock down the wall between dining room and kitchen on the right, and put your new kitchen at that end. So open plan kitchen diner with the kitchen part based in what is currently the dining room and the right side of the “kitchen”. The left hand side of the extension can then be a lovely airy dining room and reading area etc facing the garden.

Hoping you’ve consigned this idea to the bin @HazelCritic

Islands are brilliant. If you have space I wouldn't be without one. Otherwise doing prep on table then kids homework and everything else gets dumped on the kitchen table which you need to sweep off to eat and gets so annoying. At least with an island all of that gets onto the island or in the table so you have a backup surface for dinner. For entertaining, buffets, anything informal tea coffee, I use the island. Under the island there's storage. I've if given a choice of island vs table I'd go for island every time. Having worked as an estate agent I know majority wants this too. The main thing is not to have sink or hob or anything on the island.