I like the idea with the pink highlighted edge. This opens u the kitchen dining space but keeps the lounge and study separate as you wanted. I would add bifold doors if possible along the back wall of the dining room to make it feel even bigger. Hope this helps

Planning a Fitted Kitchens Step 1: Getting Started Designing the most important room in your home requires careful planning. So, before you do anything else there are some key questions to ask yourself. As you do so keep a record of your ideas so you can refer back to them as your project progresses. Step 2: How and when you want to use the space What do you like and not like about your existing kitchen. What really works for you in the current kitchen layout and what frustrates you? The negatives are just as important as the positives as they can help you form a clear idea of what you do or don’t need in your new fitted kitchen. Step 3: Key areas of the kitchen There are four vital zones that will create a natural and efficient flow to your kitchen design; cooking, food preparation, sink and storage. However, increasingly kitchens are used for all types of activity. Do you need a room that can cope with the rigours of a busy family? Are you going to dine in your kitchen? If so, plan enough room for a dining table, breakfast bar or island is a great place to congregate. You may be a keen cook and if your cooking for a large family a range cooker may figure in your plans along with plenty of worktop space. You may want to turn your kitchen into a open-plan design in which case a area to relax, and room for a sofa and TV may be important. Ultimately, it’s your kitchen, and the most important thing is how you and your family are going to use the space. Design the space and features (must have items) around the activities that will take place in your kitchen, and most of all ensure you match your kitchen to your lifestyle. Step 4: Finer details As you become clear on the demands you will be placing on your new kitchen make a wish-list of your preferred products and materials. From a practical perspective consider what you will require from you appliances, worktops, storage solutions and sink and tap. You may already have a look in mind of the kitchen in terms of colour, style and finish, but it’s a great idea to gather ideas from magazines or websites. Enjoy creating a scrap-book with cuttings of furniture, flooring, taps, even paint finishes, crockery or vases- anything that inspires you. Even just images with right ‘feel’. Step 5: Budget With a kitchen the cost of key elements such as appliances, units and worktops can vary dramatically. For instance, appliances may account for a considerable percentage of the total cost of the kitchen, however if branded top-end ovens, hobs and extractors are specified this percentage can escalate dramatically to become the most expensive element of the project. Similarly the choice of worktop materials and door materials may increase the budget substantially. There may be areas of the project where you may have to be prepared to consider a compromise to stay within your budget. Step 6: Layout As a rule of thumb this will be dictated by the existing dimensions of you room, or you may be lucky enough to be planning to extend. If you are extending you may wish to consider an open-plan kitchen to seamlessly link through to the living area. Whatever the shape there are clever design options that will ensure you can make the most of the space available to you. Even in a tight space a clever designer can still work miracles.

Hi, advice gratefully received. Love our new house, but the ground floor layout is not great. Long narrow kitchen facing east, garden is big so scope to extend. As it stands you come in from the hall into the lounge to get to the kitchen. I would like to have some separation so that the lounge can be closed when desired. Perhaps some double doors? I was thinking to use a chunk of the lounge and knock through into the kitchen which would also allow more light. Lounge is lovely and light, kitchen is dark after lunch. Ideal solution would be a side extension, but drains and pipes in the way so worried about the cost.. Would only require about a metre wide along the actual kitchen which I would then face towards the garden and create a sitting area. Any ideas welcome P.S. Conservatory is a junk room at the moment, facing a fence on the right hand side. The garage is used as a utility.

Thank you so much for coming back to me, I really appreciate it. We are now thinking a max 30 sq metre extension and we'll have to tear down the poorly constructed extension that's there at the moment that houses the kitchen and utility etc. The front room will be a formal Living room and the next room which is currently the dining room will become the open plan living dining kitchen. I need to include a utility playroom and office in there somewhere too