skip to main content

Design Dilemma Dining Rooms Kitchens

Help please with downstairs open plan layout!

2 years ago

last modified: 2 years ago

I'd really love your ideas/advice on how best to improve our downstairs layout to incorporate a utility room into the rear open plan kitchen/living/dining area. We are completely redoing this whole room as it was previously a rental property and the kitchen is falling apart, floor needs replacing, bifolds need replacing, and we're going to change the sloping roof to a flat roof to gain height but we won't be extending the footprint.

My initial thoughts are that we pinch part of the really long downstairs loo for the utility but unsure how we would access it, maybe through the kitchen or do we move the kitchen to the other side of the room? Would also love to have an island and lose all the inaccessible corner units somehow.

What would you do please? Anything goes!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (2)

PRO
The Kitchen Lady UK
2 years ago
Hi Amelia,

How exciting, I think you have lots of options. The toilet is very long, but I don't think you'd have the width to put a utility room in the front and still be able to open any cupboards! It would just be a stacked washing machine and Tumble Dryer.

What I suggest is stealing around 1m of the sitting room to create a utility and perhaps walk in pantry. I'd also pop in a small door to the toilet from here (put the sink on the sitting room wall) and then use the front of the toilet with existing door as a brilliant coat cupboard or perhaps link into the new utility/pantry for extra space.

In the kitchen, I'd then put tall units along this new wall (perhaps with secret Narnia doors into the utility) and get a lovely island and kitchen into the new space.

Have a look at this years BBC Your Home Made Perfect, I can't remember which episode the clip comes from, but it's in the intro to the program with a similar space where they pulled the wall forward to create this useful space behind.

I'd love to bouce some ideas around with you, feel free to get in touch for a free no obligation chat with a cup of tea and if you need more help, we can draw it all up with photographic style renders so you can really get the feel of the new space before you start the expensive work. You can book a time on my website www.coveykitchens.co.uk

Speak soon

Kind Regards

Emily
Sheila Broughton Was Dedman
2 years ago
Great space to have. Your kitchen is huge so you could consider making the corridor WC space wider by taking around 800mm from the kitchen - to the end of the pier by the looks of it. This would enable you to split the wc space into two to allow for a utility room.
Related Discussions
Rules for open plan layout??
Q
Comments (2)
Hi Louise, The editorial team have written some useful guides on open-plan living: [https://www.houzz.co.uk/magazine/decorating-10-ways-to-use-room-dividers-to-boost-your-open-plan-space-stsetivw-vs~50557778[(https://www.houzz.co.uk/magazine/decorating-10-ways-to-use-room-dividers-to-boost-your-open-plan-space-stsetivw-vs~50557778) [https://www.houzz.co.uk/magazine/architecture-8-architectural-tricks-to-enhance-an-open-plan-space-stsetivw-vs~46596876[(https://www.houzz.co.uk/magazine/architecture-8-architectural-tricks-to-enhance-an-open-plan-space-stsetivw-vs~46596876) [https://www.houzz.co.uk/magazine/decorating-how-to-divide-and-conquer-your-open-plan-space-stsetivw-vs~28437034[(https://www.houzz.co.uk/magazine/decorating-how-to-divide-and-conquer-your-open-plan-space-stsetivw-vs~28437034) Hope this helps!
...See More
Open plan living layout
Q
Comments (0)
We are getting a media unit made for the back wall of our living room similar to the below pic but painted in off white. I have attached 3 pics of our living room, unit is being built on wall where tv is currently. We will be removing the green unit beside the sofa. Can someone please advise the optimum furniture layout for the room with the new built in unit and should we remove the centre ceiling light?
...See More
Please help with floor plan
Q
Comments (6)
I prefer the flow and functionality of option 1. Would you consider merging the utility and bathroom into 1? With downstairs bedrooms, you have a challenge with noise, especially if the loo is your main downstairs facility. So noise insulation will be key. There are lots of great products that you should get advice on for the partition walls but also between floors depending on what is above the bedroom.
...See More
Advice needed for downstairs renovation layout
Q
Comments (2)
Thanks for your ideas, Siobhan. So one of the reasons we want to open up the space is because the back of the house faces due south which results in the living room being pretty dark (despite large window). The space is also not particularly big and we do prefer more open plan living. There would be an RSJ running the width of the house so we could always add doors or a stud wall down the line if we felt we needed it. Our plan for now is to use screening to separate the two areas while keeping them open to one another (floor to ceiling shelves or vertical slats for example). The space with a "B" you see in the original floor plan is actually a small room that used to house the (gigantic) old boiler, but is now a large void in the centre of the house. This will be removed. It's load bearing, hence the RSJ. I can't really think of a kitchen configuration that doesn't need to use some of that space (what you see in the drawing is a fridge and pantry beside one another surrounded by a stud wall). Removing it, even partially, enables us to steal back some of the void for the living room. The living itself room is a nice size and width, but you're right, the off centre fireplace does make it slightly awkward to lay it out in a way that makes sense. The bay window is almost full height and beneath it is a low radiator, so no space for built in seating unfortunately. Our current thought here is to have a corner couch along the hall wall and coming down in front of the winow. Then have a console table behind the couch below the window, plants etc. We've tried it and it makes the room feel a lot better, but you then lose that extra space by the window. Alternative is just to have two 3 seater couches, one along the hall wall, and one under the window. Decisions, decisions :D Plan is indeed to have a WC under the stairs (at some point down the line).
...See More

Sponsored

Reload the page to not see this specific ad anymore

More Discussions

Panelling hallway & cupboard

0

Authentic Feng Shui Workshop - Angel Times Limerick 27th April 2024

0

reconfiguring floor plan layout and would love help please

2

Help, do i cancel the windows order

1

Authentic Feng Shui Workshop

0

Ireland

Tailor my experience with cookies

Houzz uses cookies and similar technologies to personalise my experience, serve me relevant content, and improve Houzz products and services. By clicking ‘Accept’ I agree to this, as further described in the Houzz Cookie Policy. I can reject non-essential cookies by clicking ‘Manage Preferences’.