Got a back kitchen? What do you do in it? What's in the front?

2 years ago

I'm about to remodel the ground floor of my house and replace a dated conservatory with a new extension. I don't want to increase the footprint of the conservatory as it will make entering the garden from the side of the house tricky and the house is big enough.

Its been suggested the current kitchen becomes a back kitchen and we have a front kitchen and diner in the conservatory.

I'm not convinced on this and would love to hear from you if you have a back kitchen and front kitchen, what do you do in them?

Have you ended up buying 2 kitchens?

If you cook in the back kitchen what services do you have in the front kitchen eg; tap, oven etc?

Any advice or ideas are welcome :)

Featured Answer

Laura

2 years ago

I think the back kitchen originally referred to a room at the back of the house for doing dishes etc, but when I was growing up the back kitchen referred to the actual kitchen area as opposed to the room in front which was more of a seating area with comfy chairs and a more informal table. The room with the comfy seating tended to be the hub of the house and was where you chatted and caught up with friends and family. If you wanted to relax and possibly be less social you’d go into the tv room which was more for lounging. It worked in our family but wouldn’t suit someone who wants to be entertaining guests and cooking at the same time.

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Comments (10)

Daisy England
2 years ago
Have to confess have never heard of it. Could you make the existing kitchen a utility and cloakroom area?
Mrs KH thanked Daisy England
Kate
2 years ago
I think the idea is to cook heavily fragranced foods in the back kitchen, so the open plan area isn't overwhelmed. However, your plan has dividing doors to the living space, so not completely open plan. Excellent extraction will help as well, as will open doors outside in warmer weather. You may prefer a utility room for washing machine etc in your existing kitchen as Daisy suggested. Some of the existing kitchen units may be usefully reused for this.
Mrs KH thanked Kate
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PRO
Xenas Interiors
2 years ago
Hi there. Where exactly are they recommending you have the front kitchen? I would use the back kitchen space as more of a 'butlers pantry' where you can have ample storage - i think have 2 separate kitchens isnt necessary, unless you do a lot of entertaining and dont want your guest to see a messy kitchen. Ans as the ladies above have said, using this back kitchen for washing machine etc is a good use of space
Mrs KH thanked Xenas Interiors
Mrs KH
Original Author
2 years ago
I should have mentioned I don't need to have a utility in the kitchen, there will be one on a different floor. Keeping the mess and prep etc out of sight is defo appealing. I've had open plan ground floors for the last 12 years and am over the noise and smell aspects and being on display cooking or waiting for the washing machine to stop spinning so we can hear the tv :) @Laura your description sounds appealing.
Laura
2 years ago
I think it’s a great set up. That back room or ‘front kitchen’ ( as opposed to the front and middle rooms) becomes such a cosy and informal space. You can’t see the mess but you are close enough for lots of cups of teas etc. You put the kettle on and go back and sit down while it boils. Nor, did I ever feel isolated in the actual kitchen, somebody is always following you in there or ur the one being roped in to help with the dishes.
Mrs KH thanked Laura
Kate
2 years ago
I'm not a fan of open plan kitchens either, for the noise, smell and because I definitely don't need to watch things cook!! However, when I am working in the kitchen it is nice to have a couple of stools /chairs and some kind of small table or bench for a quick break or a friend to chat while I work.
Mrs KH thanked Kate
PRO
Lifestyle Kitchens
2 years ago
The only times i've heard of having 2 kitchens is sometimes its a requirement on religous ground, where a seperate small kitchen is required to prepare food on certain holy days. But having 2 kitchens may cause problems with planning departments as it flags up the possibility of the house being split to 2 residencies.

Looking at the outline planning i think if you want to move the kitchen you may be struggling to fit a well designed kitchen in the new extension 'front kitchen' as you have so many door ways and large windows, so it may well be worthwhile getting some designs done before the plans are finalised and treat it as a blank canvas.

For the old kitchen i'd suggest converting this to either a home office/childrens playroom so it adds value to the house having another reception room.
Mrs KH thanked Lifestyle Kitchens
Mrs KH
Original Author
2 years ago
@Lifestyle Kitchens thank you for your comments. I'm definitely wanting to avoid "causing any problems with planning departments as it flags up the possibility of the house being split into 2 residencies." The planning application should be going in next week and then we wait 8 - 12 weeks...... There will be a generous utility and office in the basement and there will be another office in the front reception room, I'm not looking to add more reception rooms and my kids have decent sized rooms for toys and entertaining. It's getting this kitchen right which is proving tricky, the new extension isn't full width as it would impact the basement plans (push back the garden and have a lower terrace). I've attached the old floor plan to provide more detail. Maybe I need to start talking to kitchen designers and see what the space would give me.
Mrs KH
Original Author
5 months ago
To update on this thread, I scrapped the back kitchen idea and also didn’t move the stairs to the lower ground floor due to cost ☹️ I’ve ended up with the kitchen in the old conservatory and a snug/tv room in the old kitchen. Still unsure how useful the snug is going to be but it can be repurposed as an office/gym/den when the time comes. For now I’m just letting the dust settle after a 9 month build project.

Got a back kitchen? What do you do in it? What's in the front?

Laura

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Got a back kitchen? What do you do in it? What's in the front?

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