Kitchen / Diner Layout ideas please!

last month

Hello! Kitchen layout ideas please - we’re going to put up a wall to block off the lounge and knock the kitchen and utility walls down (in future will extend a utility into garage). Will also be converting conservatory into an orangery room so kitchen / diner will flow through into there!

Featured Answer

Jonathan

last month

Personally I don’t like the conservatory position and size and rather than throw good money at it to improve the roof I would demolish it. I think it makes a small room with limited use and I think that because it is in you eyeline when you look out of the lounge or kitchen window it makes your back garden feel smaller

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (31)

PRO
Black Swan Architecture
last month
Hi, without having any budget constraints here, one option I can see straight away is moving the kitchen cupboards and utilities on the opposite wall, which gives you the opportunity to glaze the corner between the existing conservatory and where the dining would be. This way we would create a cohesive space and bring in light and inviting the exterior space more towards the centre of the house.

The design solution would depend on your budget and we are happy to discuss the details in case you are ready to move forward.
rinked
last month
Which side of the garden has the best views? Patio? Where is the North?

And are the walls you intend to remove loadbearing?
Related Discussions
Kitchen Diner Design Help
Q
Comments (6)
1st impression carry the island until your a meter from the 1/2 bath wall. Make it a galley with all base cabinets as drawer bases. Do not try to turn the cabinets along the 1/2 bath wall. consider adding a raised bar of 47 cm with to the dining room side.
...See More
URGENT Please help with Kitchen Diner living layout
Q
Comments (5)
The long black one is the back garden door way.The smaller one on the same wall is the door way leading to extension;s corridor. The black square at the front is the door way to enter the room. The white squares are the supportive pillars for the back wall and the long one is the chimney breast. Thank you for your answer :)
...See More
Advice on re-design of Kitchen/Diner/Living Room?
Q
Comments (4)
Hi minnie101, Thanks so much for your detailed reply. Great to know what colour that grey is. It may be a little dark with our floor. We will definitely update the handles - I hate the current ones. We'll probably go with wood to keep within budget. Your non-tiles pic is lovely. We'll probably keep some tiles and try to keep the kitchen a little more modern than country kitchen, which might be a challenge with wood. The room faces south. I like your idea of dividing it with paint. We probably will go with white in the kitchen and then 1/2 slightly darker tones in the tv-couch area. The 'other' entrance into the dining area is narrowed by a non-structural wall, so we should remove this to open it properly or like you say, close it off. Maybe not close it off entirely as we'd lose a lot of light, but maybe put in a counter or breakfast bar if space allowed. I love your pendant light suggestions over the dining table. Details like this and a rug in the couch area will really help divide the room as at the moment it is one big cavernous space. I really can't decide yet what way the couches should face - into a tv in the corner, or out into the room like you suggest. We'll have to draw out some chalk outlines on the floor and see how much space there actually is. Colour-wise we like the idea of keeping walls and cabinets quite stark, the wood counter will add a bit of warmth, and then adding colour with couches, rugs and possibly dining chairs. I've attached a couple of pieces of furniture I like. Some may not work, but we'll figure it out.
...See More
Kitchen / Diner Layout
Q
Comments (0)
Hi, We are extending a house and are looking for ideas for the layout for the kitchen/dining/family room. All of this will be new building. The seating area should be enough room for a small couch and a tv and the kitchen can go anywhere within this room. Ideally we would like an island/peninsula set up so that our backs will not always be to the room. The window at the side is a high level one and may not be included in the build. The utility wall is approximately 2500. Any ideas or suggestions very welcome. Thank you.
...See More
Jonathan
last month
Alternative
Jonathan
last month
This time with the pic
rinked
last month
Similar idea as Jonathan. Because i don't think opening up the left whilst closing up the right will make it grand, as you end up with a long livingroom and a long kitchen with small-ish orangerie (and if the dining goes in there it will be around a corner from the kitchen).

Besides, i wouldn't want to live without my own utility/mudroom anymore, so i'd advise keeping yours. By moving the wc and closing up the niche on the left, there's room for a side entrance, with short traffic lines to laundry, garage and wc. By closing off the kitchen doorway, there's room for a large C-shaped kitchen (ok, G with peninsula). And the garden room could either be open verandah or closed orangerie, either way with an translucent roof. And a wide open sightline from front to rear of the house, to add to that grand feel.
Emily Morrey
Original Author
last month
Thanks so much all - Hugely appreciated!

So we were thinking of extending into the garage for a utility room, hence knocking through into there as per below plan.

And we’re also really keen to have a separate lounge, and the lounge is long but would be too small if you were to cut an area from it.

What do you guys think? How can we work it all in do you think?
rinked
last month
You mean something like this? What type of kitchen layout do you have in mind?
Emily Morrey
Original Author
last month
Yes like that! But going to knock through into the the conservatory as an orangery / dining room, what do you think? Also keen to put an island in the kitchen but not sure if we’ll have space looking at that?
rinked
last month
Something different. Moved the kitchen to the long room. Opened up the rear wall and added a 2m extension to create a large lounge (with wood burner?).
rinked
last month
Your idea with island:

Reduce the utility to 1.7m and an island with tall units on the side would fit.

And without enlarging the orangerie it would look something like the above.
Emily Morrey
Original Author
last month
Thank you so much - so useful to visualise! And how about if we put the utility into the garage and extended the kitchen longer, how do you think we could best utilise the kitchen space?
rinked
last month
I'd say it wouldn't add much useful space with this kitchen layout, the island here is 320x100cm.
rinked
last month
Neither do i, Jonathan. I'm curious to how the plot is layed out, garden views :)
Emily Morrey
Original Author
last month
Thank you and I totally understand - here’s a link to a walkthrough of the house! The garden is wide (also needs a lot of work)! And is north facing

https://app.immoviewer.com/portal/tour/3034533?accessKey=65d0
Jonathan
last month
Other than the shocking use of lime green in the kitchen I think this is a super house. I think the builder made a narrow lounge feel wide by having the extra part that leads to the conservatory and if you chop that off and have a separate lounge you won’t like your lounge as much. Personally I don’t think that knocking down the wall to the utility gains you useable space and just creates an extra job of converting the garage.

If there is money for building work then extending slightly into the garden behind the kitchen and where the conservatory is will make the biggest difference as you will make the kitchen wide enough for an island and a wall run.

The upstairs looks great- I really like the big landing and think this level only needs decorating.

The garden will have some area of sun- most likely where the previous owners put the shed. I would build a new patio where ever the best sun is and plant strategically to give some height and therefore make the garden feel bigger. Staining the fences a pale colour such as a stone colour will also brighten up the back garden.
katlucy
last month
The utility area would make a great dining/seating area with a lantern roof ….
Jonathan
last month
A dining table in what is currently the utility would only have 70cm all the way around which is insufficient
katlucy
last month
True but this is where the light is so i would develop around this area…following the afternoon sun
rinked
last month
The orange are upstairs walls resting on those below. These need support, either from rsj or wall.
rinked
last month
Have you ever considered extending the front? A sunny 3.8x4.2 lounge seems lovely. And then behind it could go the kitchen, former kitchen+utility could be a bedroom with ensuite. Garage makeover with rsj to create one good sized garage, 1.8m wide office and utility (with rooflight) on the side. Toilet moved over to allow some daylight into the hallway through a side entrance (perhaps extend to close gap). I'd possibly remove the conservatory, but left it in the drawing. Either way had fun trying what could work in your home.
rinked
last month
And here i added 4.5x7m to the rear (partitioned the front reception at 4.9m), creating a spacious kitchen with dining and lounge, which hopefully gets some late afternoon sun.

Wonderful house, so many options!
Emily Morrey
Original Author
last month
Oh wow amazing! Thank you so much for all your help on this to you all. So many ideas ☺️
PRO
Piur & Co interior design
last month
Hi Emilly,

would you consider a completely open plan?
Donal Fitzpatrick
last month
Hi!, as a furniture/kitchen designer for over 30 years I try to come to the clients with a complete open mind. I ask the question that I need to understand how you live and want to live 10 years from now 15 years from now and so on. It's vital to open the time conversations as often families consider that as it is, is how we plan and build. When in reality we all age together and we all keep moving, of we are lucky to be healthy and able.

So! Starting from that prospective I'll build a picture based on first the practicals....
1. How many people living in the house ?
2. Age profile?
3. Special food needs?
4. How do you like to cook
Range or oven & hob?

6.Have you a preference of sinks? ie Belfast sink or undermounted sink?
1. Have you a thought on boiling water taps?
2. What's your opinion on worktops? Quartz, Granite, wood, Corian, laminate?
After that it down to the nicer things. What colours, textures and layout work best. After that it's lighting and that's a life if its own.
Emily Morrey
Original Author
27 days ago
Hi all - thank you SO much for all your design help. So much inspo! Myself and my partner have been discussing extending into the garden to make the kitchen a larger space rather than converting into the garage. We’d essentially keep the utility where it is, knock the conservatory down and push back into the garden to where the conservatory was. What do you guys think? Very rough design (not my forte!)
Jonathan
27 days ago
It’s unusual for someone who has just moved to have an addition £50k available for an extension plus £50k to replace kitchens, flooring, decorate and garden. I think your starting point should be available budget before planning to increase the downstairs square footage by 25%.

If however there are funds then I’m sure contributors on this site will be all over a design for you.
Emily Morrey
Original Author
27 days ago
Hi Jonathan - We have a long term plan (about 4 years) before we’d like the extension and kitchens etc to all be finalised, but it’s seeing the future vision so we can plan accordingly and make amends if necessary. We have a decent sum to give us a head start on extension, kitchen, flooring etc. but garden, bathrooms etc are lower on the priority list for now.
Jonathan
27 days ago
Given your north facing plot consider if a different shaped extension would allow better light into principal rooms.
PRO
Piur & Co interior design
26 days ago
Hi Emily,

I think it's very sensible to start exploring your options as early as you can, especially if you want to do some bits straight away, you don't want to be throwing money at something that you will end up destroying in a few years for a better layout.

A big extension might seem like a great idea when just looking at floor plans, but the problem is getting natural light in the spaces.

How I would approach this is by having a list of things you want from your home:

Must-have, non-negotiables, and things you would be willing to compromise on.

also, think of the house as a whole.

House positioning and surrounding area is also something important to consider.

And while we all enjoy floor planning exercises like this getting it right requires considering all the above and more.
PRO
Bespoke Glazing Design
24 days ago
Feel free to DM us your details - We can schedule a call with our design team, and they will be able to answer any questions you might have.