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Building a Home Design Dilemma

Help with layout - living room, dining room, kitchen

3 years ago

I am having a hard time deciding which layout to go with for our main living/dining/kitchen area. Here are the details...the area out by the sliding glass doors to terrace is a vaulted ceiling up to the top floor with large windows. The area on the front of the house is regular ceiling height (9ft I believe) and has windows only on front wall of house. I have included photos of two different layouts and not sure which one is best. If we go with dining and kitchen out back by terrace, the living room would be more intimate and cozy and also away from the kids bedrooms giving them more privacy at night after dinner. Our architect thinks we should have the dining room tucked away and have the living room out with the kitchen. He says the dining should be more intimate and when we are entertaining, then everyone will be out in the main area, closest to the water. I am not a fan of having a sofa in the middle of a room and the room would be asymmetrical because of the 3rd bedroom door. It also puts the TV above a wet bar which I am not a huge fan of. I could forgo the wet bar and just do a builtin instead if we do have the living room and kitchen out in main area. Any and all feedback is very much appreciated!!! Sorry for the non ideal drawings...I don't have any special design programs.

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Comments (3)

3onthetree
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
I agree with the architect the living should be next to the kitchen as conceived, with a dynamic ceiling and views.

Wet bar does not mean you have to leave everything out on a long counter. You can section off a work counter/ice/ref on the stair end and the remainder can be storage cabinets under the tv. Recess the Master door in line with the tv wall (may require flipping the bath/closet, have to address).

Ditch the powder room, SF is just too scarce.

The pantry I'm torn on, they eat up space, but with a moved wet bar area and Dining in front it may be acceptable to have it breaking up the view and connection to the kitchen.
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bpath
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
What if the kitchen were to the front? Then the sounds of prepping, cooking, and cleaning, are not disturbing those in living and dining, those spaces are more flexible, and the kitchen isn’t immediately visible as you come up to the stair foyer.

btw, in the kids’ bath, use just one sink. They will appreciate the storage and counter space.
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I will look to see if I have a floor plan, but if not, how would i go about creating one for you. I know I sound like an idiot but obviously I am clueless as to this kind of stuff and wish my husband would just let me hire a decorator lol! However, he just now gave me another big fat NO to hiring one lol! So needless to say, I am going to have to learn how to do this on my own and asking for help, however annoying I may be, is the only thing I know to do! So I apologize in advance for my ignorance! I will look for the floor plan! Thanks for responding!
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293summer
3 years ago
Just a thought, maybe I am missing something, but is the powder room necessary when there seems to be a hall bath nearby, especially when that doesn't seem to be an ideal location?
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