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Kitchens Design Dilemma

Help plsss how to design a kitchen layout from scratch

last year

Hi I am planning a kitchen extension to add a utility toilet and pantry to our existing space and move the kitchen and dining area further out into the extension towards garden. Any ideas would be gratefully be received thanks 👍

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Comments (5)

PRO
User
10 months ago
Good Morning Nusrat,

We are an award-winning kitchen retailer based in Kilmarnock , Ayrshire. Founded in 1984 we specialise in the design, installation and aftercare of high end contemporary and classic kitchens. We are passionate about form, design and technology and how these can integrate into your everyday life.

We pride ourselves on being able to work effectively along-side architects, so if you are thinking of starting a project and need both architectural / building / design input, please do not hesitate to contact our design studio on 01563 530838.
PRO
Sharpdesign
10 months ago
If you are going to ask someone to assist with a plan,, please show them a plan.. ie a photo taken directly from above,,
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Thanks for the quick replies! I am posting a new layout, much bigger, so this should be easier to see. But don't pay too much attention necessarily to the placement of the appliances, as this is what our builder drew up. We definitely don't want the wall ovens beside the fridge. Also, the SO says she really wants counter/cabinet space on either side of the fridge, though I'm wondering if it's better to have the fridge flush with the wall, and just a longer counter run on the one side of it? It's basically either 36" fridge plus 2'10" of counter/cabinet, or say +/-15" counter/cabinet, 36" fridge, +/-19" counter/cabinet. I also talked to my builder this morning, and I think we've figured it out so that we can just make it work (we're going to cheat some space from inside walls). So it is now going to be much closer to 14 feet, maybe just an inch or so less. Also, I think we are going to go with just one window on the rear wall, over the sink. My builder thought that putting the two together there would just eat up too much space on that wall, it'd be 90+" with trim and everything, on 9.5 feet of wall (to the corner, it's about 11.5 total), and I think he's correct. So we may keep a window on the wall where the stove is going, or we may just eliminate it entirely (just have some high, eyebrow-type windows, as the ceiling is actually going to be closer to 12 feet, certainly over 11). We are going to go with a counter-depth fridge (would love to do a built-in or integrated, but that's just not in the cards), so that will help. And since we're doing custom cabinets, I figured we can make the counters slightly shallower, so here's where I'm at: 168" wall to wall 23.5" sink counter (we are including a dishwasher there, but I am going to try to set that even a bit more into the wall) 28" counter-depth fridge counter 80" two aisles at a more comfortable 40" each --- 36.5" for island Now to answer your other questions - in terms of oven, we are going to go with double wall ovens (because as I think I said, the O & M oven is essentially useless), we're thinking standard size, which I guess is 30"? And the O & M is 36" wide, so a bit bigger than standard stoves today, but it's not one of those huge old ones. I do want a MW (the SO says she could live without it, but I can't imagine), so do need to figure that out. I'm thinking that if we do do the fridge flush with the wall, no counter space on the right of it, then to the left of it would be a good place for the MW. I did read these various guides before posting, I'm sorry if it did not appear so (I posted in a hurry). As for the use of the kitchen, right now it is just the two of us, though that could change in the future (or it may not). We do like to entertain, but we can also be serious about not letting everyone congregate in the kitchen. It's really a one cook kitchen, I like to dabble, but she's the trained chef. Other questions? Thanks so much again! So appreciate the feedback, and hope to hear from others.
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I'd like to see the vanity across from the toilet. That way people using the toilet can immediately wash their hands. If you need to split it in two for multiple person simultaneous use move the shower separate. That would also give you the possibility of a bigger shower. And yes, a pocket door to separate the two spaces. It's all going to feel very tight and small. This is almost what I removed during my remodel of my master bath to make one large room. You're blocking off any light from the window near the toilet to the other space. When I took those walls down the light now floods the entire bathroom and is a huge improvement.
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A few small thoughts. . . 1) I'd be inclined to just have one back door, and to move it towards the middle of your back wall. That gets it out of the table area, and it also saves you the wall space and cost of another exterior door. 2) Do you really want a 4 seat table so close to your dining room? Why not just have one dining table as your eating area . . . with perhaps a couple/few perching seats at a peninsula or island in the kitchen? 3) The route from front door to kitchen/main family zone . . . passes through an awful lot of doors and through three living/office spaces. I know halls seem like a waste of square footage, but I'd be inclined to explore putting a central hall down the space to make the space less maze-like. Especially living with children, living spaces are often littered with toys, stuff (think Christmas morning presents, lol), etc, and so, for me, crossing any living space is often an obstacle course. I'd like to have a clearer hall space for traveling among rooms. Figuring out how to accomplish this is beyond my pay grade, lol, but I'd definitely want to explore the issue with the architect. 4) Just a warning . .. I am just finishing up a massive addition/remodel project. Probably on the scale of what you are doing. (Well, worse, actually, as we also added a wing for my mom.) Anyway, it has cost about 2.5x what we expected and taken 4x as long. It *definitely* would have been more economical to have sold this house and either custom built (with a fixed price contract!!) or bought something that fit our needs (hard to find, but would have been cheapest if we could have found something that worked). Good thing we plan to live here a very long time and get lots of good out of the house. . . So, anyway, be aware that in a huge remodel/addition project, it can be a lot more expensive than simply selling and starting a new. And, it surely would have been much less disruptive to our lives. To think, I hesitated with the hassles of selling and moving. If only I'd known then how many hassles this route entailed. :) It's really, really rough living through this much construction. I *strongly* recommend moving out for the duration.
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Second that on Building a Home forum. There are a number of builders and architects that do reviews on that forum. They leave the kitchens to this group. I like the second island much better. Primarily because the stools are only two by two instead of four in a row. Being able to face someone while seated makes for a much more social environment. That's a great improvement for that issue. Where is the pantry? Where is the food storage? You will need a prep sink. And, remember to design this with as many drawers in the base cabinets. Drawers are a much more efficient storage method.
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PRO
Create Perfect
10 months ago
Looks exciting Nusrat

You mentioned moving the dining and kitchen into the extension. So do you have to have the dining room separate there? Can the two rooms be joined - opened up?

It would really benefit from losing the middle wall and the door to the kitchen ...it which would create a much more useable space and lighter space.

Also, what is the depth of the extension area?

Thanks,

Gina
PRO
The Living House
10 months ago
Hi Nusrat Aziz, we are an online interior design company and have a blog post all about mistakes to avoid when extending your home that you may find helpful. Here is the link if you would like to take a read - https://www.thelivinghouse.co.uk/blog-interior-design-tips/the-6-most-common-mistakes-we-see-when-you-extend-your-home
atz_r
10 months ago
Hi Nusrat,

I am also in the midst of planning a new kitchen and i found it quite overwhelming at the beginning. There are lots of articles and experts who can give pointers/guides (on Houzz + others). Whilst these are useful i found that i am taking bits of advise and designing my own kitchen.

Anyways, I found it useful to consider the following in the planning stages:

1. Do i want open plan - this was the most common suggestion I received for the kitchen/dining (incidentally had previous experience of open plan with the type of cooking i do ie far east/south east asian food, so i knew i did not want open plan)

2. will there be a separate pantry/utility for washing machine/dryer/storage etc

3. where will the windows and doors be located - i had a chance to move these in the new extension area

4. any existing existing white goods and how best to place them, ie i have a larder fridge and larder freezer - these take up quite a bit of space so do i add these to the kitchen or keep in utility and have a separate fridge/freezer in kitchen. With cost of living, do i want so many white goods??

5. where will the fridge/freezer be located as need to ensure these are not by a wall (to open the door fully)

6. will the oven(s) be under counter or in tall unit (have heavy duty + cast iron pots and pans so bending down may prove a challenge as a i get older!). Am also petite so cant be too high up in a tall unit!

7. when i entertain, will there be sufficient space for others in the kitchen - not to socialise more to help serve/clean!

8. when i prep + clean, where will the bin be located - do i want it in a unit or external to a unit so i can easily disinfect.

9. Storage of non-food items eg extra large pans/serving dishes (I ended up cataloguing what i have as i like to collect these in order to know what my storage needs are!)

10. Storage of perishables (onions, potatoes etc) and other food items eg extra spices, flour, rice, canned goods etc

11. Location of small appliances plus plug sockets (need more than you think!). Which of these will be in the pantry and which will be on the counter permanently

12. Lighting!

I used free online design tools to mock up kitchens and thought through how i prep/cook/bake/clean, what i need close by and what I will have in storage. I found the planner at DIY kitchens quite good (it is restricted to what DIY kitchens supply though).

I also annoyed the cr@p out of friends who would have similar cooking interests as me to figure out practical use of the kitchen and annoyances with their own kitchens eg, having a water tap above the hob looks good but what happens if it leaks etc.

I have also consulted a couple of experts/designers, who can give good ideas/pointers and used these as starting points rather than end points. I found that the most common design was for open plan with an island with my extension plans.

Sorry, just realised this is a long post! Hope it helps

Also want to note that I am not a professional at this, just someone who is currently going through a home extension and over-thinks/plans!!

Feel free to reach directly if you want any more advise/help.

Kind regards
Nusrat Aziz thanked atz_r

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