What can we do with this room....

daisiegg

Is the table the only piece of furniture in the dining room? What about a sideboard? Drinks cabinet? Bookshelves? Piano?!

I don't know. To be honest, we have a similar issue because our dining room feels very underused. We have a huge table in there and a sideboard, and are looking to get a drinks cabinet soon. But we have got into the very bad habit of eating off our laps on the sofa (which we will NOT be doing if we have kids!) so we are very rarely in there. We are slightly different in that our kitchen is a good size anyway and we already have a utility room. Also, our dining room opens into our living room so it is really nice for entertaining. We probably won't change anything but I do often feel as though it is wasted space so I can totally understand where you are coming from.

rachbc

we use our dining room for all sorts - we have a wood burner in there and 2 big dressers. One holds all dds craft stuff so she does all her messy play in there, OH does some of his hobbies in there too so its muhc more like an extra 'messy' living space.

How about a smaller table and chairs and some comfier searing/ sofa. Do you have kids and if so what ages? If I had tees and the space I'd be inclined to give them their own living space to hang out with friends etc

daisiegg

greenbee wrote: »

My utility not only has the WM/DW/TD/boiler but also the microwave, freezer, a big sink for washing up and hand washing laundry, cupboards for all my cleaning stuff and the kitchen items that I don't use every day, as well as a long run of work surface with the slow cooker and kenwood on. So my kitchen has more space and room for people to sit and chat while we are cooking.

Blooming heck, your utility room must be as big as some people's kitchens! Lucky thing! Our utility room only has the boiler, the washing machine, a big sink, two low cupboards (full of cleaning stuff) and one floor to ceiling cupboard (full of - ahem - alcohol! Until we get a drinks cabinet...). I am jealous of your amazing sounding utility room!

74jax

greenbee wrote: »

Would a utility room be useful? If so, then it might be worth it. You can keep all the boring stuff (big sink, washing machine, dishwasher, freezer etc) out there so you don't need to much kitchen space.

My utility not only has the WM/DW/TD/boiler but also the microwave, freezer, a big sink for washing up and hand washing laundry, cupboards for all my cleaning stuff and the kitchen items that I don't use every day, as well as a long run of work surface with the slow cooker and kenwood on. So my kitchen has more space and room for people to sit and chat while we are cooking.

If the space isn't used at the moment, you're right to think about changing it to make it more suitable for your family.

And a utility room is great for when people come in with muddy clothes and boots rather than traipsing dirt through the kitchen!

A utility room would be wonderful for us at present, OH kitesurfs so his stuff is piled in the corner, wetsuit in the bath, drysuit over the stairs... we could section the utility, keep the sink so he could wash his stuff down and dry it etc.

I just think this way we could talk whilst cooking - can't at the moment unless one stands and moves when the person cooking wants stuff from fridge etc..

I've just been mesuring and it isn't huge -18ft long by 9ft wide, but with nothing in but a table is just so uninviting :rotfl:

74jax

daisiegg wrote: »

Is the table the only piece of furniture in the dining room? What about a sideboard? Drinks cabinet? Bookshelves? Piano?!

I don't know. To be honest, we have a similar issue because our dining room feels very underused. We have a huge table in there and a sideboard, and are looking to get a drinks cabinet soon. But we have got into the very bad habit of eating off our laps on the sofa (which we will NOT be doing if we have kids!) We are slightly different in that our kitchen is a good size anyway and we already have a utility room. Also, our dining room opens into our living room so it is really nice for entertaining. We probably won't change anything but I do often feel as though it is wasted space so I can totally understand where you are coming from.

Yes it is. We have a bookcase in the hallway. We don't play the piano. I want to make it a room we want to use but maybe we just don't need it.

OH refuses to move, even though i'd love too, so i'm trying to find ways to make it a home I want to be in.

meritaten

would I move the kitchen to make a kitchen/diner? with what you say - Yes I would. Tiny separate kitchens are a pain. A larger space which is more airy would also add value to your house.
My aunt converted her old kitchen into a garden room and the outhouse then became the new kitchen..........there wasn't much difference in size but - it made the flow of the house easier to live with and makes it much more efficient.
a separate utility area is nice too - I wouldn't be without mine, tiny though it is I can hide the ironing mountain in there!

greenbee

daisiegg wrote: »

Blooming heck, your utility room must be as big as some people's kitchens! Lucky thing! Our utility room only has the boiler, the washing machine, a big sink, two low cupboards (full of cleaning stuff) and one floor to ceiling cupboard (full of - ahem - alcohol! Until we get a drinks cabinet...). I am jealous of your amazing sounding utility room!

It's 10' by 7' and was just a single skin brick wash house with a flat roof, rough concrete floor and a window when I moved in. We opened it up, lined it, insulated the roof and put up a ceiling, laid a floor and put Ikea units down one side and all the stuff that needs water and drainage the other. The TD is stacked on the WM, and we had fun and games getting the sink and drainer to fit but careful planning has turned it from a wasted space into something that has made a difference to the whole of the rest of the house. It makes it possible to keeo everything else tidy. I even hide the ironing board in there...

We're selling now, and the agent seems to think that this has been the best investment we have made in terms of both value and saleability.

Any

How is trading a small kitchen for a kitchen with table in it trading for the same size kitchen?? Maybe in the sense of kitchen units, but the space will be much better! I would go for that. It will make the house flow much better. I have massive kitchen,it is the biggest room in the house and I live in it! I spend all my time here. I have aga, sofa, table for 6 and tv here. All I need. I feel good here. And I can talk to people while I am cooking for them. Makes it very sociable space.

meritaten

my utility 'room' is a mahoosive 6' X 4'! it contains a washer, a tumble dryer, ironing board and iron and some shelves housing various products like bleach and paint thinner etc, I didn't want accessible to the grandkids. my also tiny kitchen (9' X 6') now works much better for me (its still too small - but taking out the washing appliances gave me more cupboard space).
It was previously an outhouse right opposite my front door - we moved the front door to the gap between the house and outhouse and took the washing appliances out of the kitchen - so I now have a 'utility room' and a nice 'porch'! we kept a door where the original front door was - which improves the warmth in the hallway no end! the only downside was the loss of some light in the hallway - but that's a small price to pay!

74jax

Any wrote: »

How is trading a small kitchen for a kitchen with table in it trading for the same size kitchen?? Maybe in the sense of kitchen units, but the space will be much better! I would go for that. It will make the house flow much better. I have massive kitchen,it is the biggest room in the house and I live in it! I spend all my time here. I have aga, sofa, table for 6 and tv here. All I need. I feel good here. And I can talk to people while I am cooking for them. Makes it very sociable space.

That's what I want too. I've been planning it tonight and it will work well I think.

Utility (current kitchen) will be 12ft x 7ft and will have sink, washer, dishwasher and freezer left in it and all his kitesurfing stuff.

Feel quite excited.