Are kitchen diners always a good thing ?

[Deleted User]

My hubby is really keen to knock down the wall between our kitchen (which is fairly small but I think adequate) and the back room to make a kitchen diner. (Our back room and front room are already knocked through - so it would also mean putting that wall back). I'm just not sure.

I can see how it works really well if you have children still living at home but now there's just the 2 of us. Yes, it would be good to be able to talk to family, friends etc. when I'm cooking and they come round for a meal but most of the time it would be just us.

Things that concern me are: cooking smells (extractor fans never work that well, in my experience); sounds of washing machine / dryer, etc; the mess in the kitchen being constantly visible; loss of wall cupboards; plus it all looks lovely in summer but what about heating that extra space in the winter ??

Has anyone done this conversion and were they happy or not so happy ? Or have any tips ?

Thanks

elsien

I wouldn't fancy it - I hate being watched when I cook. (And it might put people off eating at my house ever again.) And I like to close the door on the mess while I'm eating/chatting to people.
What's making your husband so keen on the idea, if there's just the two of you?

Loanranger

Knocking through is just a trend and when people discover the problems that you have already outlined there will be a move back to having a kitchen and a separate room to eat in.

[Deleted User]

elsien wrote: »

I wouldn't fancy it - I hate being watched when I cook. (And it might put people off eating at my house ever again.) And I like to close the door on the mess while I'm eating/chatting to people.
What's making your husband so keen on the idea, if there's just the two of you?

Well, we DO need a new kitchen (this one's cabinets are literally starting to crumble ) And his thinking is that is we're doing that anyway, we might as well do the whole thing - turn it into a kitchen diner. He's thinking about when he retires (in about 5 years) and it will be much easier to sell (he thinks) if we've done this (IF we move of course). This came from a new neighbour (who has a young family) telling him that the reason they bought THAT house in particular was because it had the kitchen diner. Also a friend of ours is going out with an estate agent and she was very definite that families love kitchen diners and ours is definitely a house that families will go for (it's one of those 1930's semis).

And thanks - you've added an item to my list of objections I forgot: I HATE being watched when I'm cooking !

Furts

I suggest that the answer is whatever you feel happy with, because it is a matter of personal taste.

If I put my building site helmet on I come up with a slightly different answer. For generations we were happy with separate rooms. Over recent years we have accepted Grand Designs and a host of property programmes. Couple this with life style magazines which to some extent are the purpose of Build It magazine and Homebuilding and Renovating magazine. One then gets the concept of open plan - it sells TV programmes and magazines plus a host of must have home improvements. This occured in the 1960s then went out of fashion. Fashion goes full circle, so in perhaps 10 years time open plan will again be deemed an unwise idea.

I know of families who have regretted the time that they opened up their houses. They have realised that they want to shut away the children. Equally the children want rooms that they can shut themselves, and their friends, into.

borkid

Hi just the two of us here and I much prefer a kitchen diner. In my last house we had a separate dining room , next to the kitchen, and a large kitchen. The only time we ever used the dining room was for large gathering ie over 6 people the rest of the time it just wasn't used which was a waste. Now I have an L shaped kitchen diner and we can fit 8 people in to eat if necessary we've turned the 'dining room' into a music room.

We don't have noticable problems with cooking smells and have a utility room so the washng machine is in there. I don't like a dining room /lounge set up as I think if you have visitors there are more noticeable smell/ untidiness issues after a meal. At the end of a meal guests just go into the lounge for coffee and we close the door on the kitchen and the mess.

katejo

For me a kitchen diner is fine as long as there is also a separate living room. I can't stand having a kitchenette in the only living room.

catterlen

I prefer the kitchen diner to a small kitchen, but hate the idea of the whole area being open- I have a real problem with programmes like grand designs when people have open plan living/dining/ cooking areas.... They never say what happens when you cook kippers and can't get away from the smell even on the sofa watching telly!
So, if you did do it, I would block of the living area. The reason I like having a table in my kitchen is laziness- from cooker to table- and also, as we only have the two room downstairs I.e. Lounge + kitchen diner, I sometimes work from home and can do that in the kitchen at the table without the to noise or disturbing the living room area which I don't want to associate with work. We also have glass partition doors between the kitchen and diner, so you can make it two rooms if you want, or one when you need it.
I have to say though, a small change like that probably wouldn't put me off/ make me buy, as we have always been willing to consider doing work and I think can see beyond what exists already (I hope).
The other option is to go ahead, and if you don't like being watched while cooking... Perfect excuse to get your other half to cook instead!

PasturesNew

I had a friend who lived in a posh flat - he had pocket doors with frosted glass between the kitchen and living room - sliding doors that disappeared into the walls ... so they could be opened and disappear, or closed and you can't see/smell the kitchen.

tanith

We have a kitchen diner but a separate living room.. there's mostly only the two of us but I do like it this way.

SailorSam

Would you use the dining room that often if it were seperate ?
I think when you've got company and having a Dinner Party a seperate room is nicer, but for the rest of the time i'd prefer one room.
I've got a big kitchen diner and even though i'm here by myself i sit at the table for meals, even a lunchtime sandwich. But if it were seperate rooms i'd probably take a tray and sit in the lounge.