Kitchen/Diner or separate rooms?

rduran1

Hi everyone 

I'm currently living in a maisonette and I'm contemplating some changes to the living spaces, which are quite outdated. However, I'm mindful of the potential impact on future resale value and rental income. I plan to stay here for the next 5 to 10 years, and although I'm currently living alone, my partner will be moving in a year from now.

I've included the current floor plan, and there are a couple of issues I'd like to address:

1. The kitchen is small, making it challenging to upgrade.
2. The dining room is underutilized and feels like wasted space.

I'm considering the idea of removing the wall between the kitchen and living room to create an open kitchen/diner/social room with an island. I'd use the current dining room as the new living room.

I've attached two images illustrating different variations of this idea, with the key difference being whether or not I extend the kitchen wall and remove the cupboard (I have limited cupboard space in my property). And I am so sorry for my terrible art skills!!! 

I'm eager to hear your thoughts, any alternative suggestions, or insights you might have.

Some pros of this plan include:

• Modernizing the kitchen and increasing its size and usability.
• Making both rooms unique and functional.

However, there are some cons to consider:

• Potential decrease in property value, given that I've converted one bedroom into the current dining room. To address this, I've proposed in my drawing to include a sofa, TV, etc., in the kitchen/diner so that it remains a living space. If I were to sell or rent the property, the proposed new living room could be reverted to the third bedroom.
• The project may be costly and complex, potentially involving load-bearing walls.
• Doubts about whether there's enough room for an open kitchen/diner with an island. Here are the dimensions:
  • Lounge: 4.03 x 3.89 (13'2" x 12'9")
  • Kitchen: 2.85 x 2.25 (9'4" x 7'4")
  • Dining: 4.16 x 3.89 (13'7" x 12'9")

Thank you for your input and advice.

FreeBear

Maisonette - Presumably leasehold. Will you require freeholder's permission to remove any walls ?

Yes, the kitchen is small, but then it is a small household, and you are unlikely to be cooking huge meals for hordes of people. A minimalist design without any wall cupboards in conjunction with lighting and bright paint (e.g. a pale yellow) will make the space look much bigger - Did this with my kitchen. Helps to focus the attention on what is important in a kitchen and limits the habit of accumulating gadgets & "stuff".

In your proposed sketches, the island and peninsular both eat in to the available space - Personally, I think both are better suited to much larger kitchens. When you are sharing the space between cooking & dining, there is a tendency for work surfaces to accumulate clutter. Separating the two functions keeps the clutter from one function away from the other.

rduran1

FreeBear said:

Maisonette - Presumably leasehold. Will you require freeholder's permission to remove any walls ?

Yes, the kitchen is small, but then it is a small household, and you are unlikely to be cooking huge meals for hordes of people. A minimalist design without any wall cupboards in conjunction with lighting and bright paint (e.g. a pale yellow) will make the space look much bigger - Did this with my kitchen. Helps to focus the attention on what is important in a kitchen and limits the habit of accumulating gadgets & "stuff".

In your proposed sketches, the island and peninsular both eat in to the available space - Personally, I think both are better suited to much larger kitchens. When you are sharing the space between cooking & dining, there is a tendency for work surfaces to accumulate clutter. Separating the two functions keeps the clutter from one function away from the other.

Thanks for this! 

Good point - I'll need to check this out 

That's a good idea, I'll try and find some inspirations of this and weight the options up

I know what you mean. In particular having an island.. But what about a small(ish) peninsular, like the photo below, my kitchen is bigger than this example and I'd imagine wouldn't encroach much, if at all, into the current living room space? 

twopenny

What a pretty kitchen Rduran!
You've given me ideas for mine that could work and I couldn't see.

But you've already got most surfaces covered. You need to think x 2 for 'stuff' if your partner moves in so bigger will just be room for it with no gain.
But then again you need to think for you. Not what might happen.

rduran1

twopenny said:

What a pretty kitchen Rduran!
You've given me ideas for mine that could work and I couldn't see.

But you've already got most surfaces covered. You need to think x 2 for 'stuff' if your partner moves in so bigger will just be room for it with no gain.
But then again you need to think for you. Not what might happen.

Lol no worries! 

Yeah I aware having my girlfriend live with me won't mean I need to double my space, the aim of the changes I proposed would be to make it look better and make sure all living spaces were used... And hopefully help it sell/rent in 5/10 years, though this is where I'm unsure and therefore mentioned it as a potential risk