Design help with small open plan living, kitchen and dining room
Suzanne B
10 years ago
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Help with open plan Kitchen/Dining/Living space c
Comments (12)not a professional just obsessed with building and renovating..bagging the fireplace wall would make it easy to fill in the old master bedroom doorway with bricks to make a seamless match for the whole wall and brighten the whole new room and a simple roof extension on legs at right angles to the house with a gable roof, simple steel framed construction with Colorbond and lazerlite roofing and raked ceilings would make an ideal alfresco but you would probably need a skylight in the new kitchen to keep indoors from being too dark (and/or check out Solar Skylights that are excellent for adding extra light without holes in the roof) ...the alfresco could have basic concrete slab extended out from the existing verandah, screen walls, outdoor fireplace and outdoor barbq kitchen and sink..we've done something similar in a previous reno using a custom sized steel carport supplied by a local garage maker and then adding screen walls with lazerlite, lattice and plastic cafe blinds subject to views and direction of the weather ... you should also consider bug screening using horticultural shade cloth as you may find rural living a bit more fly blown than the suburbs and the screened room makes a safe play area for small kids and for pets left home alone btw don't forget to check the measurements of all the rooms as there are some discrepancies that need to be corrected in the plans and would be happy to redraw with correct measurements...See MoreShould we design our living room open-plan or partly open?
Comments (11)thank you all for your suggestions... meme - the front room currently doesn't get used for a few reasons a) it's only me in the house b)family room gets more sun and natural light c) family room looks out to the garden/courtyard which is a nicer view than the lounge which looks down the drive way (i'm back section of a duplex). I have contemplated the idea of moving dining room to family and using lounge as tv room but as it's just currently me it's nice to have the sun flowing in the family room whilst sitting on the couch and reading a book/watching tv (both rooms are deceptively small - i think wide angle camera used in the promo photos) oklouise - again I think the photo makes the rooms appear larger than they are - I have attached some more photos of the family room for you. I have considered moving the door way to the hall as it is in an awkward position for furniture layout (although I'm not sure the room would accommodate the furniture as you have placed it). Another thing that I should mention is that I'm planning to add a door way to the garage from the kitchen, as I currently walk to the sliding doors to gain entrance to the house. The door will be in the position you have the fridge or even next to it in the far corner - which would still work in your plan. Dr Retro House Calls - I think for me I do like the open plan living (no children yet.) I'm not sure the house would be big enough for a family with teenagers (the 3rd room is very small.) In terms of keeping kitchen tidy - no i'm a very messy cook but it's quickly cleaned up by putting most things in the dishwasher/sink (also I would hope my friends and family wouldn't judge me on the state of my kitchen - and if they did I wouldn't be bothered by it :)) I guess if it was for me then I would go ahead and open plan everything to let as much light in as possible, but also I do need to be aware of resale at some stage (but people are either going to like it or not no matter what you do) Kate - I hadn't thought of that idea - I guess making it smaller would turn it into a min theatre room or reading room? Siriuskey - Interesting suggestion - I'm not sure how the placement of furniture would work in the family room, but I think I need to get past my fear of placing furniture in the middle of a room....See MoreNeed help with layout and design of living room / dining room
Comments (7)To be blunt -- the room isn't really big enough ! So you have to sort out priorities , and space . You have a dining table , and a computer desk . Can you get rid of the computer desk , by having your computer tower mounted behind the couch or similar , and a wireless keyboard and mouse that you can use on the dining table ? Mount the monitor on a wall , or if you don't need in depth graphics , I understand you can use your TV ( I've heard something about the 'refresh rate' is less on a TV ? ) . Maybe even have a monitor but also the option of using your TV ? Could you use a 'breakfast bar' , probably where the computer desk is now , I know its not sociable all staring at a wall , but it would/could serve as a brakfast bar and computer workstation . Could you get rid of the dining table and chairs , and have a large coffee table , or 2 smaller ones , and eat 'casually' ( my polite way of saying eat sitting on the couch ) ? Even mounting the TV on the wall will let you get rid of the cabinet , but I gather you have gaming consoles in there ? And the present arrangement with the pot plants uses some space -- maybe some shelves with them on will still retain the plants but free up floor space ? Just some thoughts off the top of my head ....See MoreHelp with kitchen and open plan living conversion
Comments (11)The new work looks tight and awkward, so I hope everybody in your home is skinny and happy to walk sideways like a crab! My main concern is the relationship of the toilet to your living area, and the line of sight to the toilet pan from the front door if the laundry door is left open. Without knowing the size of your home, the number of members in your household, and the number of bathrooms, I would be examining if I really need a tiny bathroom at that end of the house, so a full house plan would be useful. It looks like you are making a lot of compromises (and a lot of expense) to achieve a walk-in-pantry, which is not the most efficient way for storage when things are tight. I would save the wasted floor space in a walk-in-pantry and spend some money on the more space-efficient pull-out pantry option. Remember to think about the function of spaces, and their relationship to adjoining spaces, and how they are going to be furnished and used. This is one of the reasons why people engage design professionals. Best of luck with your redesign, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls/Dr Retro Virtual Visits...See MoreSuzanne B
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