Hi Jennifer

Congratulations on your purchase

Now comes the work - but you will make it yours

My preference is for timber floors all the way through from dining to living area - that will give a dramatic, spacious appearance, especially as there is already timber trim at the windows Although, if you can match the slate, that would look great too, going through to the living area

The all white kitchen looks to be in good condition - do you plan to keep that? Some styling will give character, by adding colour and texture

If you don't use the breakfast bar return, it might be visually pleasing to remove that and have a continuous run along the wall to the sliding door in living area - also remove the wall cupboard with glass door, so the wall is uncluttered Adding shelves will give display storage

A pergola would be good at the back - you could have 1/2 height posts on top of the stone wall to support the roof and full posts at the ends

Adding lots of tall plants (palms etc) in pots near the windows you will create the indoor/ outdoor effect

Have fun and let us know what you do!!

Hi, can you provide a floor plan of house with measurements. Do you want to open to living or dining. What is behind the kitchen?
Would you look at changing plumbing etc for a diff option. Some pics from outside would also help if you have them.

Some ideas, Jennifer

Cabin in the woods in Ireland · More Info

this shows a straight run with shelves instead of cupboard

Ferry Road · More Info

maybe you could consider swapping out some of the white doors with textured timber

Thanks Julia - appreciate the food for thought. Adding interest would be an economical option. Jennifer

Sorry to Kate or Julia ... whoever received a message with jumbled words; my screen locked up!

Extra pics here thanks Kate (and Jukia). Will have to dig our plans to get measurements. (And there is a floor-length window along the wall from the sink, not a sliding door. The door is on the side ... so moving the plumbing would mean exiting through the kitchen or further expense to modify door and window.) Main courtyard is verrry hot in summer.

Jennifer

Just found a couple of ideas for the back of your house - more food for thought!!

East Side Green Treehouse Unit 2 · More Info

Rooftop Garden with Pergola and Fencing for Outdoor Seating Area · More Info

these both incorporate 1/2 walls and would give good cooling - shade and ventilation

Half-wall shading and gas strut windows are both ideas I haven’t come across before. Great appeal and potential. (I now have discovered there’s an in-wall leak in my bathroom so have to divert funds to starting renovations there first!)

Outside first. It looks like there is insufficient height under doorsteps to put deck over existing paving so that would need to be removed. If not cemented in could remove some and plant driveway grasses to reduce heat island a bit. I’d add a shade sail/structure to give shade, and screen out the house on the fill, at far end. Table under shade structure.

Kitchen, replace with a deeper set of cupboards across window deleting one or both returns, depending on where you want to open to. Without full floor plans and knowing how you live it is difficult to comment further. It seems like you have a formal living and dining of front door plus another living area with tv to the right of kitchen. No. of bedrooms unknown. So not sure if kitchen suits size of house.

Thanks again Kate. I have three bedrooms, bathroom and en-suite and have TV in formal lounge/dining area so can be flexible in kitchen/family area (the latter more of a study and casual eating area now). Just getting quotes and waiting on sketch plan for removing breakfast bar to extend bench towards window, creating a much-needed pantry next to fridge and bringing stove next to dining room sliding door. A start ... along with ensuite shower plumbing repairs due to in-wall leakage (and flow-on updates to main bathroom, laundry and main toilet). 2020 to begin as a project year.

We had a very similar layout with a breakfast bar where the dishwasher now is we decided to ditch the breakfast bar and extend drawers and cupboards along the wall making this a galley kitchen so happy we went with this layout have included a pic

Thank you; that’s so helpful and your update looks terrific. Confirms that moving my stove will look good as well as improve safety and practicality. (No carrying hot food across kitchen to get to a bench) ... AND my current stove space will allow for a decent pantry next to the fridge. A beautiful window too. Do you have an outside pic you might be willing to share.

The garden window in Home’s photos make a massive impact on making space feel larger

Jennifer

The photos added by 'Home' are exactly what I had imagined

Go for it as that looks good in real life

(Hope your bathroom woes are getting fixed easily)

Hi Jennifer,

A pics of the leadlight garden window from the outdoor patio area. Good luck with your plans

One more question please .... where is your oven?

Hi Jennifer, wall opposite the sink houses the built in oven microwave, pantry and a few other drawers and cupboards. If you are looking to put your cooktop on that end wall I have included some pics of how we have used the space etc spice drawer 2 other drawers below for pots pans etc and slide out for oils vinegars etc and swivel pull out in the corner great for slower cookers, wok, mixers etc. I hope these pics help you to visualise what options might work in your space. Cheers Jo

Hi Jo, Thank you so much again. Your thoughtful planning of your setup, I think is making it a case now of “I want what she’s having!” All going into my project folder while I proceed with enforced bathroom updates - becoming exciting as well - but I’m delighted to be able to see the way forward for the kitchen too. Jennifer

I agree the return at the end should go to open up the space, this would make it more of a galley style kitchen. You can add more storage by having cupboards that go to ceiling height, this also makes the area seem more spacious and adds a sense of height. Also for a more outdoor/indoor feel you could consider adding skylights - these are a wonderful way to add a light and airy feel to small spaces so it seems less poky and more open

Hi Jennifer,

I concur with all the other comments here but please avoid all dead corners! Make one long stretch of cupboards along under the window and put cook top at dining end: it will be safer. Sink and DW doesn't matter at family room end. I would keep the oven tower with microwave on the other wall with the fridge, build in as large a pantry as you can there and have drawers everywhere.

Outside I suggest a pergola with deciduous vine over it. It will allow sun thru in winter and beautiful green cool shade in summer. Tho having said that I do not know where you are. Maybe building pergola up from the raised garden bed, leaving room for planting underneath and vine over the structure will make area look larger.

Always love to see the final results. Hope the bathroom is ok: better the water on the outside of the walls! Hah

Cheers

Margot

Thanks for your thoughts Margot. Much appreciated. About to embark on en-suite and bathroom updates first but, yes, will add pics. So good to have access to this site and community.

I agree with Margot. Corner cupboards are the pits! We are about to renovate our kitchen and have come up with a design that is basically a galley kitchen with a large island. No corner cupboards. We have currently a u shaped kitchen with 2 corner cupboards that drive me nuts as I have to get down on the floor to access those corners. Have lived with the turntable solution before and found it frustrating and annoying. As we get older we both find traditional lower cupboards becoming more difficult to access. We are going for all drawers below bench height everywhere. Much easier to access everything. If you have the money, well worth considering.

Thanks for your thoughts Maun. So true about low cupboards (though I don’t have space for an island). Definitely will opt for drawers where I can though.