If you are lucky enough to be in a position to build your dream kitchen, you should take your time with the planning and ensure you look carefully at all options. Budget and space limitations can often prevent you from including everything you want, so you must plan accordingly and ensure you do not overspend. There are various features you can have in the design of your kitchen, and there are pros and cons to each. You will need to determine what the priorities are for your kitchen and choose a suitable floor plan that can accommodate your requirements. Below, you can see some of the different features you can include in your kitchen design to help you plan the perfect open-plan kitchen diner for you and your family.

 

A Separate Utility Room & Pantry

The open-plan kitchen diner is a popular feature in many homes in the UK, and the space is now somewhere we relax and entertain. Having a separate utility room and pantry means you can have the washing machine or tumble dryer going, and it will not be so loud that you cannot hear the conversation or television. It also gives you an excellent place to store cleaning products and dried goods, such as tins, dog food, pasta, and other items. Once you have a space like this in your home, you will wonder how you ever lived without it, and it is an excellent feature to include in your custom-designed kitchen.

 

 

 

A Kitchen Island

Another popular feature in homes with larger kitchens is having an island that can double up as a counter or place to eat. Some kitchen islands have a sink and draining board, while others have an oven and gas hob; the options are endless when you incorporate this feature into your kitchen design. It also gives you additional storage space, which you can never have too much of in a kitchen. You can also include drop lighting over the kitchen island, so there is always plenty of light available, whatever you are doing. Kitchen islands can vary in size and shape, so you can find a solution that works with your available space and ensures you have the kitchen island of your dreams.

 

Bifold Doors & A Patio

An excellent option to consider if your kitchen is at the rear of your property is to open it up to the garden and install bifold doors that open onto a patio area. When the weather is warm, you can open the bifold doors fully and incorporate the patio into your useable living space. You can have comfortable weather-proof furniture on the patio, giving you somewhere to sit and relax, and it could soon become your new favourite place to relax, soak up some sun, and enjoy a refreshing craft gin and tonic or glass of wine. Including this feature in your dream kitchen design can help create a space that all the family can use alone or together and help you get more use from your garden. 

 

Moveable Lighting

The modern open-plan kitchen diner is a multi-functional space, and often, people try to accommodate multiple functions with their lighting in these spaces. However, consider installing moveable track lighting in your dream kitchen, which allows you to move the light to where you need it. Over your dining table, you can have a retractable light which moves up and down and can give additional light when you need it for delicate tasks. For other kitchen areas, you can have tracks to move the light to focus on specific areas, such as the sink, gas hob, and food preparation areas. Also, ensure that you choose energy-efficient and environmentally friendly LED lights in your kitchen, which give you much more control, allowing you to change the brightness and colour.

 

Storage

Our kitchens can accumulate many things over the years, and you will need suitable storage space in your dream kitchen to ensure you can accommodate everything. A separate utility room is ideal, but if you do not have space, ensure there are plenty of cupboards and drawers, and choose floor-to-ceiling options if possible. No matter how much storage you create, most people will fill it easily and wish for more, so do not worry about having too much storage. Speaking to a kitchen design expert can help you maximise your storage space and often present solutions you would not ordinarily think of, and it can be an excellent way to ensure a flowing and practical kitchen design.

 

Built-In Appliances

Another design concept worth considering for your dream kitchen is built-in appliances, such as the oven, washing machine, or dishwasher. It is like the appliances disappear when you are not using them, as they are covered with a facia that looks like the rest of your cupboards and carpentry. You can also have extractor fans that hide away when not in use, coming out of a hole that appears behind your hob, which helps save space and preserve the aesthetics of your kitchen.

 

A Breakfast Bar

Many people want to include a breakfast bar in their dream kitchen design, but it is not something you only use at the start of the day. It is an excellent place to sit and talk while you cook, and you can eat many meals at it as it is so practical. If you also have a kitchen island in your design plans, you can incorporate a breakfast bar into this, and it can help make your open-plan kitchen diner a much more social space. All you need is some comfortable stools, and you have the perfect place to relax, entertain, eat, or watch videos.

You can include these features and more in your dream kitchen design, but you must also consider other aspects of your kitchen design. You want to ensure there is sufficient insulation in your new space, especially when installing bifold doors, and also that there are plenty of power sockets available, including ones with USB ports. Take your time and talk with some experts, and you can start turning your dream kitc