Hello everyone,
After almost a year’s break, we have resumed our building project and are planning a new floor plan.
We’re stuck when it comes to the open-plan living area, so I would like to hear your opinions!
Our garden faces west, and to the south, the neighboring property begins after three meters (10 feet).
Option 1:
Overall, we like this option best. BUT: Is it possibly too tight? About one meter (3 feet) between the sofa and table—is that too cramped? It’s enough for walking through, but maybe it compromises comfort on the couch? Currently, we have much more space between the couch and table, but not as much room depth as in the planned layout. We are thinking of trying to place the table this close to the sofa in our current apartment to get a feel for it.
Pros: Great window view to the west, a skylight to the south (brings in plenty of light but prevents the neighbor from looking into our house), from the couch you can see the room, the garden, and the TV.
Cons: Is it too narrow in width?
Option 2:
Same setup, only the table is rotated. Basically, a table with a footprint of 1.00 x 2.00 meters (3 x 6.5 feet) requires a total space of 2.00 x 2.00 meters (6.5 x 6.5 feet) to accommodate chairs. In this arrangement, all guests could look out to the garden. In option 1, both the sofa and the kitchen island have visual contact with all guests.
Option 3:
The sofa and the entertainment wall are swapped. The skylight to the south changes to a floor-to-ceiling window, but the window to the west is removed.
Pros: More freedom of movement in the room, sofa hidden behind the fireplace, more coziness.
Cons: No view of the garden from the sofa, loss of a west window, view of the fireplace only from the side.
We have gotten so lost in the planning that we can’t see the forest for the trees right now.
What do you think?
Thanks and best regards,
Ypsi
After almost a year’s break, we have resumed our building project and are planning a new floor plan.
We’re stuck when it comes to the open-plan living area, so I would like to hear your opinions!
Our garden faces west, and to the south, the neighboring property begins after three meters (10 feet).
Option 1:
Overall, we like this option best. BUT: Is it possibly too tight? About one meter (3 feet) between the sofa and table—is that too cramped? It’s enough for walking through, but maybe it compromises comfort on the couch? Currently, we have much more space between the couch and table, but not as much room depth as in the planned layout. We are thinking of trying to place the table this close to the sofa in our current apartment to get a feel for it.
Pros: Great window view to the west, a skylight to the south (brings in plenty of light but prevents the neighbor from looking into our house), from the couch you can see the room, the garden, and the TV.
Cons: Is it too narrow in width?
Option 2:
Same setup, only the table is rotated. Basically, a table with a footprint of 1.00 x 2.00 meters (3 x 6.5 feet) requires a total space of 2.00 x 2.00 meters (6.5 x 6.5 feet) to accommodate chairs. In this arrangement, all guests could look out to the garden. In option 1, both the sofa and the kitchen island have visual contact with all guests.
Option 3:
The sofa and the entertainment wall are swapped. The skylight to the south changes to a floor-to-ceiling window, but the window to the west is removed.
Pros: More freedom of movement in the room, sofa hidden behind the fireplace, more coziness.
Cons: No view of the garden from the sofa, loss of a west window, view of the fireplace only from the side.
We have gotten so lost in the planning that we can’t see the forest for the trees right now.
What do you think?
Thanks and best regards,
Ypsi
vonBYnachSH20 May 2021 11:43Does the door open easily into the conservatory, especially in winter? Or is it always in the way? It looks quite tight to me, or will it be a sliding door?
Y
Ypsi aus NI20 May 2021 11:44Myrna_Loy schrieb:
People talk and mainly look at each other. I understand what you mean. That’s exactly my point. At the table, you have conversations, but not with the cook, since half of the people sit with their backs to them.
I think both table arrangements have their pros and cons.
We would probably decide on the center of the table for a ceiling lamp outlet and then try both table positions for a while before installing a pendant light.
M
Myrna_Loy20 May 2021 11:46Ypsi aus NI schrieb:
I understand what you mean. That’s exactly my point. You have conversations at the table, but not with the cook, since half the people have their backs to them.
I think both table positions have pros and cons.
We would probably decide on the center of the table for a ceiling outlet and then try out both table arrangements for a while before installing a pendant light. You don’t really have active conversations with the cook like that either. No one yells conversations across the room—just the occasional sentence here and there. And if you’re standing in the kitchen all the time, then the layout is wrong anyway. For short chats, you can just turn a chair toward the kitchen... I definitely wouldn’t design the layout based on dinner parties—unless you have them every weekend.
Y
Ypsi aus NI20 May 2021 11:47vonBYnachSH schrieb:
Will the door open freely into the conservatory, or is it always in the way? It looks quite tight to me, or will it be a sliding door?They will all be lift-and-slide doors, between 2.50 m and 3.00 m wide (8.2 ft and 9.8 ft).
We now also have a conservatory that is directly adjacent to the kitchen. This means that to get from the kitchen to the garden, I always have to go through the conservatory. Not a big deal, but in the new house it will be different. That’s why we plan to have one door leading directly to the conservatory and another door leading straight to the garden.
P
pagoni202020 May 2021 11:48Hmm... now I also understand the situation with the fireplace. Since we have less room depth, we have an external chimney, which takes up less space. If you have a bit more room width, that already helps. In the end, you probably need to set it up at home and try it out. That often helps us; we have moved boxes and furniture a thousand times to get a better idea. Many things can only be reasonably judged when experienced in real life, because everyone perceives things differently. All the points mentioned are valid, and now you can figure out what suits you best 😀. Definitely make sure you have the option to rearrange things if needed.
I would also be cautious with skylights in this context, because in my opinion, depending on the situation, they can create a basement-like feeling. That’s why we left them out or used large glazed sections instead. Where the sofa is, I don’t think a window is necessary or it might be distracting; having a view facing that direction is enough for me.
Wouldn’t a gas fireplace be an option for you? If we had a gas connection, that definitely would have been my choice—there are some great options available.
Maybe it also makes sense to break away from the usual suspects in kitchen layouts and arrange it differently—something like an open-plan kitchen with a dining table, then a half-height or light visual separation to the living room, which can then be smaller.
I would also be cautious with skylights in this context, because in my opinion, depending on the situation, they can create a basement-like feeling. That’s why we left them out or used large glazed sections instead. Where the sofa is, I don’t think a window is necessary or it might be distracting; having a view facing that direction is enough for me.
Wouldn’t a gas fireplace be an option for you? If we had a gas connection, that definitely would have been my choice—there are some great options available.
Maybe it also makes sense to break away from the usual suspects in kitchen layouts and arrange it differently—something like an open-plan kitchen with a dining table, then a half-height or light visual separation to the living room, which can then be smaller.
Similar topics