ᐅ Ground floor – open-plan kitchen with dining area or living room with dining area
Created on: 19 Mar 2026 11:04
J
jolovyn
We have received the first draft for our semi-detached house. The architect put a lot of effort into it (symmetry with the other side of the house, etc.) and has generally incorporated our wishes very well, but we had actually envisioned an open-plan kitchen and a separate living room—not the other way around. Now we are considering swapping the rooms. Into the corner where the couch is currently drawn, there would be a kitchen unit (3.75 m / 12.3 feet) and an island (1.80 m / 5.9 feet with a cooktop). There would be a passage of 1.20 m (3.9 feet) and 75 cm (2.5 feet) on the right and left sides of the island. The island should be no more than 90 cm (35 inches) deep. A pantry would fit under the stairs (possibly with a custom-made door allowing direct access from the kitchen). The dining table could then be placed by the island or as currently shown. The windows should be turned into a large window front.
In the living room, we would use the back wall to place a terrarium somewhat hidden (200 x 60 cm / 79 x 24 inches). The only unclear point is where the TV (1 m / 3.3 feet wide) would go.
I’m torn, because the architect’s design also makes sense to me. The window symmetry (even though I’m not a fan of floor-to-ceiling windows right in front of the couch), more space behind the dining chairs, and a nice large kitchen with plenty of storage. Overall, it might feel a bit more “classic” and tidy this way.
I’m attaching the current ground floor draft and, for context, the entire house plan as well as a picture of how I roughly imagined our kitchen. Any advice would be very appreciated.
In the living room, we would use the back wall to place a terrarium somewhat hidden (200 x 60 cm / 79 x 24 inches). The only unclear point is where the TV (1 m / 3.3 feet wide) would go.
I’m torn, because the architect’s design also makes sense to me. The window symmetry (even though I’m not a fan of floor-to-ceiling windows right in front of the couch), more space behind the dining chairs, and a nice large kitchen with plenty of storage. Overall, it might feel a bit more “classic” and tidy this way.
I’m attaching the current ground floor draft and, for context, the entire house plan as well as a picture of how I roughly imagined our kitchen. Any advice would be very appreciated.
RomeoZwo schrieb:
Well, those are the limitations with a semi-detached house. One wall simply has no windows, so you rather choose the stairs instead of the study or bathroom ;-) . That’s true, of course, but we originally had a different layout. The bathroom was between the (admittedly much smaller) office and living room. The stairs were where the bathroom is now, and the kitchen (or what is currently marked as the sofa area) was longer because there were no stairs there. We changed all that because we wanted two staircases stacked on top of each other to access the attic. The plan initially said to see how much space would be left for the attic. The result was so disappointing that a pull-down attic ladder for storage would suffice, so we’re saving an extra set of stairs, flooring, and heating in the attic…
Oh, and maybe a small addition: a quarter-turn staircase is an absolute must for us (due to a mild mobility impairment, a spiral staircase is out of the question). That naturally makes the space requirements a bit more demanding. I just forgot to mention that in the questionnaire!
jolovyn schrieb:
We really liked the architect’s internal layout, allowing for some separation between the ground floor (GF) and upper floor (UF) later on (parents living downstairs in old age, a child upstairs). Since we wanted separate access to the living room anyway (instead of going through the kitchen), it would be great to achieve that as well. This costs you a lot of space in the GF rooms (living / open-plan kitchen and dining / office) and creates a "ballroom" hallway. It also doesn’t reflect real life, because in old age (65+) the child often has a family as well, needs a kitchen, and wants garden access not only through the parents’ apartment. In that case, the smaller half would be more suitable.
Something like this – bathroom between the office and the living room... but the architect’s office is naturally easier to modify with walls over 3m (10 feet) high... Maybe a bit can also be taken from the technical/utility room since the ventilation system/technical room will be relocated upstairs anyway... I’m also happy to receive ideas for avoiding the angled doors.
RomeoZwo schrieb:
That takes up a lot of space in the rooms on the ground floor (living room / kitchen-dining area / office) and creates that “ballroom” hallway. That’s true. However, we really want a separate door to the living room. Just sharing from personal experience: twice a week, a group of men occupy the kitchen table to play a board game that they compete in professionally at tournaments. And I don’t want to walk past them in my sweatpants at 11 p.m. or every time I need to use the bathroom.
jolovyn schrieb:
That’s true. But we definitely still want a separate door to the living room. That’s well thought out. Very few homeowners plan for separate everyday visitors. You’d think couples saw themselves as conjoined twins.
RomeoZwo schrieb:
The architect’s 45° doors are actually more like 90°, or is this some kind of retro-modern style? No, but sometimes there’s just no other way. And this is just the first draft anyway.
jolovyn schrieb:
We’re planning a small guest cloakroom in the hallway and then a kids' mudroom in the utility/technical room, which is directly accessible... I hope this fits with the technical room layout. And you have no coats? Shoes? Scarves and bags? We’re talking about the total annual storage needs. Adults also own 2-3 pairs of change shoes: sneakers, dress shoes, clogs, sandals, winter boots, rubber boots. For example, I currently have 3-4 coats for different temperatures. So does my husband.
An 8 sqm (86 sq ft) technical room is tight for a household of four, especially if the entire wardrobe has to fit in there. I also think the architect’s furniture layout is unrealistic. It won’t look like that at all.
jolovyn schrieb:
Garage, carport: no, just parking spaces; a carport might be added later And where? Top left on the plan? The neighbor then bottom right or something like that?
jolovyn schrieb:
We really liked the architect’s internal layout, allowing spatial separation between ground floor and first floor later (parents living downstairs in old age, a child upstairs), I’d drop that idea right away. Romeo said it already. I’m under 60, my husband is under 70, and the nightmare would be having to spread out in our guest bathroom or having my adult child walk through our space when they have a family with two kids themselves. No, better plan a stairlift later and enjoy the open spaces with new hobbies.
I’ll take another look later. Some of the suggestions here are quite good, but it is just the architect’s first draft, which you don’t have to remodel like an existing house. It’s better to plan cleanly from the start so everything is practical for everyday life.
jolovyn schrieb:
We really liked the architect’s internal layout, allowing the ground floor and upper floor to be somewhat separated later on (parents living downstairs in old age, Building an age-appropriate home is already common in my generation (under 60), and I don’t expect any opposite trend among younger people. Staying in the same apartment for thirty years is something you’ll have plenty of time for in the grave, and it also increases the risk of dementia. Settling down was a big step forward for hunter-gatherers, but even then, moderation is key.
jolovyn schrieb:
when teenagers pop a frozen pizza in the oven with their friends in the evening ...the parents have failed. From as young as five and nine years old up to the teenage years, there is still plenty of opportunity to teach them about healthy eating.
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