ᐅ Ground floor – open-plan kitchen with dining area or living room with dining area

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.

jolovyn schrieb:
but we actually wanted an open-plan kitchen-living area

What exactly do you mean by that? A kitchen with a sofa?
Thanks to the sliding door, in my opinion, this is exactly what you want.

jolovyn schrieb:
and a separate living room dreamed of

Was it the architect’s task to design it that way? Or just an unspoken wish? Close the sliding door and the living room is separate.

Okay, maybe I wasn’t clear enough. I want a kitchen with a large dining table directly inside it and a living room with a sofa. Since my husband and I often receive guests separately (and my husband uses the large dining table for board games), I want to be able to sit in the living room with the door closed at the same time. We gave the architect a hand-drawn plan in which the rooms were swapped and the dining table was in the larger room with the kitchen. Due to limited time and many topics to discuss, we did not specifically talk further about the kitchen.

One would need to consider what kind of "real" furniture to put in the sofa room.

RomeoZwo schrieb:
what kind of "real" furniture you put into the sofa room.

For a cozy atmosphere, nothing at all.

nordanney schrieb:
Comfy for absolutely nothing.

You’re right, it works better this way.

You need to check the shower room upstairs to see if you can somehow get the wall in a straight line.
Maybe also make the middle kitchen window a bit smaller to allow for a 65cm (25.5 inch) deep continuous countertop. Then it would be fine to skip the kitchen corner at the top.

Are the architect’s 45° doors actually more like 90cm (35.4 inch) wide, or is that some kind of retro-modern style again?