ᐅ Renovation: Opening Up an Existing Kitchen Space

Hello everyone,

We have taken the plunge and purchased an older house. The existing kitchen is very small, so we would like to make some changes to the floor plan. Basically, it concerns the walls marked in red on the floor plan as 1, 2, and 3.

A structural engineer has already reviewed the situation and confirmed that walls 1 and 2 are load-bearing and must be supported if removed. Now there are two options under consideration:

Option 1:
Remove almost all of wall 1. The beam would then be placed against the exterior wall (so that the wall there is basically reduced to almost nothing). On the other side, about 15–20 cm (6–8 inches) would remain for the beam to rest on. Walls 2 and 3 would remain in place. This opens the kitchen toward the dining area but does not create a very open feeling.

Option 2:
In addition to wall 1, also remove wall 2. About 15–20 cm (6–8 inches) of wall 2 would remain in the corner adjoining wall 1, so the two wall remnants would form an “L” shape. Wall 3 could also be removed at the same time (it is not load-bearing). This would result in a nice, open area, but with the “L”-shaped wall remnant in the middle of the room.

Now my question: Which option would you prefer? I lean toward option 2 because the space would feel more open and modern. However, I am a bit concerned that this might be too much for the older structure and that the wall remnants in the middle of the room might not look right. I am also having some difficulty planning the kitchen with this option.

Do you have any ideas or suggestions?

Without knowing how many occupants will live there, how the other rooms will be used, and what kind of living style is preferred – apart from the open kitchen –
I lean towards Option 3: relocating the kitchen to the dining area, removing wall 3 and the door to the living room, and placing the dining table in the center of the space.
The old kitchen can be used as a backup kitchen / utility room.

Without knowing how many residents will live there, how the other rooms will be used, and what kind of living style is preferred—except for the open kitchen—I tend to favor Option 3, moving the kitchen into the dining area, removing wall 3 and the door to the living room, and placing the dining table in the center of the room. The old kitchen can become a backup kitchen or utility room.

Hello @ypg,

Thank you very much for your feedback!

We are a family of four (2 adults + 2 children). The house has a total living area of 193 sqm (2,076 sq ft) and is fully basemented, so there is plenty of storage space. All bedrooms are planned to be upstairs. Downstairs, the bedroom is intended to be used as a study, the small room next to it as a guest room, and the little room next to the bathroom as a storage area for beverage crates, vacuum cleaner, and all that stuff, so you don’t have to go down to the basement for every little thing.

ypg schrieb:
Option 3, relocating the kitchen into the dining area, removing wall 3 and the door to the living room, and placing the dining table in the middle of the room.

Relocating the kitchen into the dining area, removing wall 3 and the door to the living room, and placing the dining table in the center of the room is definitely an interesting idea. However, the small wall to the living room is load-bearing and already supports a steel beam that was installed between the dining and living rooms during the house construction.

BauFuks schrieb:
to use the bedroom as a study, the small room next to it as a guest room, and the little room next to the bathroom as a storage space for beverage crates, vacuum cleaner, and all those things, so you don’t have to go down to the basement for every little thing.

Yes, I would personally be more inclined to open up the former bedroom into a living area, keep the support column in place, and use the little room as an office, with your intended storage space located near the kitchen—that is, a backup kitchen. This is often desired by families but rarely feasible—here, though, it works.

Option No. 4: Remove walls 1 and 3.
Wall 2 remains.
Open kitchen connected to the dining area. Wall 2 provides wall space for kitchen cabinets, etc., and offers the living room some privacy....
Gerddieter