Kitchen - Lounge

Hey all,

What is everyones thoughts on having no dining table.
The idea is to have 5 stools along the open side of the island
and potentially have No.9 cabinet as JUST benchtop (with supports of course)
to allow for another seat on the kitchen side (and depending on leg room, maybe 1 on the end?)

The reason being is positioning a dining table in the intended spot will (i belive) close in the kitchen even more, and of course maximizing bench/storage space.

Let me know your thoughts, My relatives in town have an island bench the same size and you can seat 5 comfortably.
 

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I think it depends on the house location and what type of people will be living there. If it was my PPOR I would have a bigger bench.
 
Probably comes down to the demographic.

No dining room table in an inner city apartment wouldn't be that unusual - but it's a different story for a house in the burbs.

We actually took away the stools from our island bench because we got sick of the kids loitering around at dinner time :)

Cheers

Jamie
 
I'd be happy to do away with the dining table if the dining/kitchen was adjacent to a deck with a dining table.. being in a cold/wet climate wouldn't be practical though.

To save space you could join the dining table to the island bench? similar to this http://www.impalakitchens.com.au/gallery/open-plan-kitchen/
Or make it come out as a dog leg.. I'm planning something like this.

I'd be hesitant in making the island bench the only dining table.. It would be a bit strange having friends around for dinner..
 
I'd be happy to do away with the dining table if the dining/kitchen was adjacent to a deck with a dining table.. being in a cold/wet climate wouldn't be practical though.

To save space you could join the dining table to the island bench? similar to this http://www.impalakitchens.com.au/gallery/open-plan-kitchen/
Or make it come out as a dog leg.. I'm planning something like this.

I'd be hesitant in making the island bench the only dining table.. It would be a bit strange having friends around for dinner..

All good points, I haven't looked into it beyond the idea, but there is a perfect area for a big deck off the back door (end of the kitchen)

Rockhampton is perfect place to have an open deck (if there is a breeze)

I just cant see there being enough room to incorporate a 'decent' size dining table without removing island bench or encroaching into lounge room space.
 
If you were doing a new kitchen I would suggest running it along the wall where the numbers 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 are but take it all the way along that wall (fridge in the space beside 11 so people can get to the fridge without walking the length of what would become a galley kitchen).

Then I would start where cupboard 4 is and do a parallel run of bench, finishing about where the fridge is sitting now. I would not put anything where 5 is now but maybe push a narrow pantry into the wall cavity so it is not just a wasted wall. You could do a U shape kitchen with the end of the U where No 5 is but that makes two wasted corners and straight runs into the wall is a better trade off. You could hinge an extra bit of bench off that end wall if/when you need it.

That would give you a nice area for a table next to the kitchen and not encroach on the lounge area.

However, in view of the fact that I've previously said "don't touch the kitchen" I think that in the short term you should get a small oval table that might fit in the space next to the kitchen. It looks like it could be 3m wide which just might be too small to work unless you choose the table very carefully. Maybe a bench seat backing on the wall near the door (make it a slider or remove it?), a narrow bench style table and another bench seat or two chairs on the kitchen side.

I cannot imagine not having a kitchen table. Ours is not in our kitchen but just off to the side and we also have a formal dining table. If I was designing our house now (we bought it so "inherited" the "formal" area) I would not have two dining tables, but couldn't imagine having ONLY a kitchen island bench. If you have visitors where would they eat?

I would make this layout work for you until you have lived there for a while at least. Until you live in a place, it is sometimes hard to work out what you need.

Edit: I did a lovely little plan on the back of an envelope but cannot seem to upload it. If you want to see it, I'll try later in the day. With a galley style kitchen using 60cm bench, 1000cm wide work area and another 60cm bench you gain some space from the area next to the kitchen where you could put a dining table and chairs. We work in a similar style kitchen with 800cm working space. It works well for two of us but when we had five of us trying to work in the kitchen, it was not so good. One metre would be minimum I reckon.
 
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A pic would be great Wylie, you lost me a little bit there.

is this what you mean with the U shape?
i think we would NEED a proper sized pantry, (4)
 

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That is close to what I drew. Here it is. I've drawn a french door fridge but you could gain space if you don't have a large fridge. Oven at one end nearly at the wall, but you could put it under the cooktop. At the end means it isn't in the way when it is open as much as if it was under the cooktop.

Sink on the other run of bench with dishwasher under. I pushed a narrow pantry into the wall cavity, and you could have it protrude a little and even have the cavities above the end of the benches as more storage, shelves or with doors. Every bit of storage helps.

I don't know about you, but our pantry stores a lot of stuff we could put elsewhere. I'm not saying this idea of mine is the best kitchen for you, but it does allow you room for a dining table. It all comes down to compromise and which you need more... dining table and chairs or larger kitchen.

The plan I've drawn ends up being 2.2m wide in total which is less space than your current kitchen takes up and allows a narrow dining table to be used.

Just food for thought really. I'd not do anything for now but it is always nice to plan and picture how things "could" be done.

 
That is close to what I drew. Here it is. I've drawn a french door fridge but you could gain space if you don't have a large fridge.

Oh bugger, i thought you were from the other thread, where you have the fridge is actually the hallway, which is one of my main constraints.

I bet you thought i was pretty silly always leaving that space open for no reason hehe
 
Oh bugger, i thought you were from the other thread, where you have the fridge is actually the hallway, which is one of my main constraints.

I bet you thought i was pretty silly always leaving that space open for no reason hehe

Ah! That rather stuffs up my plan then :p.

I say move in and live there for a while anyway. It may all become clear. Can you close up either of the doors? What about moving the kitchen completely one day to the other end of the room? To another room? Remove a wall behind the kitchen (one or the other)?

I spend time rearranging my own kitchen in my head and never actually do it because every new plan has more downside than upside.

I think the main question you need to ask yourself and your family is -

Do we want/need a dining table and chairs?
 
Do we want/need a dining table and chairs?

NO!.

but that was the purpose of this post. to see if it was an 'acceptable' thing. i mean if in 3-4 years we find our dream PPOR, is having no space for a dining table going to be a huge downside to potential buyers?
 
HAHA, thats gold.

So best bet to talk to a realestate/valuer?

NO!.

but that was the purpose of this post. to see if it was an 'acceptable' thing. i mean if in 3-4 years we find our dream PPOR, is having no space for a dining table going to be a huge downside to potential buyers?

For me, in our family home, where we would be selling to a family, it would be a huge disadvantage to have NO dining table (whether that is adjacent to the kitchen or a more formal area). Whether or not a large island bench with stools is an acceptable answer would depend on what sort of buyer you are likely to get.

Also for me, the trade-off of having an island bench and stools just wouldn't cut it. When we have visitors, I don't want to eat dinner at an island bench.

I see it as similar to "do I need a bath?" It so much depends on area, demographic who will be buying and price.

I think your own suggestion of "best to talk to a real estate agent" is great advice. I wouldn't ask a valuer, but local real estate agents will tell you the answer.
 
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