Eat-in kitchen or separate kitchen?

[gentlepuppies]

Just wondering what member preferences are for condos. For a 1+den around 650sf, would you prefer

a)

b)

c)

d)

a) -too traditional for my tastes

b) -island with half-wall can hide countertop mess while leaving the fancy millwork and built-in appliances visible and preserve open concept

c) -preserve space for larger living area - best for parties, worst for dinner parties

d) -the line between kitchen and living area moves depending on island configuration

Being a single guy - even if I host friends now and then - on most evenings a dedicated dining area with 4 empty chairs will be kinda depressing lol. Whereas a eat-in island looks functional with 1 person or 10.

 

[James]

I don't think I can really pick 1 though, as a lot would depend on the layout of the rest of the space. My personal thoughts on each:

a) Nothing wrong with the traditional style but in a smaller space, I find this is a waste unless you can extend the counter top of the extended area outwards a little so that it can double as a sitting area. This would be even more effective if the stove was moved next to the fridge and the sink moved to where the stove is at, resulting in a clean solid counter surface for kitchen prep or as a breakfast area.

b) I feel that this is also not the most efficient use of space and a slight modification would transform this into design c).

c) This is a pretty common layout these days, allowing you to possibly forgo a dining table altogether. Of course, you may still want a dining table for a more formal sit-down. I've been to parties with this layout and the open concept works quite well.

d) This single wall galley style is probably the most popular among smaller units. I like it as it blends spaces together. Very open concept and very effective use of space. From personal experiences, my only gripe, while practical, is that I find the dining area may creep a little too much into the kitchen/cooking area. That said, it's usually not a huge problem since we're only talking about 1 or 2 occupants in this space anyway.

 

[tripwire]

Yeah it's hard to say without knowing the rest of the layout, but I favour a) and c). A) because of the extra counter space, c) because it offers a lot of extra living space. For c), there's a lot of cool coffee tables that "transforms" to a decent 6-seater dining table. They're not cheap, but the option is there.

D) is just too crowded for me, and b) feels anti-social. I like preparing food and having people comfortably sit at the island so we can talk.

 

[gentlepuppies]

I'm very picky about condos (must be a south-facing corner unit), and will likely pick a unit where the kitchen is also where I want it to be, which is near the center/hearth of the space

This is an example

Actually d) is just c) but with an extendable table and fold-up seats used only for hosting, and whether either is possible depends on unit layout.