A spacious kitchen-diner is the ultimate social hub for everything from family time to entertaining

WORDS Linda Clayton

The main motivation for combining cooking and dining is to be more sociable. The dream is mummy and/or daddy blissfully knocking up the spag bol, while the little cherubs work earnestly on their homework at the dining table. Or, even more compelling, knocking up the cocktails while glamorous friends gather in awe of your Tom Cruise skills. Bliss!

So, how to make the fantasy come true? The most obvious requirement is space. There are many ways to shoehorn dining facilities into a kitchen, from clever drop-down tables (try Ikea) to simple bar stools at an island. But if you want a room bursting with bonhomie, there needs to be plenty of room to manoeuvre in both the kitchen and dining area. It's hard to feel #blessed when you can't access the dishwasher without moving stools/bodies, or feed more than two people without having to push the table out into the garden.

Existing kitchen shoebox-small? The quickest and easiest solution is to whip out an internal wall or two (adding steels where required, obviously) or maybe pinch space from an adjacent garage/utility. Extending is the next logical step, especially if you want to keep a closed-off living area for cosying down in the evenings. Aim for at least 6x4m if you can get it, but be guided by the size of the table you need. A family of four who rarely entertain at home won't need as much dining space as a bigger family, or ones who regularly host dinner parties worthy of Come Dine with Me.

And then there's the island question. One of the most practical kitchen-diner layouts uses an island to divide and conquer. Cooking on one side, eating on the other-dreamy. An island can also add informal dining to the mix but do think carefully before taking the plunge, especially if your space isn't aircraft hangar in scale. Often, a large cooks' table can prove more useful, and usable, than trying to cram in a separate island and table.

Of course, not everyone has an inner Jamie Oliver lurking. If the idea of friends sitting down, watching your every dropped spoon and seasoning fail fills you with dread, consider a layout where the chef firmly has his or her back to the party. Or better yet, allocate space for a walk-in pantry behind your kitchen-diner, where dirty dishes, ugly appliances and sunken meringues can hide in peace, leaving everything calm and serene 'front of house!

Noise can be an issue when you're cooking and dining in one space. Extractor fans, dishwashers and washing machines are the worst culprits. An extractor with an external motor is the quietest option if you don't want to compromise on suction power. Check decibel ratings before you buy - anything under 45dB shouldn't interfere with conversation. Check out quietmark.com for appliances considered to be quieter than most.

Read the original article on pages 60 - 65 in the March 2022 issue of Mindful Eating Magazine here.