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Open Plan Kitchen Living Spaces
How wall removal, kitchen diners and rear extensions can completely transform the way a home works
Open-plan kitchen living spaces are one of the biggest reasons homeowners remodel, extend or alter the layout of their homes. For many people, the dream is simple: a larger kitchen, a better family dining area, more light, better garden access and a space where cooking, eating, relaxing and everyday family life can all happen together.
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This is especially common in 1930s houses, Victorian terraces, Edwardian homes and older family properties where the original layout was designed very differently from the way people live today. Many older homes have a small separate kitchen, a dining room that is underused, and a rear wall that blocks the connection to the garden. The result can be a house with decent overall floor area, but poor flow.
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One of the most popular home upgrades is removing the dividing wall between the kitchen and dining room to create a larger kitchen diner.
In many 1930s-style homes, the original kitchen is often small, narrow and awkward. It may work as a basic cooking space, but it rarely works as the heart of the home. By opening the kitchen into the dining room, the ground floor can suddenly feel brighter, larger and more useful.
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For homeowners with a larger budget, the project often goes further. The rear wall may be opened up, a new extension may be added, large sliding or bifold doors may be installed, and the patio or garden may be redesigned so the new living space flows naturally outside. Done properly, this can completely transform the house.
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However, open-plan kitchen living spaces are not just about knocking down a wall. Even a relatively simple layout change can involve architectural design, structural engineering, building regulations, kitchen design, electrical work, plumbing, boiler relocation, plastering, flooring, tiling, decorating and building control. It can be simple in concept, but still cost a few bob because several trades and professionals may be involved.
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That is why early planning matters.
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Why open-plan kitchen living spaces are so popular
The modern family kitchen is no longer just a place to cook. It is often the main room in the house. It is where people eat breakfast, help children with homework, entertain friends, work from a laptop, open the doors to the garden, watch television, talk, relax and spend much of the day.
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Older house layouts were not designed for this. In many 1930s homes, the kitchen was built as a small service room at the back of the house. The dining room was separate. The living room was separate. The garden was often accessed through a narrow rear door. That layout may have worked decades ago, but it can feel cramped and disconnected today.
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Removing the wall between the kitchen and dining room is often the first major improvement. It can turn two average or awkward rooms into one larger kitchen diner. This creates space for a better kitchen layout, a dining table, storage, a breakfast bar or island, and a more sociable arrangement.
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In a typical 1930s semi-detached or terraced house, this may mean converting the small rear kitchen and middle dining room into one larger family kitchen diner. The transformation can be dramatic because the house already has the space — it is just divided in the wrong way.
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A good open-plan layout can improve:
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kitchen size and usability
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natural light
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family dining space
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views through the house
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connection to the garden
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entertaining space
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everyday circulation
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property appeal and value
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However, open plan does not always mean completely open. Some homes work better with a broken-plan layout, where the kitchen, dining and living areas are connected but still have some separation. This can be done with nib walls, partial walls, different ceiling lines, islands, changes in flooring, lighting zones, glazing or furniture placement.
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A fully open-plan kitchen living space can look fantastic, but it needs to be designed around how the household actually lives. Cooking smells, noise, television use, children’s areas, storage, laundry, working from home and pets all need to be considered. A beautiful open-plan room with poor storage or bad lighting can quickly become messy and frustrating.
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The best open-plan spaces feel generous but controlled. The kitchen should have enough working space. The dining area should not feel squeezed. The living area should not feel like an afterthought. The route to the garden should be clear. The space should feel natural, not like three rooms forced together.
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TOP TIP: Before removing walls, think carefully about how the finished space will actually be used. A good open-plan kitchen living space needs cooking, dining, relaxing, storage, lighting and circulation all working together.
Wall removal, structural design and building control
One of the most common ways to create an open-plan kitchen living space is by removing a wall between the kitchen and dining room. In some homes, this wall may be non-loadbearing. In many others, it may support floors, walls, chimney breasts, roof loads or other structure above.
This is why wall removal should never be treated casually. Before work starts, the wall needs to be assessed properly. If it is loadbearing, a structural engineer will usually be required to design the beam, padstones or other support needed. The builder then needs clear information showing what is to be removed and what structural support is to be installed.
Building Regulations approval is also usually required where structural walls are removed. Building control will want to know that the structure is safe, that the beam is designed correctly, and that the work has been inspected at the right stages. This is especially important if the homeowner later sells the property, because buyers’ solicitors may ask for evidence that the structural alteration was properly approved.
Even a straightforward kitchen-diner wall removal can involve more than people expect. The wall may contain electrical cables, sockets, switches, heating pipes, gas pipes, plumbing, extractor routes or old services. The ceiling may need repair. The floor may need levelling or patching where the wall was removed. Radiators may need moving. The kitchen layout may need changing. The boiler may be in the wrong place. Lighting may need to be redesigned.
This is why these projects can become more expensive than they first appear. The wall removal itself may be only one part of the job. The full project can include:
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architectural or design drawings
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structural engineer’s calculations
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building control application and inspection fees
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steel beam supply and installation
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temporary supports during the works
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electrical alterations
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plumbing and heating changes
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boiler relocation where needed
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kitchen fitting
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plastering and making good
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flooring and tiling
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painting and decorating
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waste removal and general building work
For many homeowners, the hidden cost is not the structural beam. It is everything around the beam. Once the wall comes down, the kitchen may no longer work properly. The ceiling may need upgrading. The lighting may look wrong. The floor may not match. The room may need a full decorative finish. That is why a “simple wall removal” often becomes a wider kitchen living space project.
There may also be party wall issues. If the work affects a shared wall, chimney breast, structural support near a boundary, or a party wall in a terrace or semi-detached house, the Party Wall etc. Act may need to be considered. Not every internal wall removal needs party wall notices, but many structural alterations in older terraced and semi-detached homes should be checked before work starts.
Fire safety and layout also matter. Open-plan ground floors can sometimes affect escape routes, especially where staircases open directly into the new space. In some houses, building control may ask for fire doors, smoke detection, protected routes, sprinkler systems or other measures depending on the layout and scale of work. This is particularly important when open-plan layouts are combined with loft conversions or upper-floor changes.
IMPORTANT POINT: Removing a wall may look simple, but if it is structural, you normally need proper drawings, structural calculations and building control approval. The cost is not just the wall — it is the structure, services, kitchen, finishes and compliance around it.
When an extension creates the best open-plan kitchen living space
For some homes, removing the kitchen-dining wall is enough. For others, the real transformation happens when the rear of the house is extended.
A rear extension, side-return extension or wraparound extension can create the space needed for a proper open-plan kitchen, dining and living area. Instead of simply combining two existing rooms, the homeowner can change the whole relationship between the house and garden.
This is where the design possibilities become much stronger. The existing rear wall can be opened up. A new extension can add depth or width. Large sliding doors or bifolds can connect the new room to the garden. Rooflights or lanterns can bring light into the middle of the plan. The kitchen can be positioned properly. The dining area can face the garden. The living area can sit in the best part of the room. The patio can be designed as part of the new living space.
In many homes, this is the difference between a good improvement and a complete transformation.
A basic kitchen-diner knock-through may create a larger room, but it can still be limited by the original footprint. A well-designed rear extension can create a much more generous family space. It can also solve some of the issues that older houses have, such as dark middle rooms, poor garden access, cramped kitchens and awkward circulation.
For example, a typical project may involve:
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removing the wall between kitchen and dining room
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opening up the rear elevation
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adding a single-storey rear extension
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installing large sliding or bifold doors
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creating a kitchen island or large dining area
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improving utility or storage space
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adding rooflights for natural light
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redesigning the patio and garden access
The outside space should be considered at the same time. A new open-plan kitchen living space works best when the patio is treated as part of the design, not an afterthought. If the doors open onto a well-designed patio with similar floor tones, good levels, a recessed threshold, lighting and seating, the room can feel much larger. When the doors are open, the living space appears to continue into the garden.
This is why patios, decking and garden access are so closely linked to open-plan living. A great kitchen extension can be weakened by a poor patio, awkward step, bad drainage or unattractive hardstanding. Equally, a well-planned patio can make the whole project feel more expensive and more complete.
The kitchen design itself should also be considered early. Too many homeowners design the extension first and then try to make the kitchen fit afterwards. It is usually better to think about the kitchen layout, island, appliances, storage, dining table and seating areas during the design stage. That way, door openings, rooflights, drainage, structural supports and services can be planned around the final use of the room.
Boilers and services often become an issue. In older homes, the boiler may be located in the existing kitchen. Once the kitchen is opened up or extended, the boiler may be in the wrong place. It may need to be boxed in, moved to a utility space, relocated upstairs, replaced, or planned into the new layout. This should be considered early because boiler relocation can affect cost, programme and design.
Electrical design is also important. Open-plan kitchen living spaces need layered lighting. A single ceiling light is not enough. The room may need kitchen task lighting, island pendants, dining lighting, living area lighting, under-cabinet lighting, external lighting, sockets, appliance supplies, extractor routes, smart controls and possibly underfloor heating controls.
Flooring is another major decision. A continuous floor finish can help the room feel larger. Porcelain, engineered timber, limestone, large-format tiles and luxury vinyl are all common options depending on budget, style and use. If the flooring continues towards the patio or uses similar tones outside, the indoor-outdoor effect can be even stronger.
This is why open-plan kitchen living projects need joined-up thinking. The best results come when the design, structure, kitchen, glazing, lighting, heating, flooring and patio all work together.
For homeowners with the budget, opening up the back of the house and adding a decent extension can create one of the most valuable and enjoyable improvements to a family home. It gives the house a new centre. It improves everyday living. It makes entertaining easier. It brings the garden into the home. It can also make the property far more attractive to future buyers.
Thinking about an open-plan kitchen living space?
If you are planning to remove a wall, create a kitchen diner, open up the back of the house or build a rear extension, it is worth getting advice before work starts.
APN Home helps homeowners think through the bigger picture, including architectural design, structural engineering, building regulations, kitchen layouts, wall removal, glazing, patio design, garden access and contractor quotations.
A good open-plan kitchen living space is not just a bigger room. It is a better way for the whole home to work.