Thinking about extending your kitchen in the near future and want a strong connection to the outdoors? We’ve rounded up four real projects to inspire your design…

Whether you love hosting and want to take your kitchen to the next level or simply need more space for your family to cook and socialise in one space, an extension is bound to improve the functionality of your home. However, as a big investment, it’s crucial to take your time and carefully plan your project, as well as seek advice from professionals to ensure it truly ticks all of your boxes.

So, to show you just what’s possible, KBB journo Charlotte Luxford gives us a glimpse at different kitchen extensions which maximise space while providing a seamless indoor-outdoor link.

Let there be light

Homeowners George Cotter, a lawyer, and Kristie Malivindi, a design director, called upon Rise Design Studio to create a side-return extension and modernise the previously small and separate galley kitchen to create a sun-filled social space. Rise excavated almost a metre down to create a generous sense of height and space in the new kitchen-diner. They also wanted to emphasise the abundant natural light from the up-and-over glazing.

The restored original brick walls and new, polished concrete floor – which runs both inside and out – blur the boundaries between the kitchen and the garden to create the illusion of a much larger floor area. A Brooklyn-inspired industrial palette of steel, porcelain, concrete and timber completes the look. Thermally broken steel and glass metal-framed doors lead out to the landscaped garden.

Pitch perfect

As an architect designing her own home extension on a tight budget, Stephanie Dale of Studio Webster Dale wanted to create something simple but carefully crafted, with an indoor-outdoor connection.

“The roof is pitched, creating a vaulted ceiling in the rear extension, to give a wonderful volume to the dining area and with a rooflight perfectly framing the neighbouring bamboo and sky,” says Stephanie.

The kitchen extension is kept separate from the main house by a small, courtyard lightwell on the ground floor. This allows daylight to pour into both the original house and the new addition. A limited palette of materials works tonally together while the aluminium sliding doors and windows blend with the pale brickwork, which continues internally.

“The direct link to the garden, built-in storage and quality of the light have created a calm, measured space, which has drastically improved our wellbeing and happiness as a family,” adds Stephanie.

Garden view

Inspired by a traditional orangery, this project is all about blurring the boundaries between indoor and outdoor living. With glazing on all three sides, the extension maximises the natural light and connection to the garden. Patio doors were installed both on the dining side, to achieve that al-fresco feel during the warmer months, as well as opposite the island. This way, the owners can enjoy looking out to the garden while preparing meals.

The L-shaped layout of the kitchen also capitalises on the views. By positioning the oven and hob at the far end of the room, the focus shifts from the functional cooking zone back towards the garden.

“Because there is so much natural light flooding in from both the windows and the roof lantern above, the client still wanted to create an element of warmth to the home that would invite the summer in, but also still feel inviting in the winter months,” explains Melissa Klink, creative director at Harvey Jones.

A welcoming palette of Farrow & Ball’s Off White and Little Greene’s Hopper Green add colour and complement the greenery outside. Antique brass hardware and a wooden table help create a cosy ambience, too.

A versatile kitchen extension

This kitchen extension by Studio McLeod was designed to adapt to the everyday and future needs of its owners. It simultaneously balances guests, social occasions and private family life. The generous multifunctional bench seating wraps around the side return to maximise space, and sits underneath the side-addition roof and skylight. The latter is supported by an oak lattice structure that filters the natural light and neighbouring views while offering glimpses of the planting above.

The upholstered banquette was deliberately designed to be deeper than usual. It’s also cosy enough to lounge on, as well as to provide necessary seating for family mealtimes, hosting get-togethers, working from home, studying and crafting. Studio McLeod worked in collaboration with interior designer Beata Heauman on the interiors, with raw plaster set against bold colours, bamboo and rough-cut ply sheets, inspired Japanese retrofits.

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