Transformational New Kitchen Dining Room Extension, Glasgow

Our team of skilled kitchen extension architects in Glasgow embraced the challenge of extending a characterful family home in the sought-after Jordanhill neighbourhood. While the Victorian house boasted spacious rooms and undeniable charm, it suffered from undersized service areas at the back and a lack of connection between the ground floor living spaces and rear garden.

At Vellow Wood, we see home extensions as a powerful way of adding functional space and elevating the overall quality of family life. With this in mind, we embarked on a transformative journey to improve both the living areas and kitchen dining space of the Glasgow home.

Our thoughtfully designed rear extension aims to foster a sense of connection and improve day-to-day functionality for this growing family with young children.

Kitchen extension ideas and planning permission

We embarked on the project in 2021, engaging in discussions, exploring design ideas for the kitchen extension, and carefully considering how to best maximise the available living space on the ground floor. Given the project's size and visibility from the road, securing planning permission was necessary.

Having a thorough understanding of the existing structure of the house enabled us to determine the appropriate modifications to create an open-plan kitchen diner with connected living space, but it was necessary to remove a chimney breast in the process.

To ensure a smooth on-site phase, well-detailed and accurate survey drawings helped us analyse and resolve any potential issues, preventing any unexpected setbacks. The building warrant process was completed at the end of 2022.

Kitchen dining room extensions: creating family living space

To transform the layout and enhance the overall connectivity of the house, the design strategy focused on creating a new open-plan space with a layout that reimagines the kitchen-dining area as the focal point of the home.

To free up space and promote fluid transitions between adjacent rooms, the kitchen wall and base units were repositioned and complemented by a central island unit that also serves as a breakfast bar. This created an additional, inviting dining space that compliments the main dining area of the sleek new kitchen extension.

Additionally, internal walls were opened to create new connections between the living room and kitchen, facilitating a seamless flow. Whether it's cooking while the children watch television or socialising in a shared space, our new floor plan allows family life to evolve effortlessly.

Linking outdoor space: glazed doors in the kitchen

The kitchen was further enhanced by opening up the rear wall, seamlessly linking a thoughtfully designed dining room extension to the garden space. Abundant glazing and roof lights flood the dining space with natural light, and two sliding doors positioned in the corner dissolve the line between indoor and outdoor spaces. Accompanying corner steps provide a smooth transition to the garden level. The thoughtful design of this spacious rear extension seamlessly connects the indoor and outdoor living areas.

Instead of a flat roof, the rear extension makes use of a dynamic mono-pitch roof and ceiling to create an accent of contemporary character around the dining table. This differentiates the new space from the home's traditional, Victorian interiors and draws attention to the beautiful glass doors.

The pitched roof also provides a fresh but sympathetic touch with respect to the surrounding structure of the house, eliciting a sense of connection and light in the manner of a contemporary glass extension.

Design ideas for a complimentary rear extension

The kitchen diner extension needed to have a cohesive feel and therefore shares a similar scale and massing to the original house. While materials like white render and timberwork create a contemporary look, details like exposed timberwork in the roof are reminiscent of the decorative elements commonly found in older buildings.

In this way, the new space successfully integrates into the neighbourhood's architectural fabric, seamlessly blending with other local Victorian houses while also introducing the distinct new character needed to satisfy planning permission requirements.

Maximising natural light with roof light installation

The deep layout of the kitchen diner extension required careful consideration to ensure sufficient natural light in every part of the plan. We made sure natural light floods every corner of the space by strategically adding roof lights at the junction with the existing house.

This not only brightens up the middle section (including the kitchen), but also connects you visually to the garden space through the glass corner doors. The elegant bay window in the living area needed no further adjustments.

To add further warmth and cosiness, the family took design inspiration from a house featured on Scottish Home of the Year and we incorporated spotlights along the perimeter of the space to create a charming ambience.

Promoting energy efficiency and sustainability 

The kitchen extension is well-insulated with a mostly timber frame construction. This minimises the use of carbon-intensive materials like concrete. To enhance heat performance, we installed high-performing glazing, and strategically increased insulation in the roof and floor to compensate for the larger glazing area created by the sliding doors.

Ultimately, this maintained an equally beneficial level of environmental efficiency, which is an important feature for homeowners undertaking kitchen extensions in Glasgow.

Design for family life with private and open-plan spaces

With its blend of classic Victorian style and contemporary functionality, this Glasgow kitchen extension project has completely transformed the house and the space is now perfect for modern living. For homeowners looking to create something similar in their own properties, the Jordanhill project offers a range of stunning kitchen extension ideas.

With its charming traditional areas, enhanced functional elements, characterful new dining space, and beautiful glass doors from the rear extension to the garden, every detail offers a unique and complementary personality.

The open and connected kitchen-dining and living spaces provide endless possibilities for family enjoyment throughout the days and years to come. Whether family members want to socialise or enjoy the peacefulness of a more private environment, the home's new layout thoughtfully caters to everyday life, providing valuable extra space for various activities.

When planning your own home extension in Glasgow, it's crucial to consider the diverse range of spaces from the very beginning. Despite the relatively modest floor space of the Jordanhill project, its clever design has a remarkable impact, maximising all the space of the existing home and introducing new functionality to enhance family life and seamlessly merge classic charm with contemporary style.

Would you like to create more family space in your home? Kitchen extensions can add value to your property and potentially even spare you the trouble and expense of moving. Learn more about how our house extension architects can help you with your home renovation, and discover further possibilities for extending your home in our Glasgow house extensions blog.

If you'd like to explore more of our small kitchen extension ideas, feel free to contact our Glasgow architects today. We'd love to help you make more of your ground floor and kitchen space with a rear or side extension. Our bespoke designs prioritise meeting your individual needs, which is why our kitchen extensions are carefully crafted to help you facilitate the best lifestyle experience for your family.

Project Team:

Architect: Vellow Wood Architecture

Structural Engineer: PWD Consultants

Builder: KelvinBuilt