Kitchen design today places a strong emphasis on open-plan layouts, with ergonomic flow and multifunction high on the wish list for most homeowners. Kitchen diner layouts suit this perfectly, helping to maximise space and evolve the kitchen beyond a place to cook, to a beautiful, functional gathering space for life to unfold.

In this guide, discover kitchen diner ideas and advice from our experts to inspire your dining kitchen.

large elegant kitchen diner

What is a Kitchen Diner?

A kitchen diner is an open-plan space that brings the kitchen and dining area together in one room. It creates a versatile hub for cooking, dining, and spending time with family and friends. This layout suits modern living, making the most of available space while offering flexibility for entertaining, working from home, or keeping an eye on children while preparing meals.

architectural open plan kitchen with dining and lounge

The Role of The Kitchen Diner

When planning a kitchen diner, a good first step is understanding the kitchen’s function within the wider context of your home. In the luxury homes we design for, the kitchen diner could be the primary cooking space, or a ‘show kitchen’ supported by a prep kitchen. Being clear on this from the outset shapes the entire design direction.

It’s also important to establish whether your home will have a separate formal dining room in addition to the kitchen diner. In this scenario, you may wish to use the dining room for daily formal meals or dinner parties, while keeping breakfast and lunch relaxed in the kitchen.

dark wood bespoke kitchen with door to prep kitchen

Prep Kitchens & Show Kitchens

A ‘show kitchen’ functions fully but is often centred on lighter cooking, entertaining, and aesthetics. By contrast, a prep kitchen – sometimes called a ‘spice kitchen’ – is a hardworking, separate space designed for heavier cooking. It typically features enhanced ventilation and highly durable finishes, for use by the family or household staff.

A second kitchen keeps more intensive cooking away from the open-plan area and influences the requirements of the main kitchen diner.

Designing A Kitchen Diner for You

Your kitchen diner design should reflect both who you are and how you live. Guidance from an experienced kitchen designer is invaluable here, to create a thoughtful design that meets your priorities for both style and function.

Style and Cohesion

In a kitchen diner, style is as vital as function. Within an open-plan setting, the kitchen should feel like a natural extension of the interior scheme rather than a separate, clinical zone. Materials, finishes, and details should be curated to flow seamlessly with the interior, ensuring a refined and cohesive space.

At Extreme, our custom approach enables us to tailor every detail of a design, so the kitchen reads as fine furniture that integrates seamlessly with the wider living environment. Whether working with your interior designer or directly with you, we ensure materials, finishes, and detailing align with your home’s aesthetic.

Architecture & Form

We believe that all kitchen designs should begin with the architecture. This includes considering room proportions, ceiling heights, how natural light moves, the flow between internal rooms and connection between indoors and outdoors. Designing with this in mind creates a kitchen diner that feels part of its setting and true to the character of your home.

For layout, you might choose open-plan living, where cooking, dining, and socialising flow together. Or you may prefer a broken-plan design, with half-height walls, glazed partitions, or sliding screens for gentle separation without closing the space.

opulent kitchen with high ceilings and island breakfast bar dining
kitchen with circular breakfast bar dining at island

Zoning & Circulation

A successful kitchen diner should offer seamless circulation between cooking, dining and relaxing. Carefully planned islands, peninsulas or freestanding pieces can act as natural dividers and help guide movement.

Multiple access points are valuable to prevent bottlenecks, while wide walkways and thoughtfully placed seating ensure that guests can move around without disrupting the chef.

Kitchen Dining Ideas

Many configurations are available to accommodate dining within a kitchen, each offering different benefits. The choice depends on how you wish the space to feel and function. However, the aim is always the same: to create a welcoming setting that brings people together without formality.

stylish timber kitchen with white marble island with breakfast bar overhang

Informal Dining: Islands, Peninsulas & T-Shaped Counters

Kitchen diner designs often feature informal dining, offering relaxed settings for everyday meals and socialising.

For example, an island or peninsula can be both a practical food prep area and a casual social spot. Overhangs and breakfast bar extensions are ideal for family breakfasts and adding seating to the island without reducing prep space.

Formal Dining: The Family Dinner Table

The family table is a symbolic furniture piece rooted in tradition, and one that brings everyone together in a way no other furniture can. Having a large dining table for the family to all eat together is a top priority for many of our clients, so the kitchen diners we create will often accommodate space for a family dinner table.

Often, this formal dining area is complemented by breakfast bar seating at the island. This combination offers more seating options and flexibility, particularly beneficial for larger families.

luxurious dining room with bespoke fitted cabinets and large stone dining table
beige bespoke shaker kitchen with dining at the island and family dining table
modern kitchen with marble island and built in banquette seating with dining table

Banquette Seating

Banquette seating has a more relaxed feel than dining chairs, yet it’s more formal than breakfast bar seating. This flexibility makes banquettes with dining tables well-suited to kitchen diners, where the space must adapt from casual breakfasts to evening entertaining. Bench seating is ideal for families with young children and can even become a fun feature.

Bespoke banquette design offers the opportunity to tailor the size, shape, layout, and materials to suit your home and personal taste perfectly. Curved designs encourage conversation and soften the lines of surrounding cabinetry, while L-shaped banquettes make efficient use of corners and maximise seating in more compact areas.

Feature Banquettes

Kitchen banquettes can also serve as sculptural focal points, especially when integrated within the kitchen island. Upholstered in beautiful fabrics and crafted with bespoke form and detail, banquettes can become a kitchen diner’s standout feature.

custom art deco kitchen with curved upholstered banquette seating integrated in the island

Kitchen Diner Lighting

As a multi-functional room, a kitchen diner benefits from a layered lighting scheme that supports its many roles. Artificial lighting should build on the natural light available, defining zones that are both practical and atmospheric. A balance of ambient, task, and accent lighting ensures the space works for everything from food preparation to evening entertaining. Lighting temperature is important here: cooler tones suit task areas, while warmer tones create a more relaxed ambience.

open plan kitchen diner with two islands, breakfast bear seating and large dining table

Carefully planned kitchen lighting can enhance the design and atmosphere through layering. Kitchen lighting should go beyond ceiling spotlights and under-cabinet lights, to include a layered lighting scheme that highlights features of the kitchen design and sets the atmosphere. Additional lighting could be designed above or within cabinets, hidden within open cabinetry and in ceiling coving. These lighting details all elevate the kitchen lighting beyond conventional, to create an impactful and refined environment.

sleek timber kitchen cabinets with Gaggenau ovens hidden behind pocket door

Discreet Appliances

Appliances are central to the success of a kitchen diner, where cooking, dining, and entertaining share the same space. Technology needs to deliver high performance while remaining discreet. Sleek, fully integrated appliances maintain a seamless aesthetic, allowing the cabinetry and architecture to remain the focus. Alternatively, pocket doors can conceal appliances inside, to completely hide them from sight when not in use.

Quiet operation is essential for an open plan kitchen, ensuring that conversation and atmosphere are undisturbed. Appliances by Gaggenau, Sub-Zero and Wolf and Miele offer the very best in culinary performance, design and function, making them an ideal choice for luxury kitchen diners.

Ventilation

Cooking inevitably produces strong aromas, which can easily overwhelm an open-plan space if not managed effectively. Therefore, extraction powerful enough to capture odours, steam, and grease at source is essential.

The best ventilation systems deliver high performance while operating quietly, preserving a comfortable atmosphere without interrupting conversation or entertaining.

From relaxed family breakfasts to elegant evening entertaining, a kitchen diner can transform the way you live at home. Our designers can help you create a highly individual open-plan kitchen perfectly tailored to your lifestyle and architecture. Request a copy of our portfolio, or book a private design consultation.