A Real-World Case Study on a Recent Small, Open-Plan, Handleless Kitchen Design Project in Cheshire carried out by Holts KDE

Robin Holt Kitchen Designer

Welcome to Kitchen Design Experts, the place where we turn real client briefs into teachable design blueprints. In this article I’ll be walking you through how to design your own kitchen using a recent small, open-plan project in Cheshire as the case study (I’m Robin btw 😊). You’ll see how we translate a wish list into a functional, streamlined layout. How room constraints actually guide good decisions and why preparation space is sacred if, like us, you love to cook.

Start With a Wish List (and Prioritise It)

Before you even sketch a line, write down your must-haves. Here’s what our clients gave us:

  • Existing tall fridge-freezer, dishwasher, and range cooker retained
  • Washing machine raised off the floor and hidden (open-plan living)
  • Microwave hidden
  • Handleless, streamlined aesthetic
  • Great access to corners and plenty of pull-outs
  • Large, concealed waste bins
  • Neutral colour palette and quartz worktops
  • Clear access to a corner cylinder cupboard
  • Keep existing floor covering (solid floor beneath)
  • Open-plan space with existing dining table
  • They enjoy cooking and entertaining
kitchen upgrade in progress exposed units tools bins missing unit doors green wall aga oven
Kitchen redesign project in progress.

For us, two items dominated the brief, tall housings (for fridge-freezer + a raised, hidden washer) and serious prep space for the keen cooks in the household. Those two priorities would totally drive everything else in this project.

Read the Room — Literally!

The kitchen sits within an open-plan kitchen-dining-living space. The key constraints are:

  • Two windows on one wall (they will dictate symmetry and the range position in the kitchen).
  • A small corner cylinder room requiring ongoing access.
  • A former utility wall was removed, expanding the footprint.
  • The entry opening would be de-trimmed (architrave/frame removed) to create a simple square opening — a cleaner, contemporary sight-line.
small kitchen windows stainless steel cooker hood in middle
Two windows on one wall dictated the symmetry position of the extractor range and hood.

Core Principles That Make the Layout “Design Itself”

When you know the rules, the room often tells you what to do.

Group tall housings together

Tall units look best as a single, coherent block. They read as one element, making small spaces feel larger and calmer. We had a 600 mm fridge-freezer housing and needed a wider door at 750 mm for a raised, hidden washer/microwave stack. Together that’s a total of 1350 mm. We added a shallow, shelved pantry to the left to hide a soil pipe and complete the bank. Result: a streamlined, handleless wall that looks tidy from every angle.

We needed to evaluate each wall:

  • Between the windows? Nope, not enough width and it would have looked awkward anyway. ❌
  • Short return wall? Too short! ❌
  • Dining-side wall? Technically possible, but — you’d stare at a blank tall end panel from the table, not pleasant. ❌
  • Solution: Place the bank of tall units on the only sensible wall ✔️.
small living room leading to kitchen
space between the sink and hob

Protect and maximise preparation space

Great prep space belongs between the sink and the hob, close enough to pivot between tasks and ideally separated by a generous worktop. The existing layout had the sink jammed next to the range with zero prep space, no good whatsoever. So we moved the sink to the peninsula, keeping the range on the window wall and creating a proper prep zone between them. They don’t call us the kitchen design experts for nothing you know 🤓

Respect symmetry where it matters

The range cooker is a major focal point in an open-plan room. With two windows framing the wall, the range and hood must sit dead-centre between them. Anything else will look wrong—especially once you add the hood and splashback.

The Final Layout, What Goes Where and Why

Peninsula (prep & clean-up zone):

  • Sink with integrated, concealed bin below
  • Dishwasher at the end of the run (close to cutlery storage but not blocking the main prep zone when open)
  • LeMans / corner access solution on the return for usable corner storage
  • Extra depth on the peninsula for proportion, more room behind the sink, and added worktop. We rounded the exposed worktop corners — always a good move for islands/peninsulas.

Tall Bank (streamlined wall):

  • Fridge-freezer (set off the corner so doors open fully)
  • Extra-wide tall housing concealing the raised washer with the microwave above
  • Shallow shelved pantry in front of the soil pipe (hides services, adds storage)

Cooking Wall (between the windows):

  • Range cooker perfectly centred
  • Pull-out units on both sides (the left pull-out gets cutlery — closest to prep zone)
  • Glass splashback and canopy hood centred to keep the sightline clean

Finally, the Hidden Cylinder Room Door:

  • Converted into a recessed, open bookcase door; painted the same colour as the walls to disguise the entrance.

Before → During → After: What Changed?

Kitchen walls ripped out by builders behind worktop exposing cylinder cupboard

Before: Cluttered sightlines, sink crammed next to the range, utility wall limiting flow.

During: Full strip-out; utility wall gone; cylinder room rebuilt to suit the new plan by a our super team of builders. Don’t try this unless you know what you’re doing!

After: A calm tall-unit wall with hidden washer/microwave behind an extra-wide door. Range, hood, and splashback centred between windows — balanced and intentional. Sink relocated to the peninsula, unlocking a proper prep stretch between sink and hob. Floating shelves with diffused recessed LED lighting for practical, gentle task light. Squared entry opening for a modern, uncluttered threshold.

Smart Concealment

  • Washer + Microwave, concealed behind an extra-wide tall door — function without visual noise.
  • Cylinder room hidden behind a bookcase door — practical access, zero eyesore.
  • Integrated waste under the sink — bin access where you actually prep.

Materials & Style Notes

  • Handleless fascia for a calm, linear, modern look.
  • Neutral tones with quartz worktops for durability and brightness.
  • Rounded peninsula corners — human-friendly and visually softer in open-plan traffic paths.

The Finished Product!

Finished Kitchen Handleless fascia Smart Concealment
Finished Kitchen Smart Concealment
How to Design Your Own Kitchen Step-by-Step Insider Tips

What You Can Copy for Your Own Kitchen

  1. Count your tall housings — and group them. A single, continuous block looks bigger and cleaner than tall units scattered around.
  2. Design around the prep zone. Keep sink and hob within easy reach, but give yourself a generous worktop between them.
  3. Place storage with workflow in mind.
    • Cutlery near the prep zone.
    • Bin under the sink, close to prep, so peel-and-toss is one smooth motion.
    • Dishwasher near cutlery storage but not blocking the main prep area when open.
  4. Use symmetry for focal points. If you have flanking windows, centre the range and hood between them.
  5. Hide the busy stuff in open-plan rooms. Raised washer and microwave behind an extra-wide door; disguise service doors (bookcase, wall-colour paint) for a seamless look.
  6. Deepen islands/peninsulas when you can. Better proportions, better splash control, more worktop, more comfort.

Final Thought

Great kitchen design balances how it looks with how it works. In small, open-plan spaces, the right few moves—grouping tall units, centering focal points, and protecting prep space—deliver a kitchen that feels bigger, functions better, and looks effortlessly composed.

If you’re planning your own layout and want a second pair of eyes, drop your questions and comments into the contact form below — we’re happy to help — we are “the happy kitchen company” after all 😊

Witten by Robin Holt on | Tagged: Before & After Kitchen Design