Power Hour Case Study: Becky’s Open-Plan Extension
Written by Catherine Seagrave
Becky in Sutton Coldfield | The Living House | Power Hour
"We had the architect's plans. We just didn't know how we were actually going to live in it."
Becky and her husband were in a position many families find themselves in mid-renovation: the architect's drawings were finalised, the builder was coming - and had just moved the timeline forward, and yet the biggest questions remained unanswered. How should the kitchen be positioned? Where does the dining table go without feeling crammed into the kitchen run? And how do you design a space that's genuinely wow, not just bigger?
They booked a Power Hour with Catherine and Becky at The Living House to get expert direction at this critical point - before any decisions were locked in.
"It's saved us from making some costly mistakes we would definitely have made on our own."
- Becky, via Trustpilot
The Challenge
Becky’s extension would create a large open-plan kitchen, dining and family area - a huge opportunity, but also a lot to get right. They'd already spoken to two kitchen companies. One had listened well enough, but the resulting design felt, in Becky's words, like it belonged in a flat rather than a generous family extension. It offered no sense of grandeur, no "wow" - just more of the same, scaled up.
Uninspiring kitchen design…
What she was seeing on Instagram told a different story. Light, uncluttered spaces with tall units, considered layouts, and kitchens that seemed to flow all the way to the doors. But there was a problem: most of those inspiration images had no dining table. Becky did want one - needed one - for daily family life and for hosting up to ten at Christmas. Replicating those layouts directly would have produced exactly the cramped, ill-zoned result they were trying to avoid. This is precisely the kind of costly mistake that's almost impossible to spot without expert eyes.
Their priorities going into the session were specific:
Finalise the kitchen layout, including island positioning and sizing
Solve the zoning problem - they wanted the dining table to feel connected to the kitchen, but not swallowed by it
Plan for a comprehensive appliance wish list: 800mm induction hob, larder fridge and freezer, double ovens, two dishwashers, a discreet extractor, and a dedicated breakfast/pantry station
Understand how to handle the room's unusual ceiling - an apex meeting a flat section - and how units and lighting would work with it
Design an island with nothing on top - the hob and sink would live on the wall run instead
Create a proper drop zone near the entrance - the area under the stairs had become the family dumping ground, and a coat, shoe and bag solution was urgently needed
Most importantly, they wanted the new space to feel well-designed and impactful. Not just bigger.
How We Helped
Because Becky completed our pre-call questionnaire in detail, Catherine and Becky arrived at the session fully prepared - ready to hit the ground running from minute one. No time was wasted getting up to speed. We got straight to the heart of the problem.
During the Power Hour, we worked through four distinct floorplan options, each drawn to scale with every element accounted for - island dimensions, kitchen unit runs, dining table placement, sofa positioning, TV location and circulation space. Each square on the plan represented 25cm, allowing Becky to visualise exactly how the space would feel in everyday life.
Floorplan Option 1 kept the kitchen and dining in a natural flow, with floor-to-ceiling cupboards continuing into the dining zone so the wall felt considered and complete, rather than the kitchen simply stopping. The island came in at 240 x 100cm with a 200cm dining table beyond it.
Floorplan Option 2 built on this and introduced a clever solution to one of their biggest frustrations: a hidden door into the utility room, allowing an unbroken bank of tall cupboards - exactly the streamlined, high-impact storage wall they were after.
Floorplan Option 3 explored a more dramatic reconfiguration, bringing in a media wall with integrated TV and electric fire, an oriel window with window seat, and a dedicated breakfast station - separating the living zone more definitively and giving the room distinct, characterful areas.
Floorplan Option 4 maximised kitchen storage above all else, with units on three walls in a U-shape - the largest kitchen of any of the four options - and a bifold window that could open in summer to create an outdoor bar moment.
Alongside the layout work, we addressed the practical details that kitchen companies had glossed over: where each appliance would sit, how the tall unit run could absorb the fridge, freezer, ovens and pantry station without feeling cluttered, and how a telescopic pull-out extractor could keep the hob wall clean and discreet - in line with the modern aesthetic they loved.
We also tackled the entrance. Rather than leaving the area under the stairs as an afterthought, we proposed building out in front of it to create a streamlined, integrated look - incorporating a drop zone with charging station, a nook for keys and daily admin, and properly planned coat and shoe storage. The sort of thing that makes a home genuinely work for a family, and that no architect's plan naturally accounts for.
On lighting, we advised having the kitchen, dining and living areas on separate circuits - essential for an open-plan space that needs to shift mood throughout the day - and steered away from rows of standard spotlights in favour of directional, angled lighting that could be designed with intention. The apex ceiling in the living area, rather than being a problem to work around, was flagged as a genuine feature to celebrate.
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The Outcome
Becky left the session with four fully considered floorplan options - drawn to scale, annotated and ready to share with their architect, builder and kitchen company. They had clear answers to every question they'd arrived with, a firm steer on which direction felt right for their family, and a written action plan outlining their next steps.
The session gave them something no architect's drawing had: a view of how their family would actually live in the space - where they'd cook, eat, sit, charge their devices, store the baking kit, and gather around a table that could seat four on a Tuesday and ten at Christmas.
For the first time in the project, they could move forward with complete confidence.
"It's saved us from making some costly mistakes we would definitely have made on our own. Especially when you compare it to our original ideas, it's a completely different (and far better!) picture. Your ideas have really helped us visualise the space and feel genuinely excited about our renovation. I honestly think things would look very different without your expertise. It's given us so much more confidence in the decisions we're making."
- Becky, via Trustpilot
Is This You?
If you're heading into a renovation or extension and the big decisions still feel unresolved, the Power Hour was designed exactly for this moment. You'll work with two expert interior designers, leave with a clear action plan, and have your session recorded so you can revisit every recommendation.
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