The interventions that consistently make a kitchen-diner feel larger: rooflights over the dining zone, a sightline through the run of the kitchen to the garden, a kitchen layout that doesn’t force circulation through the cooking zone, and storage built in rather than freestanding.

Conversely, extensions that simply add square footage without addressing these elements often feel disappointing in use. The metric isn’t area; it’s how the space lives.

For Devon clients we work with the architect or designer at the brief stage to test the design against these in-use criteria, before commitment is made.