Steps between kitchen/dining room and living room

2025-10-17 17:00:33

At first, I thought it would be very cool, like a kind of gallery or split-level house. Now I'm not sure if it might be tedious in everyday life. You enter the living room through 7 steps in the dining room. The wall will be removed so that it is "open".

My mother-in-law's grandmother lived in a quite similar situation: living room and kitchen, then (as far as I remember) three steps up to the entrance hallway and toilet, then another five steps up to the bathroom, dining room, bedroom, and guest room.
She lived there into her 90s and managed just fine until shortly before the end.
But of course, it also depends somewhat on one's own physical condition. If you are good on your feet, I believe you will manage well. If you have difficulties, it will look different.

2025-10-17 17:33:11

We have been living like this for 27 years because we live on a slope - ground floor = toilet/entrance + kitchen/dining room -> 5 steps down to the living room including the conservatory. So you always have 5 or 10 steps to the next floor.

Like yours, only the other way around.

I would never want it any other way - this way you don’t get lost in a huge room without reference points...

2025-10-17 20:09:59

I find the architect's solution elegant and stylish - of course, quite generous in terms of circulation areas (entrance/TRH/hall) etc. But this may be due to the building structure of the existing property. In my opinion, the staggered levels always structure somewhat more generous floor plan relationships in an exciting way.

There will naturally be a visual connection between kitchen/dining and living areas, without a closed wall between these spaces?! More in the sense of a gallery. This way, the fireplace can also be seen from the dining area. There is still a height difference of 3 cm between the "gallery-living" and "hall." The architect would need to level this. The kitchen situation is perhaps somewhat small in terms of work surfaces.

2025-10-17 21:50:00

Thank you very much for your answers, I am very happy about them! In the next few days, I will present the planned renovation with extension, complete floor plan, photos, etc.

For your information regarding the height of the steps and gallery, attached is the cross-section. It was also important to me to have ground-level access to the garden, but of course, it is not used that often, especially at this time of year. And not only that, because next to the property there is a one-way street, which is heavily used by pedestrians and cyclists. If we had planned the extension higher, we were afraid that people would be able to see very well into our living area. So we will put up a hedge and I think that will keep us rather private.

Planning the staircase a bit wider is a very good point. I had already considered perhaps, as is often seen in gardens, a wider seating step or something similar next to the stairs. The downside is that we have little space in the dining room for a cozy seating or lounging area for the children.

2025-10-17 21:55:18

I find the architect's solution elegant and stylish - of course quite generous in terms of circulation areas (entrance/TRH/hallway) etc. But this may be due to the building structure of the existing building. In my opinion, the staggered levels always structure somewhat more generous floor plan relationships in an exciting way.

There will of course be a visual connection between kitchen/dining and living areas, without a closed wall between these areas?! More in the sense of a gallery. This way, the fireplace can also be seen from the dining area. There is still a height difference of 3 cm between the "gallery-living" and the "hallway." The architect would still need to level that. The kitchen situation may be a bit tight in terms of work surfaces.

Thank you for the reply! I find the visual connection between kitchen/dining and living very important, as I do want an open and connected living space.

Regarding the kitchen - the island is planned at 2.40 m. We could possibly extend it along the window front, but then we would have to redesign the sliding door and would no longer be able to walk around the island. It is worth considering.

2025-10-17 21:58:27

Mega!

Even back then, there was already a split level and that’s what it was called ;)

Great idea, I think it works well at first glance.

It is SplitLevel, and it’s very cool what you’re getting there.

That was clear to you before the purchase. It’s not something newly created, but was built with these 7 steps in the 60s. You bought it – with these 7 steps. Now you get 7 steps at a place where you can really use them well, on top of that. That’s great!

First of all, I think it’s good that you want ground-level access to the garden. Many underestimate the barrier in the garden and plan a steep staircase from a high terrace to the garden. Others go even further and want a terrace on a garage with stairs down to the garden. In my opinion, you’re doing it right and in a family-friendly way: during the day or in summer, one likes to spend time outside and goes back and forth from the kitchen to the terrace; in the evening or in the dreary months, one stays in the living area.
And then you just have to go 7 steps. That doesn’t burn cola or chip calories, but it’s really no disaster either.

Plan the kitchen/wardrobe route cleverly, make the staircase very comfortable and possibly a bit wider, and everything will be fine. If you want, you can present the whole house including the extension sometime. Maybe show before-and-after photos in an overall thread from time to time. I would be pleased and so would several others here.

Thank you very much for your replies, I’m very happy about them! In the next few days I will present the planned renovation with the extension, the complete floor plan, photos, etc.

For your information regarding the height of the steps and the gallery, attached is the cross-section. It was also important to me to have ground-level access to the garden, but of course it won’t be used very often, especially at this time of year. Not only that, but there is a one-way street passing by next to the property, which is used a lot by pedestrians and cyclists. If we had planned the extension higher, we were afraid that people would have a very good view into our living area. That’s why we’re going to plant a hedge, and I think that will keep us rather private.

Planning the staircase a bit wider is a very good point. I had already considered perhaps making it a wider seating staircase or something similar next to the steps, as you often see in gardens. The downside is that in the dining room we hardly have room for a cozy seating/laying area for the children.

[IMG alt="1760729471291.png"]https://www.hausbau-forum.de/attachments/1760729471291-png.93168/[/IMG]

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Steps between kitchen/dining room and living room

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Jesse Custer

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