Period kitchens 'can be sociable'

People living in period homes are often restricted when it comes to renovations and may have to leave their kitchen where it is.

While the kitchens of days gone by were predominately used by cooks for meal preparation, today homeowners want to socialise in them, which can be tricky if your period kitchen is tucked back out of the way.

However, as interior design experts explain in the December issue of Period Living magazine, there are a number of things families can do to transform their kitchens into spaces for cooking, dining and entertaining.

Designer Katharine Pooley said homeowners could knock through an adjoining wall to create an open plan kitchen and dining area, provided they obtain permission for the work from authorities.

If extending isn't possible, then the layout of the kitchen becomes extra important. Setting out areas dedicated to cooking and dining is essential and interiors expert Naomi Dean recommended investing in an island to achieve this.

"They will help define areas of the room without blocking off the dining area and will also create more work surfaces," she explained.