This is brilliant! Thank you so so much for all the suggestions! Having read all your suggestions we completely agree that the access to the utility shouldn't be via the kitchen for all the reasons you listed.
Thank you for your plans, ETC. They have really made us think about alternatives we'd never considered! I think we would have the door to the toilet straight ahead to avoid guests having to go through the utility area, even if it meant missing some coat hooks. The only thing is that we would have to move another wall (the current toilet wall), which would add to costs, but it looks worth it. Need to sleep on this one!
Concerning the kitchen layout, we agree that it's not ideal. Loosing the utility door is definitely a bonus and I think we might then put storage cupboards up against the west wall and the fridge where the utility door is now. However, that would mean cutting the island! Hmm, not sure.
Thank you, ETC for your suggested layout. We were hoping to put sliding doors into the wall between the kitchen and lounge, so we would loose that wall space, too, but it would allow us to interact more and open the whole garden facing wall up. To save money, we are also thinking of leaving the window openings as they are and adding a window in what will be the new extension in the kitchen.
It all comes down to money! If we had more of it I would extend the back windows and I think I might add the end of the hallway to the kitchen (then move the wall dividing kitchen and lounge to be continuous with the garage wall and only access the lounge via the kitchen), as I think the hallway is a waste of space.
Still trying to think about the best layout for kitchen/dining/chilling. I would like and island that you can sit at and that is just prepping space. I agree that sofa is weird, but was looking forward to relaxing in the sunshine at any time of day. Had previously thought about putting a bench in the new extension and then the dining table up against it, but it all looks a bit cramped and I can't make it work. Any suggestions welcome!
After all that I think it's time I slept over all this. Thank you ever so much please let me know if you have any further suggestions!