What is an open kitchen and what are the advantages and disadvantages?
An open kitchen is a kitchen that is part of the living area. The open kitchen is part of the living room. So is the dining area. So you can cook and live, live and cook - and eat.
A big advantage of this living concept is the open, friendly design. Instead of smaller, separate and possibly dark rooms, you have one large room with an open kitchen and living room. The space is freer because there are no limiting walls.
However, the open kitchen and living room is not all positive: if the plates and pots pile up in the sink, you have to help or watch the horror from the living room. There is no door to hide the mess in the kitchen.
The Indian curry in the pot and the onions in the pan - without a protective door, the smells will inevitably seep into the living area. If the smell of food bothers you, an open kitchen with a connection to the living room is less suitable for you.
These are the Advantages and Disadvantages of the open Kitchen with Living Room
Advantages:
- An open kitchen with an adjoining living-dining area offers more design options and space
- It connects the main living areas rather than separating them
- Cooking becomes a family affair
- Small children can play in the living room while cooking and still be in view
Disadvantages:
- The kitchen should always look tidy
- Guests always see the current condition of the kitchen
- The kitchen work surface should remain mostly free - more storage space is needed
- Cooking smells spread throughout the living area
- The noises from kitchen appliances such as the refrigerator and dishwasher could be disruptive when relaxing in the living room
Set up an open Kitchen with a Living Room - these 5 Tips will make the Transition perfect
The open kitchen and living room combines three rooms into one large space: the kitchen, the dining room, and the living room. The trick is to visually separate these three areas while creating a smooth transition. You can do this with open shelving, a large area rug, and different furniture styles depending on the area.
The following five Tips will help you set up an open Kitchen and Living Area:
Tip No. 1: Logically plan your open Kitchen
If you are planning a completely new kitchen with a connection to the living room, you are free to design as you wish.
Popular combinations include a kitchen counter with cabinets or wall shelving and a spacious kitchen island, perhaps with a barstool right at the island. So you can cook and chat with friends or help the kids with their homework. Multitasking!
The kitchen island also has another function: it visually separates the kitchen area from the living and dining areas - without a wall.
Tip No. 2: Visually separate different Living Areas
Separate the kitchen, dining and living areas without actually separating them. This is an art. The areas should be visually different but still connected. A massive room divider would be out of place here. It separates the living areas and prevents a clear view of all three - the exact opposite of an open living concept.
Instead, you can visually separate the areas. The important thing is to keep the space open and manageable. In the next tip, we will explain exactly how this works.
Tip No. 3: This is how you visually separate the Kitchen from the Living and Dining Areas
In an open kitchen and living room, the visual separation is often achieved by a large island or countertop with bar stools. If you have a smaller open kitchen-dining-living area, you can also place the dining table directly in front of the kitchen area as a divider.
Another option is to create visual separation with a stylistic break: for example, if you are decorating the living room in a cozy, hygge style, you can place industrial-style bar stools at the counters in your kitchen.
Tip No. 4: How to design an open Dining Area
You can separate the dining area from the open kitchen and living area in three ways:
- By making the style of the dining tables and dining table different from the living area.
- By having a carpet under the dining table that is different from the color of the floor.
- Through a different lighting concept. This could be, for example, an elongated pendant lamp with a colder light color, while lamps in the living room emit a warmer light.
Tip No. 5: Make the open Living Room inviting - here's how!
The living area should be clearly visible from the kitchen - but somehow different. You can create a subtle visual separation by using smaller metal consoles, for example. Don't put them in the middle of the room, but against a wall, for example - like a room divider, but much more discreet. At Metallbude, we carry this subtle metal furniture for a stylish, open living room.
You can still create a connection, for example by having smaller style elements in both the kitchen and the living room. In the living room, it was the metal console table. In the kitchen, the industrial style could be a kitchen wall shelf or, more subtly, metal wall hooks.
In a large room with an open kitchen and living room, you can also place a sofa with its back to the kitchen. This arrangement of upholstered furniture also creates a visual separation without compromising the openness of the room.
Open Kitchen with Living Room – at Metallbude you will find high-quality Furniture for the Kitchen-Living Room
As you can see, there are many ways to design an open kitchen with living room and dining area in a stylish and inviting way. At Metallbude you will find the right furniture for this - from subtle wall hooks to stylish dog beds.
Feel free to browse our selected range of high-quality, handcrafted metal furniture made in Germany.
