The open kitchen is a concept that seduces many of us with its many advantages, especially the fact that it is warm, family and friendly. However, it must be perfectly arranged to be sublimated.
If it is so trendy, it is because it offers several functions in this room that remains the center of daily life at home, the children do their homework there, your friends take the aperitif, in short this space is welcoming and it must be well arranged.
Open kitchen integrate it into the living room:
The choice of furniture is important and it must be in harmony with the rest of the room in order to keep a certain coherence. The furniture will be rather sober and they must be perfectly in the theme of the rest of the room.
If your room is not very high, choose low furniture, installed in a U or L shape to have enough storage and to hide the technical parts like the oven, the refrigerator or the dishwasher.
If your space has a high ceiling, opt for furniture without handles, more classy, and over the entire height to create a wall of storage able to blend into your decor. The goal is not to showcase the kitchen, but rather to make room for the living room and dining room. The simple, pure and fine lines are perfect, very elegant, they remain discreet.
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The central island the indispensable element of the open kitchen:
The central island is an important element in an open kitchen. It allows you to hide the rest of the kitchen when preparing meals. Without partitioning, it is the link between the living room and the kitchen. With a bar area, it allows you to have a drink, your meals or to welcome your children for their homework or their games.
It offers a storage area or even a technical area with an oven and a cooking plate and offers you an additional work surface. It can be wide if the room is large enough. However, if your living room is smaller, it will be less wide and longer, while remaining very functional. You will choose it higher than the furniture of the kitchen and the living room to lighten the whole. It is an option to adopt in studios or small apartments.
Remedy odor problems:
The main problem of the open kitchen is the unpleasant odors during the preparation of meals. It is very unpleasant to dine in this atmosphere afterwards and it is not always possible to open the windows. On the other hand, the open kitchen is made to enlarge a room, give it more volume and brightness. The problem seems unsolvable and yet there is a simple but effective solution. The glass roof is perhaps the secret.
You benefit from all the brightness of the space and light, you don’t lose any volume and you can close it again if necessary. In this case, you should opt for sliding glass doors that allow several configurations depending on the time of day. They will be closed when you are cooking and entertaining and opened as soon as you have finished your preparations.
Moreover, the glass doors bring a lot of character to the room and they exist in different finishes to choose according to the decorative spirit of the room. It can also be partly solid to hide the little mess you have on the worktop.
The hood an essential accessory for the open kitchen:
Always with the aim of avoiding unpleasant odors, the hood is essential in the kitchen. It must be of high quality to fulfill its role at best. It’s an investment you won’t regret. You must pay close attention to its design so that the aesthetics are not left out.
Today, you can find many retractable hoods that disappear into the worktop to make room when you don’t need them, which is a very good idea. This prevents it from catching the eye when you are in your living room.
Think about noise pollution:
Unless you can install your appliances in an enclosed pantry or scullery, they are bound to be a noise nuisance at times. Turning on the dishwasher while you’re watching your favorite show is a bad idea. To avoid this, either you have thought of the sliding partition to close the space, or you pay attention when buying your appliances to their sound volume. This is also true for the hood.
Choose your small appliances carefully:
If you leave certain appliances such as food processors, coffee makers, etc. on your work surface, they must not detract from the aesthetics of the kitchen since it is open to your living room. Think of establishing a certain continuity in the style you have chosen so that they fit in with your decoration.
Pay particular attention to the color, but also to the aesthetics of the latter. This is also true for the dishwasher, the oven, etc.
Delineate the kitchen space:
To visually delimit the kitchen space so as to fully assume it in the living room and make it an asset, you just have to play on two different floors. Of course, you must choose them carefully so that the whole is harmonious and aesthetic.
It is a very good idea that gives character to your room. It is also possible to play with the color of the walls. For example, you put a darker color in the kitchen area by playing on a cameo or on the contrary on the contrast.
Choosing the right materials and finishes:
It is very difficult to neglect the quality of finishes in an open kitchen. As it is visible from the living room, it must be pleasant to look at: get rid of cheap furniture when it is open! It is preferable to opt for quality materials and impeccable finishes, the result is aesthetic and blends with the rest of the space.
The decoration of the kitchen:
When designing your open kitchen, it is important to pay attention to its decoration which will be treated like the rest of the room. You will not hesitate to display pretty plants, beautiful objects, posters, paintings as you do in the living room part to create a perfect alliance between the two rooms. Pinterest is full of ideas and images to help you decorate your kitchen at its best.
Lighting a very important element:
You can also play on the lighting to sit your kitchen in the living room. It will be placed in various places: for example, you can integrate spotlights in the high furniture to obtain a powerful lighting on the work surface. Opt for a nice suspension above your bar or island in the same style as the rest of the room. This is a way to better integrate your kitchen. If it is adjustable in intensity, it is even better to create a soft atmosphere during your meals.
