According to statistical research, peoplespends up to 2 hours daily in the kitchen. Housewives or individuals keen on culinary arts can significantly exceed this result. Therefore, the main criterion in choosing the design of the room and organizing the kitchen space should only be the kitchen's compliance with the tastes, habits and convenience of the owners.
The kitchen combined with the living room visuallyincreases the area of the room. But how feasible is this for miniature kitchens in old-style apartments? Their residents know what it's like - to place a sink, a stove, and a refrigerator on 6.5 "squares", and still leave enough space for a dining area. There is an effective, although not very simple way out of such situations - we connect the kitchen and the adjacent living room. In new studio apartments or lofts, in private cottages, where the problem of lack of space is not so acute, the method of connecting the kitchen and living room also finds its justification: the free layout of the space itself dictates this idea. This eliminates the need for partitions, gives the room a feeling of spaciousness and plenty of air.
What you need to consider before starting the redevelopment of the apartment?
When carrying out work related to the demolition of partitions inside an apartment, it is imperative to visit the BTI or a similar organization.
You can separate the kitchen from the living room with the help ofbar counter. There, the experts will agree on the absence of danger to the building due to the demolition of the load-bearing wall and obtain the appropriate permission to carry out the redevelopment. Without this document, you cannot begin to combine the living room and kitchen. When planning the work, you must also take into account the fact that the kitchen is an area with high humidity. Therefore, it is highly advisable not to move the sink and dishwasher to the living room. Increased requirements should also be imposed on hygiene in the combined space: places for storing, washing dishes and processing food must have the appropriate equipment and be kept in absolute order. In order to avoid smoke in the combined room, you should take care of purchasing good exhaust equipment. Along with the problems that arise for those who decide to combine the kitchen and living room, the results of such a project will also have a number of advantages:
Another option for dividing zones is using flooring of different colors or textures.
- the opportunity for the hostess of the house not to ignore her guests when changing dishes or, if necessary, to monitor the cooking process;
- visual increase in area and living room, and kitchen;
- the emergence of an additional source of natural light for both rooms due to the access of light from another window;
- the opportunity to save on the purchase of a separate TV for the kitchen;
- creating a full-fledged dining area with a large table and enough space for all households at once.
Return to Contents</a>
How to properly equip the living room combined with the kitchen?
Connecting rooms does not mean thatthe apartment will have a large kitchen or living room. These zones will only have to complement each other and stylistically harmonize. Therefore, it will be necessary to visually divide the common space into zones: kitchen and living room. This can be achieved using various techniques:
An element of the not completely dismantled partition between the kitchen and the living room divides the space in the common area.
Return to Contents</a>
How to split the zones without dividing?
You can separate the kitchen and living room areawith the help of a convenient screen, which can be moved if necessary. Another requirement for the harmonious combination of the kitchen and living room space should be the unity of the room. This can be achieved with different colors of the floor and walls, different furniture and design in different parts of it with the help of color accents. To do this, the main color scheme of one of the zones should be supported by one or more separate color spots in the other. Thus, the color of the kitchen apron and furniture can successfully echo the pillows or chairs in the living room. The same effect will have a matching texture of the materials from which the interior items in both parts of the room are made: a living room finished with natural stone or wood will be “reflected” in a few details of the kitchen (countertop, cabinet doors, etc.), and the chromed metal of the kitchen will echo the shiny decorative overlays or fittings on the furniture in the living room. You can also preserve and emphasize the unity of the room with the help of a TV or a fireplace, placed so as to connect both parts: the TV is installed at an angle convenient for viewing from both the kitchen and the living room, and the fireplace is arranged on the border of the zones, emphasizing their unity and separateness. Guided by their own taste and the trends of modern fashion, each owner is able to create the interior of a living room combined with a kitchen. Projects developed independently or with the help of designers will make the home unique and comfortable, at the same time solving the problem of cramped kitchens and living rooms of an unsuccessful layout.</ ul>
