Open plan kitchens are becoming increasingly popularpopular in Russian homes and apartments. Previously, such a design solution was associated with small-sized real estate, but today, redevelopment is increasingly being done in 2- and 3-room apartments, in elite residential buildings and country cottages.
Combining the kitchen and living room does not always happenDue to the small size of the apartment, such a desire often arises among owners who want to furnish their home as comfortably as possible. As numerous surveys show, the decision to make a kitchen into a living room is made by owners of real estate primarily because of the desire to furnish their home as comfortably as possible. In the zoning and decor of a free-plan kitchen, there are several important points that must be taken into account so that the room turns out to be convenient for everyday use and receiving guests.
Rationally use every square meter
On the positive aspects of such redevelopmentYou can talk endlessly, but there is also a fly in the ointment. Before turning the kitchen into a kitchen-living room, you must definitely consider the negative aspects of such a decision and try to avoid them. First of all, you need to take care of a high-quality hood, otherwise the smell of cooking food will constantly be present in the room. The next step should be planning and implementing measures for high-quality soundproofing of the kitchen, because in this case the noise of plumbing, household appliances, and TV will be constantly heard. The best option is to purchase doors with high soundproofing properties for such a room: plastic or wooden. It should be taken into account right away: sliding doors are a fashionable element of modern houses and apartments, but so far they are significantly inferior to swing doors in terms of soundproofing.
The kitchen-living room will require high-qualityan extractor hood that prevents the smell of cooking food from filling the entire room. The door issue can be solved in another way, if the exits from both rooms lead to a common corridor. This layout solution requires additional costs, but it is one of the most practical. When combining rooms, it is better to block up the kitchen door and leave one entrance from the kitchen, which has turned into a living room, into the corridor. Kitchen doors are often made of glass or with glass inserts, so you will have to pay special attention to the lighting of the corridor, which will deteriorate significantly after the disappearance of one door. But you can also do it another way: block up the door from the kitchen so that a niche is formed. This move will help solve several problems at once:
- will increase the useful area of the combined premises;
- will reduce the corridor, which does not carry a full functional load;
- will allow in the niche of the kitchen to place household appliances that used to be in the hallway.
What to do if the rooms in the apartment are sotiny, that combining the two rooms will not help solve the problem? In this case, you need to reconsider the furniture and household appliances needed to arrange the kitchen-living room. It is quite possible that in order to effectively solve the problem, you will have to reconsider your stereotypes. One of the common mistakes that property owners make when arranging a kitchen-living room is the desire to place as much furniture and household appliances in it as possible. When the room is large, this is indeed possible. But if the apartment has an insulated balcony with a door to the kitchen, the refrigerator can be placed on it. You can do the same with a microwave oven and, in general, with all electrical household appliances, thereby freeing up space in a small kitchen.
The balcony can be combined with the kitchen-living room,by placing a dining table or sofa there. A balcony is a valuable resource for increasing the usable space in small houses and apartments. It can be used effectively even if it does not have a door to the kitchen-living room. For example, a small study can be equipped in it, and the freed up space can be used as a sleeping place. It is also necessary to immediately consider the size of the dining table for the combined room. The table may be too big for the room due to the presence of interior items installed on the floor. But on the other hand: with the help of such a table, and not just a sofa, the room is zoned. The table itself is divided into working and non-working zones. In the first zone, for example, small household appliances are placed, the second is used for serving. Such a table can be divided by a small translucent screen, it will not weigh down the space and will look very fashionable, especially if backlighting is used in its design. The latter will create a relaxed festive atmosphere in the room in the evening. Return to contents</a>
What to do with the sofa, TV and other things
This question is encountered quite often.those who decided to transform the kitchen and increase the useful area of the room. An ordinary sofa, which once looked appropriate in the living room, may be absolutely unsuitable for a new room. In such cases, designers advise relying on corner sofas. Such furniture allows you to not take up the central part of the room, makes it possible to economically and functionally organize the space. Experts recommend purchasing transformable furniture for combined rooms. We are talking not only about a sofa for the kitchen, but also cabinets and tables. The latter are very popular to combine with cabinets. But especially fashionable lately are cabinets that allow you to "hide" a shelf with dishes, a sink, a compartment for storing forks, spoons, knives and other household items.
An option for arranging furniture in a living room combined with a kitchen. It is best to divide a free-plan kitchen into two zones:
- working;
- public.
This is quite logical and is due to the specificsa room intended for daily cooking, relaxing in the evenings with family and receiving guests. It is impossible to imagine modern life without a TV. Some people place it in the work area, while others place it in the public area. In such cases, the opinions of property owners are usually diametrically opposed. It may well turn out that a TV moved to the kitchen will be inconveniently located in both areas. Designers for open-plan kitchens advise purchasing a wide-screen plasma TV and installing it on the wall in the middle between the areas. This option is convenient to use and will help divide the space of the room without additional expenses. Return to contents</a>
For cooking and receiving guests
Contrasting colors are widely used for zoning.color solutions for wall, ceiling and floor coverings. The work area should be darker than the public area not only for aesthetic reasons, but also for practical reasons. You should not get carried away with excessive decoration of the work area, as it carries a greater functional load, compared to the public area. As a zoning tool, it is fashionable to use a bar counter separating the kitchen. If the room is small, it makes sense to use the following to solve this problem:
- curtains;
- curtains;
- jalousie.
However, we must not forget about the selection of fabrics forcurtains and drapes. It is necessary to take care of the choice of texture, whose aesthetic appearance will not suffer from humidity and temperature changes, which will still be present in the room, combining the kitchen and living room. Return to the table of contents</a>
Trend decisions
Sliding partition between the kitchen and the living roomis very convenient and allows you to divide the room at any time. A practical option is considered to be purchasing blinds instead of the usual curtains. It is better to give preference to non-fabric models made using moisture-resistant plastic. There is another interesting option for delimiting the space by using curtains and blinds at the same time. The former are placed in the public area, the latter - in the work area. The main thing here is that the "window outfit" harmoniously matches each other in style and color. There is a controversial issue: should the interior item that divides the kitchen into zones be bright or neutral if it is placed in the middle. The classic move is to use neutral-colored furniture. As for screens, there is no consensus here. In some cases, design experts advise bright, in others - neutral shades. Therefore, it is very important to consider the overall color scheme of the room, furniture and accessories, so as not to make a mistake with the choice. Or do it even easier: buy glass screens on wheels. They are made of traumatic tempered glass, such screens transmit light well and allow you to "re-plan" the kitchen at any time: just move the screen to another place. A similar role can be performed by a rack, but it is less mobile. On the other hand, you can place beautiful accessories on the rack to emphasize the special style of the room. There is another important nuance: when the border between the zones runs along the ceiling, you need to make sure that the demarcation parallel to it is on the floor. The border can be a change in the floor level by 10-15 centimeters. Do the same with the ceiling. As for massive decorative elements, it is better to avoid them, as they will weigh down the space of the room and reduce its functionality.
