Open-plan kitchens have become increasingly popular in recent years as people opt for a more flexible and modern layout in their homes.
The kitchen has shifted from being merely a food preparation area to fulfilling many different roles. Now, it serves multiple purposes. Whether it is acting as a social hub where a family or housemates can congregate, an extra space for working from home, or an extra space for storage or utility, the modern kitchen can be whatever you want it to be.
In particular, open-plan kitchens can offer people flexibility in their living set-up. These kitchens can help maximise space in smaller properties and integrate different rooms of the house seamlessly.
In order to create the ideal open-plan kitchen, the design will need to be intuitive and take into account multiple factors.
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Design With Function In Mind
When designing an open-plan kitchen, arguably the most important factor is functionality of the space. Set up your kitchen thinking about your daily habits, your kitchen usage and your home behaviours.
Including a kitchen island can help with the functionality of the space. They help act as a divider between the kitchen area and the living space or dining space. This, in turn, helps to keep the different areas distinct and functional. See compact kitchens for more information.
Within the kitchen itself, you can design your space to be as functional and efficient as possible. This includes factors such as enabling a clear pathway between the sink, the oven and the fridge.
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Minimalist Colour Scheme
To create a minimalist kitchen, it is essential to work with a colour scheme helps create a cohesive design between your multiple spaces. Subsequently, this creates a sense of continuity throughout the home. Neutral colours make this even easier and help to add a base from which to build upon.
Making sure that the details, such as door knobs and tap faucets, coordinate with the rest of your colour scheme, will ensure that there is a sleek and minimalist design. The more continuity there is, the less busy and decluttered your kitchen will seem.
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Smart Storage
Implementing clever storage solutions can help to declutter your open-plan space. For this, you can play with elements such as glass-doored cabinets and solid doors in order to showcase your favourite crockery or kitchen items and keep the others behind closed doors.
For the items that you use most frequently, make sure they are easily accessible. This will help you use your kitchen more efficiently and help your space serve you.
Integrating storage into your kitchen island can also help to maximise storage space and can be a neat way to keep appliances or other kitchen items out of the way.
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Think Carefully About Your Appliances
Appliances have the potential to make a huge impact on your open plan design as they can affect the entire extended area. Specifically, noises and smells become more important when there are no walls or divisions between the kitchen and the rest of the living space.
When cooking, extractor fans, cooker hoods or strategically-placed windows can help to alleviate strong smells. Additionally, they help to protect your kitchen from condensation.
The noise of your appliances is important as it can disrupt the rest of your space. Kitchen experts recommend choosing white goods and appliances which have decibel levels of 39dB or below. If available, a designated utility room can be used to hold the noisier appliances and reduce disruption.