Originally posted on https://masteringkitchens.com/open-kitchen-designs-with-living-room/
Looking for ideas and inspiration for an open kitchen design with living room? Or perhaps you’re looking to decorate your open kitchen with beautiful shelving from Amazon. No worries, we got you! There are a lot of benefits to incorporating an open kitchen design with a connecting living room or dining room, and today we want to give you inspiration. We’ll also discuss a few of the drawbacks a little later.
An open kitchen design is both classy and stylish and it’s also a fantastic choice for anyone who enjoys having guests over or hosting small gatherings. Why? A few reasons actually, let’s take a quick look.
- For instance, it will help avoid disconnecting from conversations while preparing meals.
- The space will also appear much larger, especially with brighter colors, windows, or skylights that let in more natural light. Plenty of space for everyone to comfortably move around as they all mingle. Trust me, it’s all about the user experience, and the last thing you want is to create a claustrophobic experience for your guests!
- It will also help the family come closer together as the open space naturally encourages more communication.
- Lastly, most kitchens open to dining room floorplans make serving friends and family a much easier job. There’s no bumping into walls, opening doors, and fitting through tight spaces.
Now let’s get into the fun part, exploring ideas for your own open kitchen design project! What do you say? Start by clicking any of the images below.
The benefits of an opening kitchen to living room or dining room floorplan
In addition to the benefits mentioned in our introduction paragraph above, an open kitchen with a joining living room or dining room gives your guests the ability to casually socialize and move freely throughout the area. This is perfect for the socially active homeowner who loves to throw Superbowl parties, wine tasting events, and even personal occasions like baby showers and anniversaries.
Another benefit of incorporating an opening kitchen to dining room design is that this layout makes the inside of your home look much bigger than it really is. The reason why open kitchens with living rooms and dinning rooms feel bigger is because you’re taking advantage of every square foot. When your home’s floorplan is cut into quarters, a lot of your home’s square footage is going to waste.
Flexibility is yet another reason why homeowners are incorporating the kitchens open to dining room or living room design. Let’s say you want a pool table, a dance floor, or even a mini bar to be the center of your living space. That’s simply not a problem when you don’t have to deal with walls. Now, how great is that? Open kitchens to living room designs give you full control to customize the interior part of your home the way you want.
Lastly, kitchens open to dining room and living room designs make better use of natural light. For example, because there’s no walls, the natural light coming through your windows will more effectively travel throughout the main area of your home. Plus, natural lighting can really help boost the appearance of your home and give it that look of elegance.
Things to consider before you open up your kitchen to a dining or living room
If you’re interested in transforming your current, enclosed kitchen into an open room that conjoins with your home’s dinning room and/or living room, then you’ll want to consider a few things before you take the plunge. First, it can be quite expensive to integrate this kind of floor plan into your home. This process involves tearing down walls, redoing the wiring, and taking care of all the other tasks that require a skilled and trained professional.
A few drawbacks you’ll want to consider
One drawback you’ll want to keep in mind is that once you tear down the walls, you’ll have no barriers to block loud sounds and stinky odors. Both the noise of the television and the smells from the kitchen will move freely throughout the room. Cooking fish or other strong smelling food may annoy your guests and stink up the rest of the house (eww!). Just something to keep in mind.
Another significant drawback may be higher costs in keeping the larger, open area, cool in the summer, and warm in the winter. That is a higher electrical and/or gas bill! Just make sure you have proper insulation installed or reassessed by your construction company, especially above.
If you’re embarrassed by a messy house, an open kitchen to living room or dining room design will also keep you cleaning on a regular basis, especially if you enjoy having guests over to your home. Kitchen walls can hide the sight of dirty dishes and the garbage that needs to be taken out. However, with an open floor plan, everything is exposed.
Finally, an open up kitchen to living room design limits your privacy. Private phone calls and personal conservations will need to be taken to another part of your home if you’re wanting to keep them quiet. These are just a few of the things you should consider before initializing one of your open kitchen concept designs.
Open kitchen layout ideas
Once you’re sure that an open up kitchen to dining room or living room floor plan is right for your home, then the next step is to examine different kitchen layout ideas and decide which one is the best option for you. When choosing the best option for your household, you’ll want to consider how you’ll be using this space, your personal preferences, and you’re established budget. All of these factors are equally important and need to be considered. So, what are some of the most popular open kitchen concepts designs?
One Wall Modular Kitchen
This kitchen open floor plan typically has a long, linear design that’s simple to use yet unique in its own way. With the one wall design, your countertops, your cabinets, and your appliances are all placed on a single wall. This simple design makes cooking extremely easy, because everything is within reach. Another benefit of the one wall modular kitchen is the use of space. By having your kitchen on a single wall, that gives you more room for other things like a dinner table, a wine rack, a couch, a television set, or whatever else you want to add to the room. The one wall modular kitchen design is one intelligent floor plan.
L-Shaped Modular kitchen
The L-shaped modular kitchen design is quite popular with homeowners, especial in smaller or more compact homes. This kitchen floorplan features an L-shaped plan that serves as both an effective cooking station and a casual environment for social interactions too. Whether you’re making thanksgiving dinner or chatting with old friends, the L-shaped modular kitchen is definitely a useful floor plan.
Modular Open Concept Floor Plan
The modular open concept floor plan brings the kitchen, the living room, and the dining room together in a simple and easy-to-use design. This floor plan typically features an island fully equipped with a built-in sink, stove, oven, and lower level cabinets. As far as the rest of the room, it has a very squarish, open design making it a great choice for homeowners who love to throw parties and other get-togethers. This floor plan is great for larger and more spacious homes.
Gallery Kitchen Layout
If you live in a smaller, more compact sized home, then the gallery kitchen layout design might be perfect for you. This floor plan has a very a narrow, rectangular shape that makes use of all confined space. Unlike the one wall modular kitchen, both walls are functionable. You basically have two parallel benches that can host anything from countertops, cabinets, appliances, or other items you want to incorporate. This design is easy to move around in and is commonly used in many restaurants. The only downside to the gallery kitchen layout is that this layout design does not really support social interactions and would not be a very wise choice for homeowners who enjoy having guests over to their home. Even though this floorplan isn’t constricted by 4 walls, the two walls still kind of isolate this areas from the rest of the home.
G-Shaped Open Kitchen
The G-shaped open kitchen floor plan is characterized by an island with the shape of the letter ‘G.’ This island has cabinets, a sink, appliances, and anything else you want to include. This kitchen island shape even works extremely well as a mini bar. If you enjoy having guests over to your home, the G-shaped open kichen is a very effective floor plan. By having everything you need built into this G-shaped kitchen island, you can conserve space and give your friends and family a larger area to casually socialize and wander freely.
Final Thoughts About Open Kitchen Layouts
These are just 5 of the most popular open kitchen to living room or dining room designs being utilized today. There are many more to choose from. When choosing the right open kitchen floor plan for your home, always consider what you’re really wanting to use the area for. In addition to this, pick a design that you feel is pleasing to the eye yet fits nicely into your established budget. Above all, take your time and have fun with it.