Without borders between different rooms – kitchen, dining area, living room – they could also move more freely from one space to the other, and consequently family members interacted more with each other.
The cost of knocking down walls can be prohibitive, especially when the walls in question hold framework, but this can be mitigated.
Aesthetics
Open concept kitchens with bare walls, no partitions, and lots of windows create wonderful sight-lines: in an optimally coordinated design, circulation can proceed seamlessly from cooking area into eating area and lounge area.
This design may subject the inhabitants to very noisy environments as many cyclical activities run in parallel in one large space, which may be distracting for some housers. In addition, its messiness could also be exposed and worrying for those who don’t like to show personal affairs or to look at scattered utensils and surfaces.
But there are plenty of ways around all of these pitfalls. Painting the walls and floor uniform colours will lead to the biggest uniformity of vision; pops of colour may be used by picking items with a tidy and modern silhouette, such as glass-top tables and chairs. Open shelving can serve in lieu of upper cabinets, keeping clutter out of the line of sight; skylights will naturally complement this idea, as they will increase the amount of light in a room and therefore its inherent openness.
Social Interaction
An open plan kitchen makes an ideal place to entertain and visitors are likely to congregate in it anyway, half-heartedly helping out with the upsetted meal and half-heartedly watching it, too – and, if you have kids, maybe keeping half an eye on what they’re up to.
However, an open layout can lack visual and acoustic privacy. Noise, if allowed to travel unrestricted from one room to another, can turn an open living space into a campus for talking. Cooking smells that generally start out in the kitchen are quick to become viral. For families with young children or for light sleepers, this can create a problem.
To address these issues, consider using sound-absorbing materials and smarter design solutions that can delineate distinct spaces to avoid a chopping effect while preserving the sense of openness. Acoustic panels can limit sound while maintaining a light, airy feel; bookcases or screens can demarcate semi-private areas for reading or chatting; minimising the material in your kitchen (put away all those appliances, utensils and gear) will declutter and you’ll thank us when it’s time to set the table.
Functionality
There is some advantages that may come with an open concept kitchen. The fun that emphasis may be created by design are one primary important benefits;it brings lights to the whole space by removing walls.
An open layout allows a clear sight to other rooms and hence relatives or friends can easily come to the dining or socialising area freely without having to ask. This engages them in the cooking process and makes meals more fun.
With no physical separation of kitchen and dining (or living areas), spills on counters and used pots and pans are more visible to guests than they might have been in a different home layout – open floor plans can often feel dirty to owners seeking clean spaces. And sometimes well-intentions can fall short: built-ins for home organisation might sound great, but if they’re closed off, they can make the space feel claustrophobic. There’s a reason storage room behind the engawa, a raised and open porch overlooking a Zen Japanese garden in the midst of a busy city, is often welcome. Donna Quintela, an architect and designer in San Francisco, adds that it helps to have circulation patterns and zones: open shelving displaying decorative items to help break up a cluttered look when needed.
Value
With an open concept design, your kitchen will be brighter and more open. You’ll also feel like there’s more room in your home since instead of individual rooms, your home becomes one open space where the boundaries are all but erased. And if you have an open concept design, of course you want to create a direct link to your backyard patio, setting the stage for a lovely summer’s day spent with family and enjoying the company of good friends!
The change allows homeowners to stretch its living capacity without paying the cost of an extension project, and can even make your property more attractive to buyers, which can improve resale price.
Open-concept kitchens may not be for everyone: with walls to block sound, and exhaust in place to vent out cooking odours, they can be quite noisy; depending on your ventilation system, cooking odours may fill your house and it might be just as difficult to keep a messy kitchen hidden when it is in full view; keeping things looking their best can be tough with all that space on display! But good storage, consistent cleaning routines, even everyday tidying, such as keeping items out of sight on countertops (high powered extractor fans can help with cooking odours!
