How To Plan the Perfect Open Plan Kitchen

The open plan kitchen has become an increasingly popular design over the past few years. Open plan kitchens remove walls between the kitchen and dining rooms. This creates a more open, communal space which allows for greater communication while you are using the kitchen. Parents can cook and keep an eye on their child doing homework or playing in the living room.

If you are thinking about renovating your home, creating an open kitchen can be recommended. But to make the most out of it, you need to plan well in advance and do more than hire a cabinet refinishing service. Here are a few simple tips and ideas to consider for planning your new open plan kitchen.

Personalize

An open plan kitchen combines the kitchen with the nearby room, which raises questions of what you mostly use that room for. Is it just for dining? Is it a working space if you work from home? Is it a space where your children can play, or where you can socialize with friends?

Every home and family has different needs and uses. Start by figuring out just how you intend to use both the kitchen and adjacent space. Start your design by figuring out what you will need to create the perfect adjoining room, whether it is space, furniture, or other tools.

The Importance of Cohesion

In a closed plan kitchen, walls can serve as an important dividing line between differently designed rooms. If you knock down the walls without forethought to make an open plan, the different designs can clash, creating a choppy, jilted design.

Consequently, think about how you can synchronize designs from the kitchen to the adjacent room. There are multiple ways to do this such as having matching furniture or tools, but color is your best bet. You can go with either light or dark colors, but make sure to keep the color consistent and have supporting colors to draw out the best design.

Pick the Kitchen Layout

There are multiple kitchen layouts which you can go with, each of which offers their own advantages and disadvantages. The basic four forms are defined as galley, G, U, and L-shaped kitchens. Practically all kitchens are one of these designs.

Which one should you go with? To decide, you need to know how large your kitchen is and how much stuff you plan to store in the kitchen. Galley and L-shaped kitchens are generally better for smaller kitchens and offer more room to move around, while G and U-shaped kitchens offer more storage space in cabinets and counters and are more versatile. The bottom line is that there is no such thing as a completely wrong answer.

Small Kitchens work too

If your living space is on the smaller side, you may be more reluctant to go with an open-plan kitchen. You might not want the noise and smells of a kitchen to intrude on your personal space.

 But that does not mean you have to give up on an open-plan kitchen which allows for more communal living. Consider using built-in appliances or a galley design, and plan how things can be stored outside the kitchen or in new drawers or cabinets. Open plan kitchens can work with kitchens of any size.