One of the rising trends in modern kitchens is the Open Space Kitchen. If you were to ask any person on the street what the main purpose of a kitchen is, they would probably all tell you the same thing - to cook. But the truth is that it’s way more than that. It is actually something of the main gathering hub for your families, and, increasingly, a space for entertaining.
This happened naturally and looking back it makes a lot of sense. The truth is, kitchens originally were designed only for the purpose of cooking (imagine that). Pretty soon, however, families realized they wanted to eat the food too and not need to walk all the way to the dining room. As kitchens started to feature eat-in areas, people started spending more and more time there. It became the place to eat, have a coffee, read the news or just hang out with the rest of the family. Essentially the kitchen has become a second family room! This change required kitchens to get much bigger, and they need more space.
In Israel, this could be a problem as space is one of the biggest constraints we face when designing our home and especially a kitchen. That’s where open space kitchens come into play. Instead of having two separate spaces for the kitchen and family room we combine the two. One big room that seamlessly transitions from kitchen to living room without feeling like either space is too small or that they are encroaching one another.
Here are 3 steps to think about when creating an open space kitchen.
1. Floorplan
At this stage, you want to really understand the dimensions of the space you’re working with. How much space needs to be allocated to each area and, maybe most critically, to define the borders of each area. It’s also important to consider how the different spaces will interact with each other at this stage. For example, the cooking area is meant to be occupied by only the cook(s) and should, therefore, be a little more isolated, while the eating and living areas should have an easy flow between as they are the “hangout” areas.
2. Layout
Once you’ve decided on the floorplan, you can start planning how you want to set up each space. Ask yourself at this point what appliances and furniture you want, or already have, and where you want it. Remember to stay within the framework you set up for yourself in the floorplan, as any changes can make dramatic and unwanted impacts on the rest of your design.
3. Design
When you have an open space kitchen, it’s very important to think through the design of all the areas. A kitchen and a living room generally have very different feels to them, and that is still true here. The challenge is to create a design that accommodates both and also flows seamlessly together. There are endless possibilities for this. It’s worth checking out Pinterest for some inspiration in this regard or finding a good kitchen designer that understands your taste.
We hope you found this article helpful! If you have any questions or comments feel free to be in touch with us and we will get back to you as soon as possible.