If you want an effortlessly modern, functional kitchen then look no further – open plan kitchens are what you need! Find out all about them below.
For many of us, the kitchen is the heart of the home. It’s where everyone gathers after a taxing day, regroups and connects with each other, sharing stories of their day. For many, the kitchen has become the place where you entertain and socialise. Which means more and more people are seeking a kitchen that reflects their modern lifestyle, with a social space for entertaining and socialising. Enter, open plan kitchens. Yes, the space that combines cooking, entertaining and dining all in one place. But, how do you truly achieve a modern open plan kitchen?
When it’s time to makeover your kitchen, you may want to go for an open plan kitchen, but how do you do it? Whilst a kitchen designer may assist you, you should have a vision of your new kitchen before it’s fitted. So, to do that, you need to understand what the features of an open plan kitchen is. We’ll cover everything from layout to design features, to help you distinguish what makes a brilliant open plan kitchen. Let’s begin…
Open Plan
Open plan kitchens are fairly self-explanatory. It’s a space that includes your kitchen and dining room in one place – sometimes even a seating / sofa area. The idea is to create a space that is well and truly social, so all the visitors to your house can enjoy your company whilst you prep food and they dine / sit and have a drink. Open plan kitchens don’t have to be just modern. Yes, you can style your kitchen however you want, be it shaker or classic, an open plan kitchen is simply about the space you create with your newly designed kitchen.
The Layout
The first thing to consider when imagining your open plan kitchen is the layout. Open plan means spacious, because you need to include the kitchen and another room (say, a dining room) in the same place. So, look at the space you have to hand, you may need to consider a smaller dining table (maybe a round one?), to utilise the smaller space you have available. Most larger open plan kitchens have an island unit, to create a social / prep space – where food and drinks can be made and enjoyed. Island units are a great way to create a centre piece for a larger kitchen, as well as incorporate more storage solutions into the room. Island units are a great place to entertain, and many kitchen designers aim to extend the space of the island unit to make room for furniture, as can be seen in the image above.
