For many people, the kitchen is at the very heart of the home, being a room in the house where all of family life centres. It makes sense then, to emphasise this aspect of the kitchen by opening it up to the rest of the house and combining the space where you cook and the space where you live into one all-encompassing whole.
It’s easier than you think to create a combined kitchen/living area. Here are just a couple of tips to get you started.
Choosing sides
If you have a work surface marking the line between the living room and kitchen, don’t look at it as a barrier, but rather as a focal point. Put a row of bar stools on the living room side, so family and friends are no longer excluded from what’s going on in the kitchen. They’re better than traditional chairs since anyone sat on them will be at head height with whoever is working in the kitchen
Hidden storage
To create the illusion of a combined kitchen and living room, you need to limit the amount of storage space you have on display. After all, what living room looks right with a load of cupboards stuck to the walls? Note the phrase “on display”. With a bit of planning and judicious use of the various drawer mechanisms available, you can keep all your old space by keeping it out of sight.
Mask the join
A clever way to blend the living room and the kitchen together is to blend the colour schemes between the two rooms. Instead of having background colour forming a definite delineation between your kitchen and living area, make the most of things like hand-painted doors for your cupboards. With our colour-matching service, it’s a simple and inexpensive way to make each room flow into the other, tricking the eye and maximising space.
Remember, at Hot Doors all of our kitchen cupboard doors and drawer fronts are available for purchase through our online store, and benefit from fast delivery anywhere in the UK. This also applies to our extensive range of kitchen accessories that can really help you when planning your kitchen redesign.