The layout and arrangement of modern kitchens are given considerable attention. Especially if there is an urgent issue of preserving the usable space of a living space to the maximum. More than 50% of designers say that combining several functional zones contributes to a more ergonomic arrangement of an apartment or house due to the absence of walls and partitions, long corridors or vestibules.
Thinking about building a house or about the upcoming redevelopment of an apartment, every fifth considers the option of combining the living room and kitchen into one functional room. For those who do not know how to do this and what pitfalls they will encounter during the repair, this article is dedicated.
Advantages and disadvantages of combined premises
According to design trends, the expansion of space and the increase in the volume of the room in a trend. A popular way to do this is to make a living room combined with a kitchen.
With this arrangement, do not forget that the functionality of these rooms varies, and different requirements are put forward to decorating the rooms. It is worth considering whether this option is suitable for you.
What to look for when combining two or more functional areas
Emission of odors during cooking. The kitchen constantly smells of something, no matter how powerful the hood you mount, be prepared for the fact that furniture and textiles are saturated with the aroma of cooked food.
Demand for studio apartments originated in America and migrated to our region. The only difference between North American and European cuisine is that it is practically not customary to cook there. Therefore, for Americans, the considered aspect of impracticality is not so important. In our region, everything is prepared in large quantities, including festive dishes and dinners. Therefore, the combined living room and kitchen contribute to the unhindered penetration of odors. Imagine what it will be like for people resting on the TV when you fry fish in the kitchen!
A lot of trash. This is another reason that emerges from the previous argument why the kitchen plus the living room is impractical. Cleaning in such a room will have to be done longer and more thoroughly, often cleaning the entire combined room.
The positive side of this kind of layout
But, despite this, the design decision involves a number of positive characteristics inherent in living rooms combined with kitchens:
- Visual increase in the area of both zones due to the absence of a wall or partition, if the room is up to 20 m 2 .
- Increase the area of the kitchen by placing a functional set and all kinds of household appliances on it.
- In the kitchen-living room it is convenient to receive guests without feeling constrained due to lack of space.
- The possibility of placing a full dining table, at which every member of the family feels comfortable.
- Fashionable look. In the run for fashion trends, pay attention to the kitchen-living room and you will win.
Zone division and registration of space
Having decided to combine two diverse functional rooms - the kitchen and the living room, get ready for the fact that the space will have to be zoned. Divide the area by forming zones using:
- bar counter;
- arches (beams);
- screens;
- sliding glass panels;
- application of different wall finishes.
We will talk in more detail about each of the techniques.
Bar counter
When the living room is combined with the kitchen, the use of separation tools is required. One of them is a bar counter. In addition to the zonal separator, the design serves as a dining table. Under the counter it is easy to organize a place to store things, equipping with convenient shelves or boxes. The bar and kitchen sets can be performed in a single ensemble in order to maintain style.
Combining the living room and the kitchen, in any case, activate imagination. This is a chance to show design inclinations and create your own unique style of combined kitchen and living room. In the photo, the bar counter is a zone separator and at the same time a design element that creates a smooth transition between functional zones.
Arch
All sorts of arches and beams visually separate the living room from the kitchen. This is the best option for kitchens located in niches. The use of such an architectural element makes the room more expressive.
Screen
A screen is performed when there is a need to organize an additional storage system. This option fits perfectly into the living room, combined with the kitchen in the apartment.
Installation of the screen will solve the problem with zonal separation, and will also make it possible to store different utensils on additional shelves and drawers. In addition, an electric fireplace is built into the screen, bringing comfort to the interior.
Decorative finishes and architectural refinements
A multi-level ceiling is another tool used for zonal separation of functional rooms. The interior is emphasized with light or combine decoration materials.
Acceptable installation of tiles in the kitchen and laminate flooring in the living room area. The flooring will draw a conditional line between the zones, and it will also prove practical in everyday life. Designers say that you can highlight the living room with a carpet placed in the center of the room and as if accentuating attention.
Lift the kitchen to the podium. This is a move that contributes to the successful separation of space.
Sometimes separation is carried out by decor of walls and other surfaces in the room. Here, the competent selection of wallpaper-companions, or colors or tones of decoration that are in harmony with each other, is important.
Since 2015, monophonic wall decoration is no less popular, but with the use of materials with different textures. For example, the kitchen is decorated with blue tiles, and the living room - wallpaper in tone.
Some principles of combining functional zones
How to promote the unification of the living room combined with the kitchen:
- With a dining table, which contributes to a smooth transition from the kitchen to the living room.
- Using companion materials in the decoration. This technique is suitable for separation, and for combining functional areas.
- Using identical color accents.
- With the help of ceiling lights mounted around the perimeter of the room.
Do not forget that the rooms that you strive to combine must be in the same stylistic solution, otherwise the picture of the room will look disharmonious.
Examples of shared room planning projects
In construction, there are dozens of room layout projects, and all are completely different. The project is reflected in the arrangement, and in the placement of the described functional areas, and also on the layout of the entire house or apartment.
The living room, combined with the kitchen in the house, must not lose its original functionality. Therefore, before proceeding with the (re) planning, draw up a detailed work plan and take into account the features listed below:
- the shape and size of the premises to be combined;
- arrangement of windows and adjoining rooms;
- lighting of the area, the location of doorways, arches, niches;
- the number of family members and their age;
- the price of the issue of redevelopment of an apartment or house.
Small kitchen-living room
The project of combining the kitchen combined with the living room in Khrushchev depends on the size and shape of the room, but even in cramped conditions up to 17 m2, this plan can be realistically implemented. In such a kitchen-living room there will be only the necessities, and the interior without extra objects and things will seem fresher and cleaner.
In this scenario, the kitchen will be equipped with a maximum of three pairs of hanging cabinets (upper + lower). Having provided covers for the stove and sink, you get two more functional areas: the first - for cutting food, the second - as a stand for a bread machine, slow cooker, yogurt maker.
Medium-sized kitchen-living room
In a private house, there are often premises of an average area of up to 30 m 2 . There are 3-4 windows in such rooms, because the living room, combined with the kitchen in the house, is lit.
A linear and angular set will fit into the room, and the remaining space will be enough to equip a recreation area by the fireplace or TV or a combined dining room.
Dimensional premises and features of their association
If you have a private house, even a mansion, it is clear that you can allow you to organize a kitchen with a living room and dining area in a large area. In this case, do not hesitate to choose furniture, design, decoration materials.
The room opening onto the terrace will look even brighter. It is acceptable panoramic glazing, large glass door structures in the area of the living room. In this case, the dining area is even organized on the street - under the roof of the terrace.
Custom layout solutions
The terrace is used, additionally insulating and mounting a kitchen on it with a brazier or grill. Glass doors can be easily and conveniently opened at the right time, and you get one functional room for a family holiday.
Options for placing a kitchen area
There are five main options for placing the cooking area, study them in more detail:
- In a rectangular room, the kitchen occupies one of the walls, and such a kitchen with a living room, combined in the apartment, is separated by an island or a bar. Suitable for medium sized rooms.
- The kitchen in the corner of the room with an L-shaped layout, the headset occupies two walls, starting from the corner. This option harmoniously fits into a small combined room or in the volumetric space that you want to fill.
- In large rooms where it is planned to place, in addition to the kitchen, the living and dining areas, the cooking area with all its functional areas is located in the center of the room. In this case, nothing restricts the hostess's movement, makes it possible to freely communicate with visitors sitting in the living room, and conveniently set the table.
- Cooking area in the middle of the kitchen. This option emphasizes the space, zoning it. In addition, this layout contributes to the installation of a powerful hood that copes with unpleasant odors.
- Kitchen in the cupboard - do you know what it is? The project of placing the headset in a small room. By closing the cabinet with doors with a special design, you divide, as in the photo, the combined kitchen and living room in the house into two separate rooms.
No less interesting is the option of placing a kitchen under the stairs. This option is only suitable for private houses or two-, three-level apartments in a metropolis. The under-staircase is used for storing kitchen utensils in cabinets, cabinets, drawers or for zonal separation of the studio-kitchen, combined with the living room.
The design of the kitchen-living room in the interior of the house
Any stylistic solution is suitable for the room, but note that each of the zones should not stand out from the composition, but support the interior.
See how the kitchen and living room look in the photo, combined into one room.
For the room, pastel colors and a variety of textures are suitable. Even working with the same color, functional areas emphasize favorably due to the texture of wallpaper, plaster, painting technology. As an option, use black and white decoration in the interior. In this case, it’s hard to break the basics of colorization, and you won’t need designer services, which will save the budget.
Play with flowers
Try to beat the colors, focusing on one pronounced shade used in decorating each of the functional areas of the kitchen interior combined with the living room.
The snow-white glossy kitchen is easy to combine with the room in any color. She easily fits into the style of any decoration of the living room. The hospital view of the ward is easy to level, adding a bright dining set of dishes to the interior, arranging several vases with floral arrangements.
Focusing on the countertop, for example, having executed it in bright blue and combining it with tone pillows on the sofa in the living room, you will get a complete complete picture of the kitchen style combined with the living room.
Invoice Beat
Color is not the only thing you can interact with while decorating the interior of the combined kitchen. In a wooden house, especially if it is made of calibrated logs, it is not customary to finish the walls. Use their texture to style the kitchen-living room in the chalet style. Keep in mind that the tree is dark, therefore it requires the organization of good lighting.
For a house made in this direction, a country style with furniture in white and brown tones is suitable, giving the room a special look.
Ecostyle in the interior
A small kitchen, combined with the living room, in eco-style, where natural materials are used, is an alternative option for styling the room. Natural colors, furniture and decoration materials are appropriate here.
The wooden house organically looks like a kitchen-living room, designed in a medieval style.
For panel houses, wall decoration with red brick is acceptable, which gives the kitchen not only brightness, but also the texture. But such a technique is used only for the design of spacious rooms, since the brickwork “eats” the small rooms.
Effective will be decoration with wallpaper-companions in order to highlight functional areas, as in the photo. The kitchen and living room, combined into one room, can really be organized even in a small one-story house or in the country. Everything is possible if you approach in terms of ergonomics.
In a very tiny country house, fit a table and chair, separating the rest area in this way. The aged design of accessories at the same time favorably emphasizes style.
To design a living room combined with a kitchen in a private house, its own characteristics are characteristic. Here, the room can be of any shape and area, which can not be said about the typical layouts of city apartments. Equipping a room that includes several functional areas in the house, use any styles and technical equipment, doing the same in the apartment - limit yourself to functional and useful interior items and discreet decoration.
This layout option is used either in houses and apartments with a small area of two functional areas - a kitchen and a living room, limited to 20 m2, or in a large mansion where the designer’s soul can walk around. To occupy the space of a large room so that it is both functional and convenient is a real art.