Top Five Tips for open-plan kitchen living

1. Why Open-plan?

 “I think the weather plays a pivotal role in why us Brits, love to bring the outside in.

“Unfortunately we can’t dine alfresco as much as would like due to lack of warm weather, so by bringing in plenty of outside light and having a kitchen-living-dining space, we get to enjoy the feeling of the outdoors in our homes as much as possible.

“By incorporating design items like an outward-facing island, sliding glass doors into the garden and sky lights, we get to see the outdoors in a wonderful bright and socialable kitchen living space, which the whole family can enjoy. It’s about making the most of what we have.

2.      The layout is key

“If you want to your room to feel light and spacious and you want to have the outdoors visual in the design, and then always opt to have an island or peninsula. It acts as a wonderful connection to outside, when facing the garden and it can also be key in making your space more sociable, as you can cook whilst chatting to guests.

“Ensure you have your hob, sink and food prep area on the island if this is the case, which will allow you to stay in that area and really make the most of the space being sociable.

3.      Link the outside to inside

“Kutchenhaus German Kitchens now specialise in custom-built bespoke furniture to match all our kitchen ranges as the demand for the ideal kitchen-living-dining space is becoming more and more popular.

“For anyone wanting an indoor/outdoor kitchen living space, they should think about having an island or peninsula as part of the overall kitchen design. This can act as a wonderful connection to the outdoor space, which can then be continued further by bringing in co-ordinating dining room tables, seating areas or even work spaces, which can extend into the garden.

“The kitchen ideas really are endless; however always speak to a kitchen designer first with your room dimensions so they can tell you what is possible.

4.      Think about the practicalities

“Anyone thinking of extending into the garden or even just re-designing their original kitchen space needs to speak to a highly trained kitchen designer first and foremost to get the most of the layout.

“Think about where you want people to sit, eat, cook, dine etc. All of these elements will determine the positioning of the units and appliances.

“The architect may do the best plan in the world, however if you don’t think about your kitchen first, you may have to compromise on design elements later on, which isn’t ideal. Especially as the kitchen and dining aspect was probably the main reason for making the changes in the first place.”

5.      Get the kitchen first

“Do not leave the kitchen buying until after the building work is complete, this is a recipe for disaster.  We have had to help so many customers in the past who have regrettably fallen into this path.

“Get your kitchen plan done and agreed at the same time as your building work. That way, any changes like moving doors, adding windows or creating additional areas to your space is an easy job.

“Leave it until after the building work has started and this could end-up being very costly indeed!

“If you have the space, the world really is your oyster when it comes to open-plan living. Just make sure you do the research and get advice first to ensure your end-result is all that you wanted and more.”

About Kutchenhaus

Kutchenhaus German kitchens are built in Germany by Europe\’s largest kitchen manufacturer and supplied direct to you. By cutting out the middle man we can offer high quality German kitchens at low prices! All our fitted kitchen are solid, pre-built kitchen units – not flat pack, so your kitchen is built to last!